Date: Thursday, 2 May 2024
Location: Sunset Ranch at Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, near Kenansville
Leader Name: Ricky Ray
Trip/area Description, with any special characteristics: The Sunset Ranch Trail at the Prairie Lakes Unit north of Kenansville provides an easy interpretive day hike to sample the habitats found in the preserve. The trail leads to an observation deck on Lake Marian.
The 63,000-acre Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area in Osceola County was formerly a cattle ranch with large prairie and longleaf pine stands. Birds and butterflies are abundant in the fall and winter, including the federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker and the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow which live in a mosaic of dry and wet prairie, flatwoods, hammocks, cypress ponds and patches of scrub. Other birds of interest in the Longleaf Pine woods include Brown-headed Nuthatches and Bachman’s Sparrow.
Duration of trip in hours: 3-4 hours
Walking distance: 3-4 miles
Degree of difficulty, and any special instructions: May be wet in spots. Trail through pine flatwoods and prairie habitat to Lake Marian.
Where you’d like participants to meet: Meet at the IHOP parking lot at 8800 20th St. in Vero Beach.
Time of meeting: 7:00 am for the 45-minute drive to the trailhead.
Number of participants limit: 15 people.
