Price's Scrub State Park

Price’s Scrub State Park is a 962-acre Florida state park located in Marion County, Florida.[1] The park has relatively high biodiversity with several natural communities, including its scrub, and is important in the proposed regional connection of conservation lands.[1] The park is a part of the proposed Northwest Marion Greenway.[2][3] This corridor would connect Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to Goethe State Forest and could be used for recreational activities, particularly horseback riding.[4][5]

Price's Scrub State Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Pine flatwoods at Price's Scrub State Park, July 2020
LocationMarion County, Florida, USA
Nearest cityMicanopy
Coordinates29°27′49″N 82°16′40″W
Area962 acres (3.89 km2)
Governing bodyFlorida Department of Environmental Protection

Location

The location of the park is along Interstate 75.[4] Micanopy is one mile north, Ocala is 21 miles southeast, and Gainesville is 12 miles north, approximately.[6] Although it is located in Marion County, the park is contiguous with and south of Alachua County.[6]

History

The park lands were acquired by the state in 2002.[1] The purchase contract was negotiated for $1.97 million.[4] The purchasing funds came from the Greenways and Trails Florida Forever program.[6] The Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Greenways and Trails manages the land under a lease that expires after 50 years, in May 2053.[6]

Activities
Trail in the park

The park has a 9.5-mile trail network.[2][3] The trails in the north are more shaded with rolling hills, and the trails in the south are more sandy and open.[2][3][7] Possible activities include horseback riding, hiking, birdwatching and cycling.[2] Bicycling may be difficult in the sandy areas.[7] Amenities include a grassy parking lot, picnic tables, portable toilets, and a watering trough for horses.[2][3][7]

Ecology

The ecosystems are diverse,[4] containing at least fifteen natural communities including upland mixed forests, depression marshes, scrubs, scrubby flatwoods, wet flatwoods and sinkhole lakes.[1][6] In the northern part of the park, there is a moderately large sinkhole lake, called Water Lily Pond.[1]

There are canopies of sand pines and pond pines and has an understory of saw palmetto, fetterbush, gallberries, broom sedge, and saltbush among other flora.[5][7] Almost 70 species of birds have reported at the park.[7]

Archaeological significance

Additionally, there is archaeological significance at the park as it contains part of a stagecoach route that went from Ocala to Micanopy in the 19th century.[4] It also contains prehistoric archaeological sites.[1]

See also

References
  1. State Of Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Division of Recreation and Parks (September 2018). Price’s Scrub State Park: Advisory Group Draft Unit Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  2. "Price's Scrub in Micanopy, FL". Visit Florida. 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  3. "Price's Scrub State Park". Florida State Parks. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  4. Arndorfer, Bob (2002-06-16). "State Cabinet to consider purchase of Price's Scrub". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  5. "Price's Scrub". Conservation Florida. 2014-12-07. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  6. Muller and Associates, Inc. with the Office of Greenways and Trails (2004-06-14). Price's Scrub Greenway: Land Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  7. "Price's Scrub State Park". Outdoor Project. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
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