Recreation Guide ee k eno
2
Andrews Wildlife Management Area Recreation Guide Your guide to hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing MyFWC.com What you can do Wildlife Viewing Andrews’ wetlands and mature hardwood forests are home to a variety of birds and mammals. Many native species such as raccoons, opossums, gray squirrels, bats, screech owls, woodpeckers and wood ducks use the tree cavities so abundant in this old-growth forest for nesting sites, dens, roosting areas and escape cover. Clearings created by the previous landowner favor edge- preferring species such as white-tailed deer, white-eyed vireos and gopher tortoises. The Commission continues to maintain these clearings (as well as scattered roadside openings) and plant them with seasonal grains. In the spring, deer and ground-nesting birds such as wild turkey feed in the clearings. You can view and photograph wildlife from two small towers and a handicap-accessible viewing blind. Throughout the area, you’ll observe the diggings of a large population of “feral” or wild hogs. Andrews is a site on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (floridabirdingtrail.com). In late summer and early fall, you can hear hickory nuts and acorns (called “mast”), falling throughout the forest. White-tailed deer, wild turkey, feral hogs and gray squirrels, benefit from these mast-producing hardwoods. Hiking About 10 miles of designated nature trails and unpaved roads can be explored by hikers and those interested in nature study. Several named nature trails lead hikers through a mature hardwood forest. A boardwalk extends into a floodplain swamp. Biking Cyclists will enjoy exploring any of the area’s shady, scenic roads. Although roads are in good condition, off-road or mountain bicycles are best suited for this terrain. The Nature Coast State Rail Trail is located about one mile to the east of Andrews' main entrance. Fishing Bank fishing is excellent along Andrews' three miles of Suwannee River shoreline and is best in April, May and June. Redbreast sunfish, catfish, bream and Suwannee bass are popular catches among anglers both in boats and along the bank. Hunting Andrews is one of the top five areas in the state to hunt. Small, high-quality hunts for deer and feral hogs are held on several weekends in the fall. Squirrel hunting is popular during the January small game season. Quota hunts and a supervised youth hunt take place in October and November. Hunting helps to control a large population of wild hogs. These nonnatives damage the forest floor by churning up the ground and uprooting plants. Andrews is closed to other uses on the days that hunts take place; check the website for details (MyFWC.com/Recreation). For Your Safety and Theirs... During hunting days, access to the area is only open to individuals who have a quota hunt permit. If you plan to hunt, please read and abide by the regulations summary brochure. Do not feed or disturb wildlife. Animals that become accustomed to human handouts or garbage can become dangerous. Early spring unrolls carpets of brilliant wildflowers, including these Senecio asters, on the Andrews floodplain. The broad Suwannee River offers visitors ample opportunity to fish, swim and boat. Take time to enjoy trails and boardwalks while you explore Andrews. Fanning Springs ANDREWS WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA DIXIE COUNTY LEVY COUNTY GILCHRIST COUNTY To Chiefland 6 miles To Gainesville 37 miles To Cross City 6 miles 26 349 98 19 98 19 NW 160th Street S U W AN N EE R I V E R ENTRANCE DOCK How to get to Andrews From US 19 in Fanning Springs, travel south approximately 2.5 miles. Turn right on NW 160th Street, the road leads straight into the WMA. If arriving by boat, tie up at the river dock. What does it cost to visit? An entrance fee is required. Visit MyFWC.com/Recreation for details. Want to know more? Website: MyFWC.com/Recreation FWC regional office: (386) 758-0525 Need a hunting or fishing license? To hunt or fish you must possess the appropriate licenses and permits. Toll-free at (888) HUNT- FLORIDA (486-8356) or (888) FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356), or go to MyFWC.com/License. Area lodging, camping and restaurants Greater Chiefland Area Chamber of Commerce (352) 493-1849; chieflandchamber.com Levy County Visitor’s Bureau (877) 387-5673; visitnaturecoast.com Florida’s Pure Water Wilderness purewaterwilderness.com Updated 06/11 Andrews Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a natural oasis in the rapidly developing Lower Suwannee River region. Of the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 acres of upland hardwood forest that once existed along the lower Suwannee, the last large tract is located right here within the 3,582-acre Andrews WMA. Here you can enjoy small, high-quality hunts, birdwatching and excellent fishing along the banks of the Suwannee. We hope you will take time to hike or bike along Andrews’ pleasant, well-marked trails and the boardwalk through a floodplain swamp. No doubt Native Americans took advantage of the natural bounty