Cayo Costa State Park

Cayo Costa State Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)

Location	Lee County, Florida, United States
Nearest city	Boca Grande, Florida
Coordinates	26°40′19″N 82°14′49″W / 26.67194°N 82.24694°W / 26.67194; -82.24694Coordinates: 26°40′19″N 82°14′49″W / 26.67194°N 82.24694°W / 26.67194; -82.24694
Area	2,506 acres (10 km²)
Governing body	Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Cayo Costa State Park is a Florida State Park on Cayo Costa (formerly known as La Costa Island), which is directly south of Boca Grande (Gasparilla Island), 12 miles (19 km) west of Cape Coral and just north of North Captiva Island. The park is accessible only by charter boat (with or without captain), private boat, ferry or helicopter.

Geography

Cayo Costa Island is one of a chain of barrier islands that shelter Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. The park contains nine miles (14 km) of soft white sandy beaches and 2,506 acres (10 km²) of pine forests, oak-palm hammocks, and mangrove swamps.

Fauna

There is a variety of wildlife that can be seen at the park.

Among the most looked-for animals found in Cayo Costa State Park are the sea turtles. There are four species found on the island, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), hawksbill (Eremochelys imbriata), green (Chelonia mydas), and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii). Cayo Costa has many volunteers who check the entire nine mile beach each morning during sea turtle nesting season to find new nests and document them which is during the months of March through October in Southwest Florida. The loggerhead turtle is found far more than the others, and the green turtle is a distant second. The loggerhead turtle and green turtle’s eggs have the most diverse niches awhile hawksbill and Kemp’s ridley do not. Their niches rely on climate and weather which allow the eggs to survive on land and eventually hatch.^[1]

Another species found on the island is the common raccoon (Procyon lotor). These animals pose a big problem during the sea turtle nesting season due to the fact that they are the most common species of predation on the eggs. Others types of predation on the eggs include: high tide, foxes, ants, ghost crabs, and looting humans.^[2]

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is also found coming up to the island beaches. This is considered an endangered animal, but the population is currently growing.^[3] They can be seen from the beach or near the canals and docks of the island. The West Indian manatee is found in Florida and Puerto Rico. Although they are part of the same species, there is genetic diversity and allele frequency between the two populations.^[3]

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates) can also be seen jumping, swimming, and playing along the all nine miles of beaches on the island.^[4] Each dolphin has its own personal whistle just like any human would have a distinct voice. Dolphins are able to recognize these sounds and communicate through them. Scientists are able to measure these sounds and put them with the individual dolphin that made them.^[4]

The snowy egret (Egretta thula) can be found on the island.^[5] They usually stay near the beaches. They are a small white heron with long, slender black legs and yellow feet. Both sexes of the snowy egret have the same features even during the breeding season.^[5]

The southern bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) can be found flying about the island or sitting up on the high trees.^[6] This is another threatened species. The eagles eat a variety of animals, but prefer fish. They scavenge and steal food when they are able to, and the eagle hunts for live prey only as a last resort.^[6]

Flora

The mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) is found on the island. This plant is most commonly seen as a house plant, but this invasive species came from one of the houses on the island and has spread all over. Staff is currently trying to rid the island of this invasive plant.

The resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) is found growing on trees throughout Cayo Costa. It is an epiphyte that if it is dehydrated, will turn brown and curl up its leaves looking dead. When the plant receives water or rain, the plant will “come back to life” and reappear green and alive.^[7]

Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) is found at Cayo Costa. The fruit comes about in the summer time during the wet season of southwest Florida. It starts out at a bright green grape then ripens to a purplish color. The fruit mainly consists of a large seed with little flesh. It is well known of Florida natives to make jellies or wines from the grapes. This plant is native to South Florida and the Caribbean.^[8] This plant can grow up to fifty feet tall, and is usually close to the ocean because they are one of the few salt tolerant plants.^[8]

Recreational activities

Activities include hiking, off-road bicycling, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, picnicking, fishing, shelling, wildlife viewing, camping, and sunbathing.

Amenities

Amenities include boat slips, beaches, hiking trails, picnic pavilions, 12 primitive camping cabins and bath house/restrooms. The park offers a small nature center/gift shop with nature exhibits as well as items for sale. The park has the following available for purchase: ice, sun lotion, bug spray, T-shirts, hats, bird keys, shell keys, and postcards. Cayo Costa has bikes available for half-day and full-day rentals.

Camping

There are 12 primitive cabins and 30 tent sites available for camping each with its own picnic table and fire pit/ground grill assigned to each site. Boat slips are available for those who wish to camp aboard their boats.

Hours

Florida state parks are open between 8 a.m. and sundown every day of the year (including holidays).

Wildlife gallery

Shells
Little sanderling
Live sea urchin with shells
Ruddy turnstone

References

↑ Pike,"Climate influences the global distribution of sea turtle nesting" Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2013
↑ Bravo, Estrella, "Marine Turtles Nesting Monitoring in El Cuyo, Yucatan, Mexico Season 1997", NOAA Technical Memorandum, 1998
1 2 Hunter, Margaret, Mignucci, Tucker, King, Bonde, Gray, McGuire, "Puerto Rico and Florida manatees represent genetically distinct groups", Conservation Genetics, 2012
1 2 Janik, "Identifying signature whistles from recordings of groups of unrestrained bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)", Marine Mammal Science, 2013
1 2 Parsons, Master, "Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)", The Birds of North America Online, 2000
1 2 Buehler, "Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)", The Birds of North America Online, 2000
↑ Wang, Xiaonan, Zhang, Cao, Yan, Dai, "Desiccation tolerance mechanism in resurrection fern-ally Selaginella tamariscina revealed by physiological and proteomic analysis", Journal of Proteome Research, 2010
1 2 Jackson, "With the Wild Things: Seagrape", Florida Gulf Coast University, 2007

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cayo Costa State Park.

