Friends of St. Joseph Bay Preserves

Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve (SJBSBP) is managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as part of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. While protecting the bay was a given the State of Florida recognized the importance of also protecting the uplands surrounding the bay. In 1995 the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve was created with the purchase of 702 acres.

Today the holdings number a little over 5000 acres. Together the St. Joseph Bay Buffer Preserve and St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve help protect a regionally significant natural area with an outstanding ecological and economic value, as well as historical artifacts, oral history and cultural values in an area of rapid growth. Non-motorized trails, signage and other outdoor projects are part of the first phase that was emphasized. The Citizen Support Organization, Friends of St. Joseph Bay Preserves, Inc. was created in 2003 as a non-profit to help protect, preserve and support the St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve. The CSO Friends were and still are concerned with the preservation of the indigenous wildlife and its supporting habitat, as well as raising funds and providing volunteer services to help manage the Preserves and improve understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of these natural areas by allowing non-impact public recreational and educational use. The Preserve is the only public land where the Chapman’s Rhododendron is found and is the northernmost point it grows. Chapman’s Rhododendron is pictured on the Friends logo. There are at least twenty other rare and endangered plant species found on Buffer lands. Some are federally endangered while others are state protected. The best time to view these plants is in springtime. The Preserve serves as a research center for visiting students, and professors. To date the bottlenose Dolphin, frogs, sea-level rise, hurricanes, weather, sea urchin, shrimp, rats, snakes, restoration of wetlands and natural burning have been studied. Students and professors come from all over the U.S. to study, record, observe and complete research projects. Some of the locations represented include: AL, GA, SC, IL, KS, LA, ND, and of course many colleges and universities in FL. Originally the Preserve was a hunting club with a lodge and rooms for those attending to stay in while visiting. Locals could rent the lodge for various uses and were allowed to hunt wildlife on the Buffer Lands. After the state purchased the 700 acres hunting was no longer allowed. The Lodge was renovated and the rooms were designated for visiting college and university groups.