Aucilla Wildlife Management Area
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aucilla Wildlife Management Area (WMA) | |
|---|---|
 Entrance sign at Boundary Road | |
  | |
| Location | Jefferson County, Florida |
| Nearest city | Tallahassee, Florida |
| Coordinates | 30°16′31″N 83°59′42″W / 30.27528°N 83.99500°W |
| Area | 50,549 Acres |
| Governing body | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission |
Aucilla Wildlife Management Area conserves 50,549 acres of hydric hammock, mesic flatwoods, upland forest, and spring-run river twelve miles southeast of Tallahassee in Jefferson and Taylor Counties in Florida.
The expanse of Aucilla WMA and its diversity of habitats provides a home to many animal species. Mammals range from Florida black bears and bobcats to North American river otters and white-tailed deer. The property is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail due to its abundance of warblers, limpkins, wood storks, and many other migratory and resident bird species. Reptiles and amphibians are represented by species such as eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, gopher tortoises, and American alligators.[1]
History
Evidence of Aucilla Wildlife Management Area's history dates back at least 12,000 years. Bones of prehistoric mammals such as mastodons and giant ground sloths have been found in the Wacissa River, Aucilla River, and sinkhole ponds on the property. Arrow points, pottery, and human remains point to the heavy use of this area by Native Americans over the past several thousand years.[2]
Slaves modified an existing channel that connected the Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers in an attempt from their masters to enhance access to the Gulf of Mexico from northern markets.[3] Seminole Indians hid in the dense swamps during offensive campaigns during the Seminole Wars. In the early 1900s, the area saw increased human use as its old-growth bald cypress and longleaf pine were heavily logged.[4]
