This nominee for Florida's Special Places comes from Santa Fe Audubon's Joyce King as she describes her chapter's participation in the annual survey of native rosemary at Etoniah Creek State Forest in Putnam County. Please enjoy this nominee and remember that you can submit nominees for your favorite spots in natural Florida by visiting our Facebook Page! Keep up the great work Santa Fe Audubon!

Etoniah (Et’ ton i’ ya) Creek State Forest in Putnam County is a 8700-acre crucial link in the wildlife corridor between the Ocala and Osceola National Forests, providing habitat for the movement of bears, deer, bobcat and other wildlife.

Under the guidance of forest biologist Charlie Pederson, Santa Fe Audubon volunteers scoured the forest in the annual survey of Etoniah Rosemary in late October.  The plants were in profuse bloom thanks to recent rains.  The survey method involved 2 teams:  one to place orange flags by each plant located, and the second team to retrieve the flags, counting plants as they collected the flags.

Etoniah Creek drifts through scenic bottomland hardwoods lined with steep, sloping banks.  The forest also contains scrub habitats, and a small Florida Scrub-jay population is struggling to survive.  Etoniah Rosemary is listed as an Endangered plant by USFW, and is endemic to this forest.  Other listed species include the Eastern Indigo Snake, Sherman’s Fox Squirrel, and Florida Scrub-jay.

Through Florida Forever funding, small in-holdings within the forest boundaries have been added over the years, extending the effectiveness of management strategies, such as controlled burning.  Further acquisition of land is needed.

Santa Fe Audubon has also participated in surveys for Florida Scrub-jay, Bachman’s Sparrow, and Brown-headed Nuthatch at Etoniah.

Etoniah Creek State Park is a Florida Special Place!