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27-417: Picayune Strand State Forest is located in southwest Florida in western Collier County , approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the city of Naples . The forest can be accessed via Everglades Boulevard from the north, Jane's Scenic Drive from the east, and Sabal Palm Road from the west. The Picayune Strand State Forest Field Office is located at 2121 52nd Avenue SE, west of Everglades Boulevard S. The Forest

54-590: A whole county named after me." According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 2,305 square miles (5,970 km ), of which 307 square miles (800 km ) (13.3%) are covered by water. It is the largest county in Florida by land area and fourth-largest by total area. Virtually the entire southeastern portion of the county lies within the Big Cypress National Preserve . The northernmost portion of Everglades National Park extends into

81-603: Is divided into two tracts: the South Golden Gate Estates Tract to the east and the Belle Meade Tract to the west. Picayune Strand was logged for cypress trees in the 1940s and 1950s. After logging was complete, the land was purchased by developers and drained for the construction of what was intended to become the largest residential subdivision in the world. This area became the setting for the infamous " swampland in Florida " scam. Potential buyers were shown

108-467: Is now Collier County more than 2000 years ago. The Calusa people had an extensive presence in the area when Europeans arrived. The county was created in 1923 from Lee County . It was named for Barron Collier , a New York City advertising mogul and real estate developer who had moved to Southwest Florida and established himself as a prominent landowner. He agreed to build the Tamiami Trail for what

135-528: Is open to hikers and cyclists and can be easily accessed from Sabal Palm Road. The Sabal Palm Trail is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail . Trails are typically flooded during the wet season. Off-highway vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), off-highway motorcycles and swamp buggies are prohibited. All Forest visitors are required to pay a $ 2.00 day-use fee. Fees are paid using supplied envelopes at iron ranger stations located throughout

162-510: The 2020 United States census , 375,752 people, 140,578 households, and 97,279 families resided in the county. The county's public schools are operated by the District School Board of Collier County . The Collier County Public Library system consists of 10 locations serving the entire county. All locations offer public internet stations, printing, photocopying, free Wi-Fi, and 24/7 drop boxes for book and video returns. According to

189-633: The Naples – Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) , which, along with the Cape Coral-Fort Myers (Lee County) MSA and the Clewiston ( Hendry County , Glades County ) Micropolitan Statistical Area ( μSA ), is included in the Cape Coral - Fort Myers -Naples Combined Statistical Area (CSA) . Archaeology at Platt Island in the Big Cypress National Preserve shows humans settled in what

216-527: The Swallow-tailed kite logo. The trail is divided into four sections (Panhandle, West, Eastern, and South) each containing at least two 'gateway' sites. Within each section the sites are grouped into clusters. Usually the sites in a cluster are within an hour's drive of each other. Many of the state's 514 species can be found along the trail, including the roseate spoonbill , limpkin , swallow-tailed kite , red-cockaded woodpecker , smooth-billed ani and

243-633: The Ten Thousand Islands area. Soon after, state and federal agencies identified the need to restore the hydrology of Picayune Strand and began to develop a plan to achieve this goal. The first parcels of land in Picayune Strand were purchased in 1985 using Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL) funds under the Save Our Everglades program. This was an incredibly complex undertaking as it involved acquiring land from 17,000 landowners. In 1998,

270-653: The U.S. state of Florida where the state's bird habitats are protected. The trail promotes birdwatching , environmental education and ecotourism . The GFBWT is a program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission , supported in part by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Wildlife Foundation of Florida. It is modeled after the successful Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail . Trail sites area identifiable by prominent road signs bearing

297-426: The 102,973 households, 22.7% had children under 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were not families. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.79. The county's population distribution

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324-531: The Belle Meade Tract from Miller Boulevard to Benfield Road. All horses in the Forest must have current negative Coggins Test results, proof of which is to be carried by each rider. A primitive equestrian campground equipped with paddocks is located next to the Field Office and trailhead, and an additional oak-shaded primitive campsite is located near the middle of the trail. In addition, the four-mile Sabal Palm Trail

351-425: The Forest. "Picayune Strand State Forest" . Florida Forest Service. Collier County, Florida Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida . As of the 2020 census , its population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples , where the county offices were moved from Everglades City in 1962. Collier County comprises

378-520: The Secretary of State's office, Republicans comprise a majority of registered voters in Collier County. It is also one of the handful of counties where independents outnumber Democrats among registrants. The county is part of a long-established Republican stronghold in southwestern coastal Florida; the last Democrat to win the county was Adlai Stevenson II in 1952 . The last Democratic governor to carry

