The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) of Northwest Florida State College in partnership with Eden Gardens State Park have completed a ‘Living Shoreline Trail’ to promote CBA’s living shoreline initiative and showcase the diverse vegetation at Eden Gardens State Park. Through a marked walking interpretive trail, you can now identify 18 species in the cultivated gardens, as well as many native plants. These include the famous “wedding tree”- a more than 600 year old live oak, and the “kissing tree”- two intertwined trees that are joined in at least three places, both of which are landmarked on the new trial. Bordering the northern-most shoreline of the park is the beautiful Tucker Bayou, adorned with salt marsh vegetation and a CBA constructed Living Shoreline.
You may pick up a printed guide at the park’s new kiosk close to the entrance, or click here to download: Eden Gardens Living Shoreline Trail Brochure.
A living shoreline is a shoreline management option that uses living plants, oyster shells, sand fill, and offshore breakwaters to protect property from erosion. CBA began constructing living shorelines in 2006, with the goals of providing habitat for oyster settlement, increasing intertidal salt marsh habitat, and decreasing shoreline erosion. Living shorelines provide increased nursery, feeding and refuge habitat for estuarine organisms, while improving water quality by water filtration from oysters on the reef and storm water run-off purification by shoreline grasses.
“The Living Shoreline trail is a great addition to Eden Gardens. The trail showcases some of our natural beauties. We are pleased that the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance chose our beautiful park for this trail.” said park manager, Sasha Craft.
With this partnership, CBA is able to reach a larger audience of the importance of protecting our natural environment. CBA uses different outreach opportunities to encourage people of all ages to become Stewards of their environment and local waterways.
Hours of Operation
The park is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to sundown.
Directions
Eden Gardens State Park is located in Point Washington, off U.S. 98 on C.R. 395.
For more information, call (850) 267-8320.
181 Eden Garden Road, Point Washington, Fl. 32459 ::MAP::
The park’s website is
http://www.floridastateparks.org/edengardens
Park Fees
$4.00 per vehicle. Please use the honor box to pay fees. Correct change is required. Limit 8 people per vehicle.
$2.00 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass.
House Tours:
$4.00 per adult.
$2.00 per child.