Lover's Key State Park
I have lived in Naples for ten
years now and I have always heard great things about Lover’s Key State Park,
but have never actually been there. So, when I found out that this was one of
our field trips, I got very excited! My boyfriend and I made a day out of it
and went to Lover’s Key to get away and enjoy the beautiful park and beach. I
grew up on the water, so whenever I get to be around it, I absolutely love it.
Lover’s Key was so relaxing and it really felt like we were on a little island,
with the opportunity to rent kayaks and enjoy great food while relaxing on the
beach. What I loved about it was the atmosphere. I do not go to the beach that
much, but when I go to the beach in Naples it is always so crowded and you can’t
really enjoy the beauty and nature. While at Lover’s Key, I really felt like I
could relax and enjoy my natural surroundings, maybe it was because I was more
aware of it because of this class, or maybe it is meant to feel that way. The
boardwalk is awesome because it allows people to walk through animal’s habitats
without disturbing them, while being by the ocean. The idea of being able to
start off your day by biking or hiking the trail, then grabbing a nice lunch
and walking it off on the boardwalk after sounds amazing! And the best part of
that day would be to unwind and watch the gorgeous sunset on the beach.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t make that my whole day, but I still really enjoyed
walking around and relaxing by the water.
When I was looking up some history
about Lover’s Key, I saw that years ago is was only accessible by boat, and
then eventually, in the 1960’s, they built a bridge, so more people could enjoy
this wonderful place. Many people thought that it was the best place to watch
the sunset and that lovers made the effort to get to this island when there was
no bridge, which it how it got its name, Lover’s Key. In the 1960’s and 1970’s,
the four barrier islands were scheduled for development and preparations for
this development damaged the island. The mangroves were altered by dredging a
canal through the island. In 1983, the state acquired the islands and in 1996,
merged with Carl E. Johnson County Park and became Lover’s Key Carl E. Johnson
State Park.
I actually really enjoyed paying attention
to my natural surroundings because I think it made me relax more. I saw
pelicans, egrets, ospreys, palm trees, and mangrove forests. Estuaries are
found near river mouths where freshwater mixes with saltwater and mangrove
forests are found in the intertidal zone of estuaries. Mangrove forests are
made up of different types of mangrove trees and many different plants. Plants
and animals adapt to living in both of these because mangroves actually serve a
purpose to the water, they are so good at expelling salt that in some species
the water is fit to drink! So many birds and other animals live in mangroves
because it is so sheltered and safe.
This is definitely the place to go
if you want to spend the day outdoors, it has everything from biking to
sunbathing on the beach. It is definitely somewhere I would recommend to go to
other because it is so relaxing and knowing the plants and animals are
protected, makes it even more beautiful.
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