BLUE SPRING STATE PARK
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The park is a popular tourist destination; available activities include canoeing, SCUBA diving, kayaking, fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife watching, and swimming
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The park is a popular tourist destination; available activities include canoeing, SCUBA diving, kayaking, fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife watching, and swimming
The park is a popular tourist destination; available activities include canoeing, SCUBA diving, kayaking, fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife watching, and swimming
Blue Spring State Park is a state park in the United States, located west of Orange City. Canoeing, SCUBA diving, kayaking, fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife watching, and swimming are just a few of the activities offered in the park. The park’s spring (Volusia Blue Spring) is the St. Johns River’s largest. The spring draws many Florida manatees during the winter due to its comparatively high temperature of 73 °F (23 °C). Every day, approximately 102 million US gallons (390,000 m3) of water flow from Blue Spring into the St. Johns River.
In 1766, botanist John Bartram paid a visit to the spring. [2]
The Weismore family bought the spring and surrounding land in the mid-nineteenth century, and erected a huge plantation-style residence on top of a shell mound. The location appeared to be ideal for citrus fruit cultivation, and a minor railway was built to connect Orange City to the pier at Blue Spring.
The Florida East Coast Railway was eventually built not far from where the park is now. In the 1890s, a fatal freeze wiped away the area’s citrus orchards, sending the industry south. The Thursbys shifted their business to tourism, taking advantage of the lovely spring weather and good fishing and hunting opportunities along the St. Johns River. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection purchased the park in 1972 to kick-start its manatee protection program.
Since 1978, researchers have kept track of the births, deaths, and relationships of individual manatees at Blue Spring. [3] During the colder months in Florida, manatees migrate to warmer spring water,[4] and many of them return to the same spring year after year. Scar patterns on manatees are primarily acquired by boat impacts, although they can also be acquired via fishing-line entanglements, cold sores, and fungal diseases.
The study data gathered in person and via live video streaming[6] has resulted in one of the world’s most extensive and long-running manatee databases. For the Florida manatee, several government entities collaborate to maintain a Manatee Individual Photo-Identification System. [7] [5] A considerable number of observations have been reported to this database by state park rangers and Save the Manatee Club researchers at Blue Spring.
Note: This is not the official Park website. However, it is an easy-to-use site, with everything you need to plan a trip.
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