of the Suwannee and its neighboring forest. By around 7500 BC indigenous peoples began to settle along rivers and lakes in Florida to fish, gather aquatic snails and hunt deer. On the bluff above the Suwannee within Andrews are the remains of just such an ancient hunting and fishing camp. When Spanish explorer Narvaez crossed the Suwannee thousands of years later, his men called it “River of the Deer.” Later, Indians escaping to Florida from other parts of the Southeast named it “Suwani,” meaning “echo river” in Creek. Sound echoes eerily from the river’s limestone bluffs, especially when the water is low. By the 1830s the tranquil, tree-lined Suwannee became an important navigation route. Steamboats carried lumber to Cedar Key for transport by steamship to Europe and the Northeast. Much of the virgin cypress in the Suwannee floodplain was harvested in the early 1900s. Furrows created by “snaking” huge cypress logs are still visible along the banks of the Suwannee. In the early part of the 1900s what was later to become Andrews was subject to a wide range of intensive uses, including open range livestock grazing. Exotic range hogs readily adapted to the habitat and are still present on Andrews today as hunters rediscover each fall. In 1945 the Andrews family purchased the area. They managed the land for outdoor recreation and were careful to protect natural resources. Limited weekend hunts were held for deer, turkey and squirrel, and no mining or significant timber harvest occurred. The Andrews family created four, five-acre clearings to attract wildlife in the upland hardwoods and scattered roadside openings. The state purchased the land in 1985 through the Save Our Rivers and Conservation and Recreation Lands programs. On Andrews WMA opportunities for outdoor recreation abound throughout the year. In fall, winter and spring, temperatures are usually pleasant. These are the best times to hike or bike and to see a variety of migratory birds. It’s All About The River When we stand on the banks of the Suwannee in the Andrews WMA, we see just a snapshot of this powerful river’s journey. The Suwannee arises as a black-water stream more than 100 miles to the north and east, in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp. As it powers 229 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, the river’s shape shifts, sometimes cutting between 40-foot-high bluffs of limerock and fern, occasionally developing impressive rapids, and often changing velocity and depth in response to the rhythms of regional rainfall. Dozens of springs and tributaries pour enormous volumes of water into the Suwannee as it flows, and so the river's water quality and quantity precisely mirror human land uses on the Suwannee's 10,000-square-mile floodplain. The challenge for managers of lands such as Andrews WMA is this: we can only truly affect the acreage under our jurisdiction. Pollution of the river from phosphate mining, septic tanks and intensive livestock farms are ongoing problems that threaten the Suwannee—no matter how carefully we tend this particular piece of land. But each one of us living and working within the watershed of this magnificent river can make choices that affect its well-being. Hardwood Hammock: The Forest That Fire Forgot In Florida, we're well acquainted with pine forests and other communities that require frequent natural or prescribed fires to stay healthy. But hardwood forests known as hammocks resist such burning—that's one of their defining characteristics. And how do they fight back the flames? As you walk the trails at Andrews, the landscape itself will explain its defenses. You'll notice the thickly vegetated forest edges and shady, closed canopies; these are two ways a hammock holds in moisture and shields its interior from wind. As oak and other leaves fall to the forest floor, they decompose slowly, holding in moisture and building up damp, fertile humus. Also, you'll see that very few "fire starters" (such as pines) or "fire carriers" (like wiregrass) grow here. Unlike pineland communities, an extraordinary diversity of tree species creates these hammocks’ thick canopies. Depending on underlying soil moisture (and thus hammock type), you may see drought-resistant oaks or water-loving palms and cedars, and dozens of species in between. Each kind of tree has a particular growth structure, and together they create a multi-layered forest perfectly suited to absorb and utilize the sun's penetrating rays. Land management is relatively easy here at Andrews: the fire "repellent" hardwood hammocks maintain themselves quite nicely. Jasper Live Oak Lake City Starke High Springs Mayo Trenton ANDREWS WMA Cross City Perry Madison S u w a n n ee Okefenokee
Transcript of Recreation Guide ee k eno
It’s All About The River
Andrews
Wildlife Management Area
Recreation Guide Your guide to hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing
Northeast. Much of the virgin cypress in the Suwannee floodplain was harvested in the early 1900s. Furrows created by “snaking” huge cypress logs are still visible along the banks of the Suwannee.
