64 acres purchased January 2024

Crooked River Preserve is in Parrish with a half mile of shoreline along the north side of the Manatee River. The property includes a gradient of habitats including oak hammock, pasture, saltmarsh, salt flats, and mangrove. The property has a history of crops, ranching, hunting and rail. The natural resources on site have been well-managed over the years and very few nuisance species are present. Creeks and wetlands that crisscross the property have been ditched yet retain their natural flora and beauty.

As one of the last remaining sizeable privately-owned parcels along the Manatee River, this project provides for coastal resiliency, water quality protection/improvement, and native habitat protection/improvement. Conservation of the property benefits Manatees, which graze on the shoreline’s vegetation. Other imperiled species likely to use the habitat are wading birds such as roseate spoonbills and wood storks, which have active nesting colonies a few miles downriver. The area is surrounded by suburban residential and commercial development, though there is an opportunity to expand the preserve to the north and east. 

Easy access from I-75 provides for a regional destination for visitors and residents of the rapidly growing northeast Manatee County. Activities planned at Crooked River Preserve include hiking, biking, equestrian, kayaking, picnics, birding, group camping, and educational programs.

This property was the first purchased with Manatee County 2020 Conservation Referendum bond funds.  Manatee County was a successful applicant to both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Florida Communities Trust (FCT) grant programs.  The $5 million NOAA National Coastal Zone Management Program Habitat Protection and Restoration grant, and the $1.5 Million FCT grant offset the County’s purchase, opening up possibilities for additional land acquisition.

Read the article NOAA wrote about this project

View more photos of the property here