Overview: If someone would put together a list of the best birding sights in Palm Beach County, the Wellington Environmental Preserve at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Habitatwould have to rank near the top. The preserve has to be among the best, most sophisticated municipal conservation areas in the region. Credit also has to go to the South Florida Water Management District, which worked with Wellington to build it.
But looks can be slightly deceiving here. Wellington Preserve has a practical side as well. It is 365 mostly wet acres established in 2010 to collect and treat stormwater before draining it into the Everglades system. But someone had the bright idea to take advantage of all that water and create a people-friendly, bird-friendly wetland.
It is a manicured place, park-like, for the most part, though deliberately a bit rough around the edges to provide cover for birds and othe wildlife. It's an easy walk; paths are hard-surface and boardwalks take hikers and bikers acroos the various ponds. The landscape is filled with Florida-native plants. The name, of course, honors the great South Florida environmentalist and author Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
History: In 1994, the Florida Legislature pass the Everglades Forever Act, one of the first steps in the Everglades restoration effort. The act among other things mandated that Wellington clean up its stormwater runoff before sending it south into Marjorie Stoneman Douglas's River of Grass i.e. the Everglades. The answer was creating the 365-acre wetland that cleans water naturally as it flows through two miles of marsh, open water and littoral shelves lined with aquatic plants to remove nutrients, phosporus in particular. From the preserve, it flows into a network of canals that connects to Stormwater Treatment Area 1 East and the neighboring Loxhatchee National Wildlife Refuge.In 2010, Wellington Environmental Preserve received the "Project of the Year" award from the Palm Beach County chapter of the American Society of Engineers.
What You'll See: There is a hard-surfaced trail that runs through and around the preserve, with boardwalks that cross the ponds. Around the perimeter is a 3.6-mile equestrian trail — this is Wellington, after all. There's plenty of parking, restrooms and drinking water. There are benches, maps and interpretive signs along the way. A four-story observation tower dominates the southwest view of the property. There are even restrooms along the trail. Birds spotted include limpkin, loggerhead shirke, osprey, great blue heron, red-bellied woodpecker, moorhen, little blue heron, mockingbird, blue jay, red-winged blackbird and more.
In a way, Wellington isn't as intimate as Green Cay Nature Center and Wakodahatchee Wetlands, somewhat similar projects in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach respectively, or even Wellington's own Peaceful Waters Sanctuary. The paths are somewhat removed from the water and the boardwalks higher above. But there's nothing between you and those "rough around the edges" places we mentioned above, and that allows hikers a little more connection with their surroundings.
Amenities: There is ample parking, restrooms and drinking water. Hard-surface trails cut through and over the wetlands, with long boardwalks keeping your feet dry. Interpretive signs abound through out Wellington Environmental Preserve. Wellington being Wellington there is a 3.6-mile equestrian trail around the perimeter of the preserve that is an extension of Wellington's 65-mile bridle trail system. There is also a butterfly garden and seven "learning stations.""
Nearby: Wellington Environmental Area sits adjacent to Loxahahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. The nearest entrance, however, is west off Southern Boulevard near Twenty Mile Bend. You will pass Stormwater Treatment Area 1 East on your way. You can access Loxahatchee here and hiking a mile or so along the levees or continue west to East Canal Street and turn left (a flashing light marks the turn). Stormwater Treatment Area 1 West is just beyond the entrance to Loxahatchee.
Of Note: Admission to Wellington Environmental Preserve is free. It is open dawn to dusk every day of the year.
Cover Photo: A not-quite-ready for prime time little blue heron foraging the waters of Wellington Environmental Preserve. Little blues are white as juveniles and slowly pick up the blue coloration of an adult during their first year. Second Photo: An overview of the preserve.
But looks can be slightly deceiving here. Wellington Preserve has a practical side as well. It is 365 mostly wet acres established in 2010 to collect and treat stormwater before draining it into the Everglades system. But someone had the bright idea to take advantage of all that water and create a people-friendly, bird-friendly wetland.
It is a manicured place, park-like, for the most part, though deliberately a bit rough around the edges to provide cover for birds and othe wildlife. It's an easy walk; paths are hard-surface and boardwalks take hikers and bikers acroos the various ponds. The landscape is filled with Florida-native plants. The name, of course, honors the great South Florida environmentalist and author Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
History: In 1994, the Florida Legislature pass the Everglades Forever Act, one of the first steps in the Everglades restoration effort. The act among other things mandated that Wellington clean up its stormwater runoff before sending it south into Marjorie Stoneman Douglas's River of Grass i.e. the Everglades. The answer was creating the 365-acre wetland that cleans water naturally as it flows through two miles of marsh, open water and littoral shelves lined with aquatic plants to remove nutrients, phosporus in particular. From the preserve, it flows into a network of canals that connects to Stormwater Treatment Area 1 East and the neighboring Loxhatchee National Wildlife Refuge.In 2010, Wellington Environmental Preserve received the "Project of the Year" award from the Palm Beach County chapter of the American Society of Engineers.
What You'll See: There is a hard-surfaced trail that runs through and around the preserve, with boardwalks that cross the ponds. Around the perimeter is a 3.6-mile equestrian trail — this is Wellington, after all. There's plenty of parking, restrooms and drinking water. There are benches, maps and interpretive signs along the way. A four-story observation tower dominates the southwest view of the property. There are even restrooms along the trail. Birds spotted include limpkin, loggerhead shirke, osprey, great blue heron, red-bellied woodpecker, moorhen, little blue heron, mockingbird, blue jay, red-winged blackbird and more.
In a way, Wellington isn't as intimate as Green Cay Nature Center and Wakodahatchee Wetlands, somewhat similar projects in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach respectively, or even Wellington's own Peaceful Waters Sanctuary. The paths are somewhat removed from the water and the boardwalks higher above. But there's nothing between you and those "rough around the edges" places we mentioned above, and that allows hikers a little more connection with their surroundings.
Amenities: There is ample parking, restrooms and drinking water. Hard-surface trails cut through and over the wetlands, with long boardwalks keeping your feet dry. Interpretive signs abound through out Wellington Environmental Preserve. Wellington being Wellington there is a 3.6-mile equestrian trail around the perimeter of the preserve that is an extension of Wellington's 65-mile bridle trail system. There is also a butterfly garden and seven "learning stations.""
Nearby: Wellington Environmental Area sits adjacent to Loxahahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. The nearest entrance, however, is west off Southern Boulevard near Twenty Mile Bend. You will pass Stormwater Treatment Area 1 East on your way. You can access Loxahatchee here and hiking a mile or so along the levees or continue west to East Canal Street and turn left (a flashing light marks the turn). Stormwater Treatment Area 1 West is just beyond the entrance to Loxahatchee.
Of Note: Admission to Wellington Environmental Preserve is free. It is open dawn to dusk every day of the year.
Cover Photo: A not-quite-ready for prime time little blue heron foraging the waters of Wellington Environmental Preserve. Little blues are white as juveniles and slowly pick up the blue coloration of an adult during their first year. Second Photo: An overview of the preserve.