In the early part of the 1900s what was later to become Andrews was subject to a wide range of intensive uses, including open range livestock grazing. Exotic range hogs readily adapted to the habitat and are still present on Andrews today as hunters rediscover each fall.
In 1945 the Andrews family purchased the area. They managed the land for outdoor recreation and were careful to protect natural resources. Limited weekend hunts were held for deer, turkey and squirrel, and no mining or significant timber harvest occurred. The Andrews family created four, five-acre clearings to attract wildlife in the upland hardwoods and scattered roadside openings.
The state purchased the land in 1985 through the Save Our Rivers and Conservation and Recreation Lands programs. On Andrews WMA opportunities for outdoor recreation abound throughout the year. In fall, winter and spring, temperatures are usually pleasant. These are the best times to hike or bike and to see a variety of migratory birds.
MyFWC.com
Jasper
Live OakLake City
Starke
HighSprings
Mayo
Trenton
ANDREWSWMA
Cross City
Perry
Madison
Suwannee
Okefenokee
What you can do
Wildlife ViewingAndrews’ wetlands and mature hardwood forests are home to a variety of birds and mammals. Many native species such as raccoons, opossums, gray squirrels, bats, screech owls, woodpeckers and wood ducks use the tree cavities so abundant in this old-growth forest for nesting sites, dens, roosting areas and escape cover. Clearings created by the previous landowner favor edge-preferring species such as white-tailed deer, white-eyed vireos and gopher tortoises. The Commission continues to maintain these clearings (as well as scattered roadside openings) and plant them with seasonal grains. In the spring, deer and ground-nesting birds such as wild turkey feed in the clearings. You can view and photograph wildlife from two small towers and a handicap-accessible viewing blind. Throughout the area, you’ll observe the diggings of a large population of “feral” or wild hogs.
Andrews is a site on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (floridabirdingtrail.com).
In late summer and early fall, you can hear hickory nuts and acorns (called “mast”), falling throughout the forest. White-tailed deer, wild turkey, feral hogs and gray squirrels, benefit from these mast-producing hardwoods.
Hiking About 10 miles of designated nature trails and unpaved roads can be explored by hikers and those interested in nature study. Several named nature trails lead hikers through a mature hardwood forest. A boardwalk extends into a floodplain swamp.
BikingCyclists will enjoy exploring any of the area’s shady, scenic roads. Although roads are in good condition, off-road or mountain bicycles are best suited for this terrain. The Nature Coast State Rail Trail is located about one mile to the east of Andrews' main entrance.
FishingBank fishing is excellent along Andrews' three miles of Suwannee River shoreline and is best in April, May and June. Redbreast sunfish, catfish, bream and Suwannee bass are popular catches among anglers both in boats and along the bank.
HuntingAndrews is one of the top five areas in the state to hunt. Small, high-quality hunts for deer and feral hogs are held on several weekends in the fall. Squirrel hunting is popular during the January small game season. Quota hunts and a supervised youth hunt take place in October and November. Hunting helps to control a large population of wild hogs. These nonnatives damage the forest floor by churning up the ground and uprooting plants.
Andrews is closed to other uses on the days that hunts take place; check the website for details (MyFWC.com/Recreation).
For Your Safety and Theirs...
During hunting days, access to the area is only open to individuals who have a quota hunt permit. If you plan to hunt, please read and abide by the regulations summary brochure.
Do not feed or disturb wildlife. Animals that become accustomed to human handouts or garbage can become dangerous.
Andrews Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a natural oasis in the rapidly developing Lower Suwannee River region. Of the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 acres of upland hardwood forest that once existed along the lower Suwannee, the last large tract is located right here within the 3,582-acre Andrews WMA. Here you can enjoy small, high-quality hunts, birdwatching and excellent fishing along the banks of the Suwannee. We hope you will take time to hike or bike along Andrews’ pleasant, well-marked trails and the boardwalk through a floodplain swamp.
