Nature Coast Heritage

Florida's Nature Coast is an amazing and diverse mosaic of wetlands, rivers, seagrass beds, coastal marshes, and uplands that create one of the most ecologically important areas left in the Gulf of Mexico. This is where we can get it right and learn from our past mistakes in Florida. This is where we can show future generations of Floridians we had the grace and wisdom to protect the last, best places in this state.

Comprised of the coastal and interior counties from Pasco County to the Wakulla/Franklin County region, the Nature Coast is essential to Florida’s recreational and commercial fishing industry. It is evolving and can sustain a thriving ecotourism industry rooted in the sustainable use and enjoyment of natural resources as they are. We can create human communities that reflect our respect for, and relationship with, the web of life that sustains us all.

Did you know?

The Nature Coast has…

  • 10 out of 33 of Florida's biggest springs
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Water Management

Water is the lifeblood of the Nature Coast. From springs and spring fed rivers, to black water rivers, to the vast coastal marshes and estuaries water is the key ingredient that makes this amazing place possible.

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Smart
Growth

Sustainable development in the Nature Coast will require—and challenge us to produce—new thinking and new paradigms in terms of how we conceptualize and implement residential development.

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Healthy Ecosystems

Wildlife in the Nature Coast, from the small insects to the large Black Bears, remind us of a Florida that once was, and still could be again if we have the grace and wisdom to protect it.

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Sustainable Economies

Sustainable resource management, science driven conservation, and creative thinking all are key elements to the Nature Coast's future and a long term economy that will outlast the boom and bust cycles.

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Eco-friendly Recreation

There is a Florida out there beyond the strip malls, the theme parks, and the endless box stores. The Nature Coast provides some of the best, and most diverse nature based recreation opportunities anywhere in Florida.

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Responsible Resource Use

Resource extraction is the practice of locating, acquiring and selling natural resources. In the case of the Nature Coast, the primary concerns surround the impacts of logging and mining.