Florida – Florida Trails Association

Spring Creek Salt Marsh

Click here to go back to superiortrails.michelobultra.com to cast your vote!

Summary

Florida Trail Association volunteers will replace 350 feet of damaged boardwalk in order to mitigate the impacts to a tidal wetland along the Florida National Scenic Trail in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, and restore connectivity along this portion of FNST. Storm surges have destroyed the existing boardwalk rendering the trail unsafe to pass except at low tide.

Project Description

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the United States. Established in 1931 as a wintering ground for migratory birds, it encompasses 68,000 acres spread along Florida’s Gulf coast just 25 miles due south of Tallahassee. The refuge is home to a diverse range of plant and animal life and is host to a 40 miles section of the Florida National Scenic Trail.
In the course of the past two decades, seasonal tidal fluctuations and intermittent storm surges along the St Marks National Wildlife Refuge’s Gulf coast have destroyed a significant section of boardwalk, leaving a large section of the Florida Trail (FNST) unsafe to pass. The Spring Creek Salt Marsh Boardwalk Project intends to remove the damaged boardwalk and construct a new a 350 foot boardwalk in its place. This new Spring Creek Salt Marsh Boardwalk will be designed for long‑term sustainability in this harsh environment. The engineering of this boardwalk will provide a new and improved standard of design and the construction techniques for boardwalks in tidally‑influenced areas. We have partnered with Framing Our Community, an Idaho‑based non‑profit, to create the plans for this new boardwalk.

Volunteers will play a key role in the construction of the Spring Creek Salt Marsh Boardwalk. Hundreds of hours of manual labor are necessary to move the materials and supplies to the project site. To position the heavy lumber in the hip‑deep muck, our qualified team will make use of professional rigging equipment powered with just human effort. Once in place, the expertly designed, pre‑cut & fitted timber will be assembled by our volunteer team under the direction of the bridge’s architect, Ian Barlow. To say the hikers in St Marks NWR are ready for the construction of the Spring Creek Salt Marsh Boardwalk is an epic understatement—they are incredibly eager to see access restored to this large area St Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Everything is in place for this high‑profile project: we have the volunteers, we have the engineering designs, we have the blessing of the land manager—all we need now is the funding!

VOTING OPENS SEPTEMBER FIRST TO OCTOBER 31.  CAST YOUR VOTE HERE SUPERIORTRAILS.MICHELOBULTRA.COM.