No doubt Native Americans took advantage of the natural bounty of the Suwannee and its neighboring forest. By around 7500 BC indigenous peoples began to settle along rivers and lakes in Florida to fish, gather aquatic snails and hunt deer. On the bluff above the Suwannee within Andrews are the remains of just such an ancient hunting and fishing camp. When Spanish explorer Narvaez crossed the Suwannee thousands of years later, his men called it “River of the Deer.” Later, Indians escaping to Florida from other parts of the Southeast named it “Suwani,” meaning “echo river” in Creek. Sound echoes eerily from the river’s limestone bluffs, especially when the water is low.
By the 1830s the tranquil, tree-lined Suwannee became an important navigation route. Steamboats carried lumber to Cedar Key for transport by steamship to Europe and the
When we stand on the banks of the Suwannee in the Andrews WMA, we see just a snapshot of this powerful river’s journey. The Suwannee arises as a black-water stream more than 100 miles to the north and east, in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp. As it powers 229 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, the river’s shape shifts, sometimes cutting between 40-foot-high bluffs of limerock and fern, occasionally developing impressive rapids, and often changing velocity and depth in response to the rhythms of regional rainfall.
Dozens of springs and tributaries pour enormous volumes of water into the Suwannee as it flows, and so the river's water quality and quantity precisely mirror human land uses on the Suwannee's 10,000-square-mile floodplain.
The challenge for managers of lands such as Andrews WMA is this: we can only truly affect the acreage under our jurisdiction. Pollution of the river from phosphate mining, septic tanks and intensive livestock farms are ongoing problems that threaten the Suwannee—no matter how carefully we tend this particular piece of land. But each one of us living and working within the watershed of this magnificent river can make choices that affect its well-being.
Hardwood Hammock: The Forest That Fire Forgot
In Florida, we're well acquainted with pine forests and other communities that require frequent natural or prescribed fires to stay healthy. But hardwood forests known as hammocks resist such burning—that's one of their defining characteristics.
And how do they fight back the flames? As you walk the trails at Andrews, the landscape itself will explain its defenses. You'll notice the thickly vegetated forest edges and shady, closed canopies; these are two ways a hammock holds in moisture and shields its interior from wind. As oak and other leaves fall to the forest floor, they decompose slowly, holding in moisture and building up damp, fertile humus. Also, you'll see that very few "fire starters" (such as pines) or "fire carriers" (like wiregrass) grow here.
Unlike pineland communities, an extraordinary diversity of tree species creates these hammocks’ thick canopies. Depending on underlying soil moisture (and thus hammock type), you may see drought-resistant oaks or water-loving palms and cedars, and dozens of species in between. Each kind of tree has a particular growth structure, and together they create a multi-layered forest perfectly suited to absorb and utilize the sun's penetrating rays.
Land management is relatively easy here at Andrews: the fire "repellent" hardwood hammocks maintain themselves quite nicely.
Early spring unrolls carpets of brilliant wildflowers, including these Senecio asters, on the Andrews floodplain.
The broad Suwannee River offers visitors ample opportunity to fish, swim and boat.
Take time to enjoy trails and boardwalks while you explore Andrews.
Fanning Springs
ANDREWSWILDLIFE
MANAGEMENTAREA
DIXIE COUNTY
LEVY COUNTY
GILCHRIST COUNTY
To Chiefland 6 miles
To Gainesville 37 milesTo Cross City6 miles
26
349
9819
9819
NW 160th Street
SU
WANNEE
RIV
ER
ENTRANCE
DOCK
How to get to AndrewsFrom US 19 in Fanning Springs, travel south approximately 2.5 miles. Turn right on NW 160th Street, the road leads straight into the WMA. If arriving by boat, tie up at the river dock.
What does it cost to visit?An entrance fee is required. Visit MyFWC.com/Recreation for details.
Want to know more?Website: MyFWC.com/RecreationFWC regional office: (386) 758-0525
Need a hunting or fishing license?To hunt or fish you must possess the appropriate licenses and permits. Toll-free at (888) HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356) or (888) FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356), or go to MyFWC.com/License.
Area lodging, camping and restaurantsGreater Chiefland Area Chamber of Commerce (352) 493-1849; chieflandchamber.com
Levy County Visitor’s Bureau (877) 387-5673; visitnaturecoast.com
Florida’s Pure Water Wilderness
purewaterwilderness.comUpdated 06/11
What you can do
For Your Safety and Theirs...
During hunting days, access to the area is only open to individuals who have a quota hunt permit. If you plan to hunt, please read and abide by the regulations summary brochure.
