"The most important remaining patches lie along the Lake Wales Ridge, a chain of paleoislands running for a hundred miles down the center of Florida, in most places less than ten miles wide. It is a relict seashore, tossed up more than a million years ago when ocean levels were higher and the rest of the peninsula was submerged. That ancient emergence is precisely what makes the Lake Wales Ridge so precious; it has remained unsubmerged, its ecosystems essentially undisturbed since the Miocene." - John Jerome, "Scrub, Beautiful Scrub" in Heart of the Land

Imagine yourself walking on the sands of an ancient island. To the east you hear waves rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean. Look west and you see the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, the waters have long since receded from this place that was sculpted by the sea more than one million years ago. You are standing on the Lake Wales Ridge in the heart of Central Florida, a unique geological feature that runs for about 150 miles through Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk and Highlands counties.
 Florida Scrub Jay
WHERE TO GO…

· Visitors to the Ridge may encounter one of its most charismatic residents, the Florida Scrub Jay, at a number of managed natural areas. In Polk County, the best places include Lake Kissimmee State Park, Crooked Lake Prairie and the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest/Walk-in-Water Tract. In Highlands County, Archbold Biological Station, Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park and Avon Park Air Force Range are good locations to observe this unique bird.

· Setting foot in Hickory Lake Scrub is like walking into a rare plant museum. Although small in size, this 57 acre preserve in Polk County harbors several threatened and endangered plants. A few miles away, Crooked Lake offers a glimpse of one of the best remaining examples of sandhill along the Ridge.

· Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park in Highlands County is well suited to those seeking a wilderness experience. Visitors can enjoy walking a half-mile nature trail winding through white sand scrub, fishing, or canoeing.

· The 5000 acre Tiger Creek Preserve is located on the edge of the Lake Wales Ridge in Polk County. More than nine miles of trails traverse various habitats, including hardwood swamps, flatwoods and sandhills. For more information, contact The Nature Conservancy at 863-635-7506 or visit www.nature.org/florida .

· Learn about rare plants of the Lake Wales Ridge at Historic Bok Sanctuary. The Bok collection includes an endangered plant garden, and Pine Ridge Nature Preserve offers a self-guided hiking trail through Longleaf Pine and Turkey Oak habitat.

· For a copy of the Lake Wales Ridge visitor’s guide, contact the Polk County Environmental Lands Program at 863-534-7377.