Protected areas of Florida

Federal

National Parks	Biscayne Dry Tortugas Everglades

National Memorials	De Soto Fort Caroline

National Monuments	Castillo de San Marcos Fort Matanzas

National Seashores	Canaveral Gulf Islands

National Forests	Apalachicola Choctawhatchee Ocala Osceola

National Wildlife Refuges	Archie Carr Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Caloosahatchee Cedar Keys Chassahowitzka Crocodile Lake Crystal River Egmont Key Florida Panther Great White Heron Hobe Sound Island Bay J.N. 'Ding' Darling Key West Lake Wales Ridge Lake Woodruff Lower Suwannee Matlacha Pass Merritt Island National Key Deer Okefenokee Passage Key Pelican Island Pine Island Pinellas St. Johns St. Marks St. Vincent Ten Thousand Islands

Other National Protected Areas	Big Cypress National Preserve Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

National Estuarine Research Reserves and National Marine Sanctuaries	Apalachicola NERR Florida Keys NMS Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR Rookery Bay NERR

State

Parks	Amelia Island Anastasia Avalon Bahia Honda Bald Point Big Lagoon Big Shoals Big Talbot Island Bill Baggs Cape Florida Bulow Creek Caladesi Island Camp Helen Cayo Costa Collier-Seminole Colt Creek Curry Hammock Delnor-Wiggins Pass Devil's Millhopper Don Pedro Island Eden Gardens Egmont Key Falling Waters Faver-Dykes Florida Caverns Fort Clinch Fort Cooper Fort George Island Fort Pierce Inlet Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou Gasparilla Island George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier Grayton Beach Henderson Beach Highlands Hammock Honeymoon Island Hontoon Island Hugh Taylor Birch John D. MacArthur Beach John Pennekamp Coral Reef John U. Lloyd Beach Jonathan Dickinson Little Talbot Island Long Key Lovers Key Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway Mike Roess Gold Head Branch North Peninsula O'Leno Oscar Scherer Perdido Key Sebastian Inlet Skyway Fishing Pier St. Andrews St. George Island St. Joseph Peninsula Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center Stump Pass Beach Tomoka Torreya Windley Key Fossil Reef

Botanical Garden Parks	Alfred B. Maclay Gardens Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Lignumvitae Key Ravine Gardens Washington Oaks

Lakes, Rivers and Springs Parks	Deer Lake Lake Griffin Lake June in Winter Scrub Lake Kissimmee Lake Louisa Lake Manatee Lake Talquin Alafia River Blackwater River Dunns Creek Econfina River Hillsborough River Little Manatee River Myakka River Ochlockonee River Oleta River Suwannee River Blue Spring De Leon Springs Edward Ball Wakulla Springs Fanning Springs Homosassa Springs Wildlife Ichetucknee Springs Lafayette Blue Springs Madison Blue Spring Manatee Springs Ponce de Leon Springs Rainbow Springs Silver Springs Three Rivers Troy Springs Weeki Wachee Springs Wekiwa Springs Werner-Boyce Salt Springs Wes Skiles Peacock Springs

Recreation Areas	Gamble Rogers Memorial

Museums, Historic sites, and Archaeological sites	Cedar Key Museum Constitution Convention Museum Forest Capital Museum John Gorrie Museum Ybor City Museum The Barnacle Bulow Plantation Ruins Dade Battlefield Dudley Farm Fort Foster Fort Mose Fort Zachary Taylor Gamble Plantation Indian Key Koreshan Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Homestead Natural Bridge Battlefield Olustee Battlefield Orman House Paynes Creek San Marcos de Apalache Yellow Bluff Fort Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Crystal River Lake Jackson Mounds Letchworth-Love Mounds Madira Bickel Mound Mound Key San Pedro Underwater

Preserves and Reserves	Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Anclote Key Cedar Key Scrub Charlotte Harbor Crystal River Estero Bay Fakahatchee Strand Kissimmee Prairie Lower Wekiva River Paynes Prairie Pumpkin Hill Creek River Rise Rock Springs Run San Felasco Hammock Savannas Seabranch St. Lucie Inlet St. Sebastian River Tarkiln Bayou Topsail Hill Waccasassa Bay Yellow River Marsh

State Trails	Blackwater Heritage Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Gainesville-Hawthorne General James A. Van Fleet Nature Coast Palatka-Lake Butler Palatka-to-St. Augustine Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Withlacoochee

State Forests	Belmore Big Shoals Blackwater River Carl Duval Moore Cary Charles H. Bronson Cottage Hill Deep Creek Etoniah Creek Four Creeks Goethe Holopaw Indian Lake Jennings John M. Bethea Lake George Lake Talquin Lake Wales Ridge Little Big Econ Matanzas Myakka Okaloacoochee Slough Picayune Strand Pine Log Point Washington Ralph E. Simmons Memorial Ross Prairie Seminole Tate's Hell Tiger Bay Twin Rivers Wakulla Watson Island Welaka Withlacoochee

Other

Nature centers	List of nature centers in Florida

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, December 25, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.