Rob
Jess
Refuge Manager
J.N. "Ding" Darling
NWR Complex
1 Wildlife Drive
Sanibel, FL 33957
(941) 472-1100
FAX: (941) 472-4061
E-mail: dingdarling@fws.gov
Directions
to Refuge
Fact
Sheet
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 Refuge
Facts:
- Established: 1908.
- Acres: 20.
- Location: Island Bay NWR
is located in the Cape Haze area of Charlotte Harbor, FL— southwest
of Punta Gorda.
- Administered as part of
the J.
N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Natural History:
- Located in a vast complex
of mangrove islands and brackish bays, Island Bay NWR consists of six
undeveloped and roadless tracts of land. These tracts of land do not
include entire islands but rather occupy the higher portions of several
islands and mangrove shoreline.
- The refuge is protected
from the Gulf by barrier islands and is directly influenced by the tides.
Thus, the surrounding waters are very brackish. The bay bottom supports
an abundance of vegetation such as shoal grass, widgeon grass and various
marine algae. The wetland portion of the islands is dominated by red
and black mangroves. Cabbage palms dominate the higher ridges with tropical
trees such as gumbo limbo, sea grapes and strangler fig.
- The beaches and shores of
the Refuge provide loafing and feeding sites for shorebirds, gulls and
terns. The surrounding shallow bays provide valuable feeding areas for
wading and water birds. Other animals known to use the refuge or surrounding
area include racoons, marsh rabbits, manatees and sea turtles.
Refuge Objectives:
- To protect and provide
suitable habitat for endangered and threatened species including the
West Indian manatee, wood stork, eastern indigo snake, American crocodile
and bald eagle.
- To implement sound wildlife
management techniques to provide feeding, nesting and roosting habitat
for a wide diversity of shore birds, wading birds, waterfowl, raptors
and neo-tropical migratory species.
- To provide wildlife oriented
recreation compatible with the purposes for which the refuge was established.
Management Tools:
- Law enforcement.
- Wildlife population surveys.
- Partnerships.
- Education/interpretation.
- Chemical and mechanical
control of invasive exotic plants.
Public Use Opportunities
- Saltwater fishing.
- Wildlife observation.
- Wildlife photography.
- Boat access only.
Questions and Answers
Where is Island Bay NWR?
Island Bay National
Wildlife Refuge is located in the Cape Haze area of Charlotte County,
Florida. The refuge is located on the north side of Charlotte Harbor in
Turtle Bay. The refuge currently includes portions of five islands and
is 20 acres in size. The nearest population centers are Port Charlotte,
lying approximately 15 miles to the east, and Fort Myers, which is about
23 miles southeast.
How do I get there?
Access to the islands that makeup the Island Bay NWR is by
boat only. Boaters should consult navigational charts and tide schedules
before attempting to visit any of the refuge islands. Numerous oyster
bars and shallow back bay/estuary waters are difficult to navigate and
damage to fragile seagrass beds is common due to boaters running aground.
Where is the refuge closed to public uses?
The Island Bay NWR receives little public use. Occasionally,
boaters visit some of the islands with uplands such as Bull Key but mosquitoes
are usually so numerous that visiting any of the islands is extremely
uncomfortable.
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