Welcome to the Jupiter Inlet District
Jupiter Inlet & the Loxahatchee River
Natural Resources
Waters of the Loxahatchee River - Lake Worth Creek Aquatic Preserve and the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River
The Loxahatchee River-Lake Worth Creek Aquatic Preserve (outlined in red on the map) encompasses the three forks and central embayment of the Loxahatchee River, as well as Lake Worth Creek, the waterway that continues south of the Loxahatchee behind the barrier islands. The 9,000-acre preserve was established in 1984 and comprises two sections: Wilderness and Urban. The Wilderness Preserve-upstream from mile 5.5 of the Loxahatchee River Northwest Fork-is managed to maintain the existing wilderness condition. Management goals for the Urban Preserve are to restore and enhance the natural condition of the resources.
Several miles of the Loxahatchee River's Northwest Fork slowly meander through one of the last vestiges of native cypress river swamp in southeast Florida. In 1985, the federal government designated 9.5 miles of the fork as Florida's first National Wild and Scenic River (outlined in yellow on the map)-one of only two rivers in the state so designated. Large sections of the river corridor and watershed are within Jonathan Dickinson State Park, which contains outstanding examples of the region's natural biological communities. Visitors to the area enjoy fishing, boating, and watching animals, such as manatees and birds, in their natural environment. The three forks of the Loxahatchee are freshwater tributaries, characterized by riverine communities such as freshwater and tidal marshes. Near and within the estuary, mangrove communities are predominant with submerged resources including tidal flats, sea grass beds, and oyster bars. The preserve hosts recreationally and commercially important species such as blue crabs, mullet, snook, and tarpon, as well as unusual fish species such as the bigmouth sleeper and the opossum pipefish, a "species of concern."