"The St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve is one of the best investments ever made by the State of Florida. Whether it’s as a buffer to hurricanes' impacts, a producer of commercial and recreational fisheries or an ecotourism magnet, the preserve is the investment that keeps on giving generation after generation."

Gary Maidhof, Citrus County Development Services Director

Location:

Citrus County

Acreage:

23,000 acres

Contact:

Melissa Charbonneau
Aquatic Preserve Manager
3266 North Sailboat Avenue
Crystal River, FL 34428
(352) 563-0450
Fax: (352) 563-0426
Melissa.Charbonneau@dep.state.fl.us

• Download an information page.

• The St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve was established on October 21, 1969.
  
  
• St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve’s freshwater tributaries includes two 1st magnitude spring fed rivers; the Homosassa River to the south and Crystal River to the north.
  
  
• Spring discharge does not fluctuate dramatically from season to season allowing a constant flow of freshwater into St. Martins Marsh’s productive and well-balanced estuary.
  
  
• The area's vast coastal salt marshes, mud flats, oyster bars, mangrove islands, and seagrass beds are the southern terminus for migratory waterfowl of the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. St. Martins Marsh provides stopover and wintering areas for many migratory species.
  
  
• The Springs Coast is characterized by unique limestone outcroppings and exposed karstic features. Habitats associated with these areas are hardbottom sponge and coral communities and sargassum meadows.