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 Oscar Scherer State Park - Florida
N 27° 10.157 W 082° 28.644
17R E 353630 N 3006046
Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey Florida.
Waymark Code: WM2YDV
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/10/2008
Views: 45
I finally got to visit this wonderful park in Osprey Florida, a little South of where I live but I got to do some geocaching here and decided to waymark it as well. There are several trails to hike and bike, a swimming area in a lake, camping, pavillions and tables to have picnic's and get togethers, as well as the usual animal spotting.
Per the website:
Welcome to Oscar Scherer State Park
A large acreage of scrubby flatwoods makes this park one of the best places to see Florida scrub-jays, a threatened species found only in Florida. The park protects scrubby and pine flatwoods that were once widespread throughout Sarasota County. Fifteen miles of trails through these beautiful natural areas provide opportunities for hiking, bicycling, and wildlife viewing. Canoeists and kayakers can paddle along South Creek, a blackwater stream that flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Canoe and kayak rentals are available, but motorized boats are not permitted in the park boundaries. Freshwater and saltwater fishing are available along the creek. Anglers can fish along the shores of Lake Osprey, which is also the park´s swimming destination. Picnic areas along South Creek are equipped with grills; pavilions can be reserved for a fee. The park has full-facility campsites and a youth/group campground. The park nature center has exhibits and videos about the park´s natural communities. Located on U.S. 41, two miles south of Osprey.
Park Type: Day use with camping available
Activities:
Picnic, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, canoe, kayak, and fishing.
Background:
Per the website:
Oscar Scherer State Park History
In her will, Elsa Scherer Burrows (1884-1955) left the family’s 460 acre South Creek Ranch to the state in memory of her father Oscar Scherer (1856-1923), inventor of a process for dyeing shoe leather in 1872. After a year of preparation, Oscar Scherer State Park was opened to the public in 1956.
Sometime later the classification for parks’ changed and it became Oscar Scherer State Recreation Area. Three decades later, Realtor and environmentalist Jon Thaxton began campaigning for the state to protect adjoining Florida Scrub-Jay territory. With help from the Nature Conservancy and wide public support, the state’s Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL) program used Preservation 2000 funds to purchase 922 acres of adjacent land from Palmer Ranch in 1991.
With the addition, the present Oscar Scherer State Park came into being. It now preserves more than two square miles of nature in a rapidly developing area, and provides resource-based recreation for some 130,000 visitors annually.
Date Established?: 1956
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Park Fees: Not listed
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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