St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve - Public Use

St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve encourages sustainable use of natural resources while minimizing user impacts. The preserve pro­vides many opportunities for both recreational and commercial users. Public support and interagency participation are imperative to protecting natural resources. Participation in resource management enables the public to understand the importance of protecting the resource while encouraging recreational and commercial use.

The aquatic preserve works to reduce the amount of debris, contaminants and other resource damages associated with user group activities. This improves habitat, which in turn, improves the user experience for visitors, and it also provides an opportunity for the public to become better informed.

St. Martins Marsh works to promote awareness of proper boating practices, which helps to reduce prop scarring in seagrasses and benthic communities. This includes, but is not limited to, increasing or replacing signage as needed at various boat ramps throughout Citrus County. In addition, the preserve partners with local residents and state and federal agencies to conduct annual marine debris clean-up events.

The preserve also seeks to promote low-impact, sustainable recreational opportunities. This starts with awareness of non-consumptive use opportunities such as paddle boarding, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming and snorkeling. St. Martins Marsh works with other resource management agencies and local vendors to educate users about the unique recreational opportunities in the preserve. This includes providing informational kiosks and educating guides on historical locations, birding and hiking trails, and kayak and canoe­ing trails (i.e., the Nature Coast Canoe and Kayak Paddling Trail).