Do not feed or disturb wildlife. Animals that become accustomed to human handouts or garbage can become dangerous.
Wildlife ViewingAndrews’ wetlands and mature hardwood forests are home to a variety of birds and mammals. Many native species such as raccoons, opossums, gray squirrels, bats, screech owls, woodpeckers and wood ducks use the tree cavities so abundant in this old-growth forest for nesting sites, dens, roosting areas and escape cover. Clearings created by the previous landowner favor edge-preferring species such as white-tailed deer, white-eyed vireos and gopher tortoises. The Commission continues to maintain these clearings (as well as scattered roadside openings) and plant them with seasonal grains. In the spring, deer and ground-nesting birds such as wild turkey feed in the clearings. You can view and photograph wildlife from two small towers and a handicap-accessible viewing blind. Throughout the area, you’ll observe the diggings of a large population of “feral” or wild hogs.Andrews is a site on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (floridabirdingtrail.com).
In late summer and early fall, you can hear hickory nuts and acorns (called “mast”), falling throughout the forest. White-tailed deer, wild turkey, feral hogs and gray squirrels, benefit from these mast-producing hardwoods.
Hiking About 10 miles of designated nature trails and unpaved roads can be explored by hikers and those interested in nature study. Several named nature trails lead hikers through a mature hardwood forest. A boardwalk extends into a floodplain swamp.
BikingCyclists will enjoy exploring any of the area’s shady, scenic roads. Although roads are in good condition, off-road or mountain bicycles are best suited for this terrain. The Nature Coast State Rail Trail is located about one mile to the east of Andrews' main entrance.
FishingBank fishing is excellent along Andrews' three miles of Suwannee River shoreline and is best in April, May and June. Redbreast sunfish, catfish, bream and Suwannee bass are popular catches among anglers both in boats and along the bank.
HuntingAndrews is one of the top five areas in the state to hunt. Small, high-quality hunts for deer and feral hogs are held on several weekends in the fall. Squirrel hunting is popular during the January small game season. Quota hunts and a supervised youth hunt take place in October and November. Hunting helps to control a large population of wild hogs. These nonnatives damage the forest floor by churning up the ground and uprooting plants.
Andrews is closed to other uses on the days that hunts take place; check the website for details (MyFWC.com/Recreation).
Andrews Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a natural oasis in the rapidly developing Lower Suwannee River region. Of the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 acres of upland hardwood forest that once existed along the lower Suwannee, the last large tract is located right here within the 3,582-acre Andrews WMA. Here you can enjoy small, high-quality hunts, birdwatching and excellent fishing along the banks of the Suwannee. We hope you will take time to hike or bike along Andrews’ pleasant, well-marked trails and the boardwalk through a floodplain swamp.
No doubt Native Americans took advantage of the natural bounty of the Suwannee and its neighboring forest. By around 7500 BC indigenous peoples began to settle along rivers and lakes in Florida to fish, gather aquatic snails and hunt deer. On the bluff above the Suwannee within Andrews are the remains of just such an ancient hunting and fishing camp. When Spanish explorer Narvaez crossed the Suwannee thousands of years later, his men called it “River of the Deer.” Later, Indians escaping to Florida from other parts of the Southeast named it “Suwani,” meaning “echo river” in Creek. Sound echoes eerily from the river’s limestone bluffs, especially when the water is low.
By the 1830s the tranquil, tree-lined Suwannee became an important navigation route. Steamboats carried lumber to Cedar Key for transport by steamship to Europe and the
Northeast. Much of the virgin cypress in the Suwannee floodplain was harvested in the early 1900s. Furrows created by “snaking” huge cypress logs are still visible along the banks of the Suwannee.
In the early part of the 1900s what was later to become Andrews was subject to a wide range of intensive uses, including open range livestock grazing. Exotic range hogs readily adapted to the habitat and are still present on Andrews today as hunters rediscover each fall.
In 1945 the Andrews family purchased the area. They managed the land for outdoor recreation and were careful to protect natural resources. Limited weekend hunts were held for deer, turkey and squirrel, and no mining or significant timber harvest occurred. The Andrews family created four, five-acre clearings to attract wildlife in the upland hardwoods and scattered roadside openings.
