The 20,000 acre area of Lake Apopka North Shore isn’t a lake at all. It is instead a very effective restoration project. This area used to be part of Lake Apopka became separated by a levee in 1941. (Lake Apopka is still the fourth largest lake in Florida.) In 1996, a Florida legislature passed that mandated the water of Lake Apopka to be cleaned up. In doing so the separated North Shore got revamped as well, returning the land to a protected marsh and floodplains for animals (and a beautiful drive for humans). The 20 mile Wildlife Drive is spectacular for bird and wildlife watching, all while cruising along as slow as a car can drive, stopping every few minutes to take pictures and soak it all in. Lake Apopka North Shore is now a top birding destination, with 377 bird species documented throughout the year. It set a Christmas Bird Count record in 1998 when it recorded 174 species in a single day.
How beautiful! And a wise sign – Don’t feed the Alligators! I remember seeing a huge gator when we were in the Audubon Nature Preserve somewhere in Florida. I was so stunned by the size of it that I froze. My spouse had to shout at me to get me to move!
Nice to see such a large area returned to a pristine condition.
Exactly. It took some time but it was worth it! Nature is so good at fixing itself if given the opportunity.