Friends of Fakahatchee Inc

Promoting Global environmental health is an increasing challenge that starts with our own community, fortunately in 1998 a small group of volunteers recognized the Fakahatchee Preserve was Collier County's jewel of the Western Everglades, they founded The Friends of Fakahatchee with a mission to educate the public about the importance to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Fakahatchee Preserve. Major logging operations took place from the 1940's into the 1950's and it was not until 1974 that the first purchase of land created the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, it is now the largest State Park in Florida and what used to be railroad trams are now hiking trails. Within its optimal boundary of 80,000 acres the Preserve is the orchid and bromeliad capital of the United States, it supports the largest population of native royal palms in the country and is a haven to many endangered species including the Florida panther, Florida black bear, the rare Everglades mink, wood stork, the American crocodile and the mangrove fox squirrel. Home to 47 native orchids including the famous Ghost Orchid.