The state purchased the land in 1985 through the Save Our Rivers and Conservation and Recreation Lands programs. On Andrews WMA opportunities for outdoor recreation abound throughout the year. In fall, winter and spring, temperatures are usually pleasant. These are the best times to hike or bike and to see a variety of migratory birds.
It’s All About The River
When we stand on the banks of the Suwannee in the Andrews WMA, we see just a snapshot of this powerful river’s journey. The Suwannee arises as a black-water stream more than 100 miles to the north and east, in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp. As it powers 229 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, the river’s shape shifts, sometimes cutting between 40-foot-high bluffs of limerock and fern, occasionally developing impressive rapids, and often changing velocity and depth in response to the rhythms of regional rainfall.
Dozens of springs and tributaries pour enormous volumes of water into the Suwannee as it flows, and so the river's water quality and quantity precisely mirror human land uses on the Suwannee's 10,000-square-mile floodplain.
The challenge for managers of lands such as Andrews WMA is this: we can only truly affect the acreage under our jurisdiction. Pollution of the river from phosphate mining, septic tanks and intensive livestock farms are ongoing problems that threaten the Suwannee—no matter how carefully we tend this particular piece of land. But each one of us living and working within the watershed of this magnificent river can make choices that affect its well-being.
Hardwood Hammock: The Forest That Fire Forgot
In Florida, we're well acquainted with pine forests and other communities that require frequent natural or prescribed fires to stay healthy. But hardwood forests known as hammocks resist such burning—that's one of their defining characteristics.
And how do they fight back the flames? As you walk the trails at Andrews, the landscape itself will explain its defenses. You'll notice the thickly vegetated forest edges and shady, closed canopies; these are two ways a hammock holds in moisture and shields its interior from wind. As oak and other leaves fall to the forest floor, they decompose slowly, holding in moisture and building up damp, fertile humus. Also, you'll see that very few "fire starters" (such as pines) or "fire carriers" (like wiregrass) grow here.
Unlike pineland communities, an extraordinary diversity of tree species creates these hammocks’ thick canopies. Depending on underlying soil moisture (and thus hammock type), you may see drought-resistant oaks or water-loving palms and cedars, and dozens of species in between. Each kind of tree has a particular growth structure, and together they create a multi-layered forest perfectly suited to absorb and utilize the sun's penetrating rays.
Land management is relatively easy here at Andrews: the fire "repellent" hardwood hammocks maintain themselves quite nicely.
How to get to AndrewsFrom US 19 in Fanning Springs, travel south approximately 2.5 miles. Turn right on NW 160th Street, the road leads straight into the WMA. If arriving by boat, tie up at the river dock.
What does it cost to visit?An entrance fee is required. Visit MyFWC.com/Recreation for details.
Want to know more?Website: MyFWC.com/RecreationFWC regional office: (386) 758-0525
Need a hunting or fishing license?To hunt or fish you must possess the appropriate licenses and permits. Toll-free at (888) HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356) or (888) FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356), or go to MyFWC.com/License.
Area lodging, camping and restaurantsGreater Chiefland Area Chamber of Commerce (352) 493-1849; chieflandchamber.com
Levy County Visitor’s Bureau(877) 387-5673; visitnaturecoast.com
Florida’s Pure Water Wildernesspurewaterwilderness.com
Updated 06/11
Early spring unrolls carpets of brilliant wildflowers, including these Senecio asters, on the Andrews floodplain.
The broad Suwannee River offers visitors ample opportunity to fish, swim and boat.
Take time to enjoy trails and boardwalks while you explore Andrews.
