Cocohatchee means "brown water". This 3.64 acre preserve was acquired by Collier County in 2004 because it contains a rare riverine oak community along with pine flatwood, oak scrub and wetland dependent plant communities. Collier County has worked to remove the invasive species on the preserve and they replaced them with native plants that were installed along the creek bank.
The Preserve provides protection to gopher tortoises, which are a Species of Special Concern in the State of Florida. The tortoises feed on the prickly pear cactus that grows in the oak scrub and they can burrow ten feet underground. Along the creek, leather ferns and swamp lilies provide an area for the wetland birds to forage. This preserve also buffers the creek that flows down to contribute to the Gordon River and Naples Bay Watershed. Other plants you can find in the preserve include live and laurel oaks, golden aster, tickseed, and butterfly weed.
To access the preserve you can park at Veterans Community Park and walk down. Once in the preserve you can take a short hike (10 minutes) that takes you back to the road. The preserve also contains a viewing platform built as an Eagle Scout project and a picnic table. Although the walk is nice enough the most important purpose of this preserve is to protect the plants and animals that call it home. To that end, well done Collier County. read more