405-432: The beginning of 2016 netted over one ton of captured snakes, including a Florida record for largest male Burmese python , measuring 16 ft and weighing 140 lb. 26°05′N 81°24′W  /  26.08°N 81.40°W  / 26.08; -81.40 Great Florida Birding Trail Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail ( GFBWT ) is a 2,000 mile (3200 km) long collection of more than 500 locations in

432-478: The county was Reubin Askew in 1974 and the last Democratic senator to do so was Bob Graham in 1992; six years later, the county was one of four to back the then-Republican candidate, Charlie Crist . All voter information is as of September 30, 2022 , and provided by Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office. Collier is located in the center of Florida's invasive snake epidemic . A three-month effort at

459-409: The county was $ 31,195. About 6.6% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. The county continues to experience significant growth and is becoming increasingly diverse. As of the 2010 census, the county's population had increased by 27.9% to 321,520, over the 2000 census. As of the 2010 census, 83.85% of

486-515: The county. The population density was 124 people per square mile (48 people/km ). The 144,536 housing units had an average density of 71 per square mile (27/km ). As of 2000 , its racial makeup was 86.06% White, 4.54% was African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 6.25% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos (of any race) accounted for 19.61%. Primary languages spoken were 75.3% English, 17.8% Spanish, 2.3% French Creole, and 1.2% German. In 2000, of

513-506: The federal government gave $ 25 million in aid to the state of Florida to help bring the land acquisitions to a completion. The Picayune Strand State Forest was officially named in May 1995. The Picayune Strand is critical to the health of the adjacent Everglades ecosystem. Historically, the wetlands that composed the Strand contributed to groundwater recharge and regulated the flow of freshwater through

540-563: The land from the air during the dry season, and many lots were sold to people who never saw their land from the ground. Few homes were built in the subdivision named "Golden Gate Estates" created by the Gulf American Land Corporation due to the lack of electricity and high summer water levels. By the 1970s, it was obvious that the extensive canal system was having an adverse effect on the natural communities of Picayune Strand and associated ecosystems, including Faka Union Bay and

567-415: The landscape and into the estuaries to the south. The canal system established in the 1970s altered the hydrology of the Strand and surrounding areas by draining the wetlands and increasing freshwater point source discharges into the estuaries. Consequently, former wetlands were invaded by upland and non-native vegetation and the delicate balance of fresh and saltwater in the estuaries was disrupted. The result

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594-502: The population was non-Hispanic Whites, 25.9% was Latino or Hispanic, 6.6% was African American, and 1.1% was Asian. As of the 2010 census, the greatest source of population growth in the county since the 2000 census came from the Latino or Hispanic population, which grew from 49,296 (19.6%) to 83,177 (25.9% ). In terms of ancestry, 37.9% were English , 9.9% were Irish , 9.1% were "American" , 3.2% were Italian and 3.1% were German . As of

621-445: The southern coastal part of the county. Chokoloskee, Florida is in the county. The total area of this county is nearly one and a half times the size of Rhode Island, which is the smallest state, and is bigger than Rhode Island and Luxembourg combined. Collier County is located at the southern end of Florida's Gulf Coast, and bounded by: As of the census of 2000, 251,377 people, 102,973 households, and 71,257 families resided in

648-813: The uplands. The northern section of the Belle Meade Tract contains many second growth South Florida slash pine , with some remnant trees being over 100 years old. Picayune Strand State Forest provides habitat for many species of wildlife, including many that are threatened or endangered. The following is only a partial list of the species that can be found in the Forest: cougar , red-cockaded woodpecker , black bear , white-tailed deer , wild turkey , bald eagle , wood stork , Big Cypress fox squirrel , and swallow-tailed kite . Although cougars (Florida panthers) are rarely observed, visitors often find panther tracks. Picayune Strand State Forest offers many recreational opportunities. A 22-mile (35 km) equestrian trail winds across

675-467: Was 19.9% under 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 44.1 years, higher that the U.S. average. For every 100 females, there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 99.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 48,289, and for a family was $ 54,816. Males had a median income of $ 32,639 versus $ 26,371 for females. The per capita income for

702-589: Was an extensive loss of wildlife habitat. Restoration of Picayune Strand was planned as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Picayune Strand State Forest is in the heart of an ecosystem called the Big Cypress Basin. The majority of this hydric forest is under water during the wet season. The forest is composed of cypress swamps, pine flatwoods and wet prairies in the lowlands and subtropical hardwood hammock in

729-455: Was then Lee County (comprising today's Collier, Hendry, and Lee Counties) in exchange for favorable consideration with the state legislature to have a county named for him. After Collier County was named, Collier was quoted as saying: "When I first came here on holiday with Juliet, I never expected that I would buy a whole region of it, nor did I expect to pay for the new Tamiami Trail, or half the things I've done. But I really didn't expect to have

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