St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Natural preserve in Brevard County, Florida, US
St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park is a natural preserve in Brevard County that spans wetlands with pine forests, cypress domes, and swamp areas around the river. The varied landscape types throughout the property create different habitats for the region's plants and animals.
Land acquisition for the preserve began in 1995 to protect the St. Sebastian River watershed from development. The effort aimed to safeguard threatened species and their natural habitats in the area.
The park is co-managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District alongside the Florida Park Service, a partnership that shapes how its wetlands and pine flatwoods are burned and restored. Visitors can look for the red-cockaded woodpecker's nest cavities cut into living pines, the feature that drew protection efforts here.
The preserve offers trails for hiking, biking, and riding horses at various difficulty levels, suitable for different visitor interests. Primitive camping sites are scattered throughout the property for those wishing to stay overnight.
The park protects two separate populations of the red-cockaded woodpecker, a threatened species that nests in living pines the birds excavate themselves; the semi-open pine forest the preserve maintains is what keeps them here.
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