AndrewsWildlife Management Area
Recreation Guide Your guide to hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing
Jasper
Live OakLake City
Starke
HighSprings
Mayo
Trenton
ANDREWSWMA
Cross City
Perry
Madison
Suwannee
Okefenokee
Fanning Springs
ANDREWSWILDLIFE
MANAGEMENTAREA
DIXIE COUNTY
LEVY COUNTY
GILCHRIST COUNTY
To Chiefland 6 miles
To Gainesville 37 milesTo Cross City6 miles
26
349
9819
9819
NW 160th Street
SUWANNEE RI VER
ENTRANCE
DOCK
19
207
19 27
Randall Road
Persimmon Loo
p
Maple Loop
Maple Loop
Blu
ff O
ak L
oop
Suwannee R
iver Trail
Suw
anne
e R
iver
Tra
il
Dick’s Slough Road
Fanning Road
NW 160th Street
Chiefland 6 miles
To Cross City 11 miles
Nature C
oast State R
ail Trail
Su w
a n n e e
R
i ve r
River Road
Trub
y L
ee R
oad
WildlifeViewing
Blind
Restorationin Progress
FanningSprings
To Gainesville 37 miles
RiverDock
Entrance
Boardwalk
Closed to Hunting
Andrews Wildlife Management Area
19
207
19 27
Randall Road
Persimmon Loo
p
Maple Loop
Maple Loop
Blu
ff O
ak L
oop
Suwannee R
iver Trail
Suw
anne
e R
iver
Tra
il
Dick’s Slough Road
Fanning Road
NW 160th Street
Chiefland 6 miles
To Cross City 11 miles
Nature C
oast State R
ail Trail
Su w
a n n e e
R
i ve r
River Road
Trub
y L
ee R
oad
WildlifeViewing
Blind
Restorationin Progress
FanningSprings
To Gainesville 37 miles
RiverDock
Entrance
Boardwalk
Closed to Hunting
What does this wild land grow?
Suwannee River Forested WetlandsForested wetlands border the Suwannee River. They grow in large sloughs paralleling the river. Bald cypress, tupelo, red maple, mayhaw, sweet gum and river birch, some of the dominant trees in this community, stand submerged for portions of every year.
Forested UplandsUpland of the floodplain are extensive stands of hardwood hammock ranging from very wet to very dry in soil type. A variety of oaks, hickories, magnolia, ironwood and Florida maple form the canopy. In moist hammocks the understory is sprinkled with needle palm and bluestem palmetto. In drier areas, the understory is predominantly saw palmetto.
Pine PlantationThe southeast corner of the property, currently a mix of longleaf pine and commercial stands of slash pine, is being restored to the sandhill habitat that historically flourished here. Slash pine is first harvested, followed by planting with longleaf pine and wiregrass. Regular burning will maintain this fire-adapted plant community.
Joe Tomelleri
The Suwannee River supports the largest and most robust population of Gulf sturgeon in the Gulf of Mexico region. Each March, Gulf sturgeon migrate from the Gulf, where they spend the cooler months, to spawning spots upstream.
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g St
ephe
ns, w
ww.
phot
ogra
phyb
ygre
gste
phen
s.co
m
From the river bank in spring and summer months, some lucky visitors may see–or at least hear–large Gulf sturgeon leaping from the river and reentering with a very large splash.
The wood duck spends most of its time in forested wetlands along rivers, swamps, marshes, ponds and lakes. Females nest in cavities in tree trunks or large limbs, usually near water.
Sinkholes lined with banks of ferns dot the Andrews floodplain. These unique landscape features form when the limerock underlying the area’s sandy soils dissolves and collapses. Some sinkholes drain directly to the Suwannee River; others are apparently spring-fed and hold water year-round.
Jam
ie A
dam
s
Florida wild turkeys are common on Andrews; they are easy to recognize but very shy.
Dan
ny B
ales
Pileated woodpeckers require many large trees, both alive and dead, to provide food and cavity sites.
Karla Brandt
Watch overhead for the dramatic aerial ballets of swallow-tailed and Mississippi kites from March through August.
The endangered Florida milkvine (Matelea floridana).
Feral hogs churn the soil on Andrews, nearly eliminating ground cover. In places, all that remains are seedling bay trees. Land managers are reducing the hog population with periodic hunts.
In spring, buttery-yellow prothonotary warblers return to breed in Florida; watch for them flitting among the cypress knees in the floodplain swamp.
Stroll along the boardwalk through the floodplain swamp and listen for owls, woodpeckers and frogs.
WMA Boundary
Major Roads
Improved Roads
Unimproved Roads
US Highway
County Road Parking
Fishing
Picnic Area
Wildlife Viewing
Trails
Disturbed/Developed
Forested Uplands
Forested Wetlands
PLANT COMMUNITIES
Pine Plantation
L e g e n d
0 1/4 1/2 Mile
Interpretive Kiosk
Observation Tower
19
Hunter Check Station
Gate
595
These classiÿcations are condensed from the very detailed classiÿcations used by biologists to manage wildlife habitat on this area.
Andrews Wildlife Management Area
