The
area provides a great variety
of habitats: acres of salt marsh
and mangroves with countless
tidal creeks and other estuarine
areas; a shoreline of sand beach
and shallow surf including a
unique and extensive outcropping
of coquina rock. The nearby
Matanzas Inlet connects the
intracoastal estuarine basin
with the benthic and pelagic
habitats of the Atlantic. This
habitat diversity ensures that
many species of marine organisms,
both invertebrates and fishes,
will be available locally throughout
the year. Several additional
habitats, though distant, are
accessible: the great grassflats
of the Mosquito Lagoon near
Cape Canaveral, and the rich
animal resources of the Gulf
coast and the subtropical Florida
Keys.
Although
the Laboratory is situated in
a rural seaside area, most of
the cultural and educational
amenities of northeast Florida
are close by. To the north are
St. Augustine (18 miles) and
Jacksonville (60 miles); Daytona
Beach is to the south (45 miles);
and the main campus of the University
of Florida in Gainesville
is only 78 miles to the west. |