Pine Island Ridge Preserve is 102.2 acres. This is the highest natural elevation in Broward County, 29 feet above sea level. A paved trail begins at the back of Tree Top Park at a statue of Sam Jones a Miccosukee war chief leading the Seminole people to safety as they hid from the US Governments efforts to ship them out west on the Trail of Tears in the 1800's. The trail then runs along a ridge that was created by sand dunes deposited by the Atlantic Ocean 100,000 years ago. The path travels between residential neighborhoods and ends at a statue of Major Lauderdale who Ft. Lauderdale is named for. It was Lauderdales job to capture the 400 Seminoles who fled to this area to hide during the Second Seminole War. If he had been successful there would be no Seminole's left in Florida today. At the time the Seminoles hid in this area it was part of the Florida Everglades and the soldiers were unable to navigate it to find them. The land of Pine Ridge was also the location of the hunting camps of the ancient Tequesta Indians. There is a great display explaining the Native American presence in this area at Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center.
Today this area is home to a wide array of wildlife. On my visit I saw cardinals and blue jays. Other wildlife spotted here include gopher tortoises, great horned owls, migratory warblers, red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers, Cooper's hawks, and atala butterflies. Plants include live oak, slash pine, hackberry, marlberry, wild coffee, beautyberry, swamp fern, and giant sword fern. This area is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail which is network of 500 spots that provide refuge to migrating birds and provides great opportunities for spotting them. read more