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SMITH PRESERVE

A natural upland and scrub habitat, the Christopher B. Smith Preserve is home to more than 200 plant species, 70 gopher tortoises and hundreds of other animal species.


The seven-acre preserve serves as one of our major land management projects. It consists of primarily scrub habitat and a restored wetland pond. This unique habitat lies on the western side of the campus and consists of primarily scrub habitat and a restored wetland pond.

If you use Smith Preserve Way to enter the Nature Center from Goodlette-Frank Road, you'll drive right over the preserve! We highly recommend walking out to the shaded gazebo; it's a wonderful place to spot all types of wildlife - from gopher tortoises, to raptors, to butterflies.

Click here to read more about why this scrub habitat is extremely important to preserve and how the Conservancy Science Department manages this unique piece of property.

 

Learn more... Much more

One of our science volunteers, Susan Leach Snyder, has painstakingly documented the four different ecosystems within the preserve and hundreds of organisms that she's spotted there.

If you want to learn more about the Christopher B. Smith Preserve and the different species that live there - Snyder's Secrets of the Scrub is exactly what you're looking for.

  • About Us
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      • Water Monitoring
        • Naples Bay
        • Lakewatch
      • Mangrove Restoration
        • Clam Bay
        • Fruit Farm Creek
        • Pine Island Sound
        • Development Effects
        • Hurricane Effects
      • Urban Ecology
        • Golf Course Ecology
        • Filter Marsh
        • Smith Preserve Management
      • Western Everglades
        • Refugia Project
        • Picayune Strand Restoration
        • Southern Golden Gate Estates
      • Invasive Species
        • Burmese pythons
          • Burrow Borrowers
        • Cane toads
      • Wildlife Research
        • Loggerheads
        • Kemp's ridleys
        • Everglades Mink
        • Anuran
        • Remote Camera Survey
        • American Alligator
      • Science Blog
    • Policy
      • Take Action
      • Eye on the Issues
      • Eastern Collier County
      • Wetland Protection
      • Water Quality
        • Now or Neverglades
        • Lake O Ripple Effect
          • Stop the Ripple Effect
          • EAA Reservoir
        • Standards & Impaired Waters
        • Fertilizer Ordinance
        • Stormwater Regulation
        • Naples Bay & Gordon River
        • TMDLs and BMAPs
      • Land Conservation
        • Florida Forever
        • Conservation Collier
        • Edison Farms
        • Rural Lands Stewardship Area
      • Wildlife Protection
        • Florida Panther
          • Compensation program
        • Black Bears
        • Manatees
        • Lime Rock / Sand Mining
        • Eastern Collier Habitat
      • Smart Growth
      • Policy Blog
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      • Wildlife Hospital FAQ
      • Pelican Protection
      • Animal Acceptance Policy
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      • Gordon River Greenway
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      • Dalton Discovery Center
      • Wildlife Hospital Exhibits
      • Ferguson Learning Lab
      • Shotwell Wavering Filter Marsh
      • Smith Preserve
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      • Little Explorers
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More about the nature center

Nature Trails

The trails may be short, but the bird viewing is terrific! Take a self-guided nature walk along the DeLong Mangrove Trail, the Lagoon Trail and the Hammock Trail.

Learn more

 

 

 

Filter Marsh

The Shotwell Wavering Family Filter Marsh is a natural filtration system located at the Nature Center. It uses plants and settling ponds to clean the water, rather than treatment plants and chemicals.

Learn more

 

 

 

 

Kayak Rentals

Paddle down the Gordon River and discover the hidden treasures of this brackish water habitat, which provides a perfect sanctuary for many native Florida species.

Learn more

The Nature Center:

  • Visitor Tips
  • Dalton Discovery Center
  • Smith Preserve
  • Shotwell Wavering Filter Marsh
  • Coupons

 

Please show Your Support!

  • Join
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Conservancy of Southwest Florida

Address

1495 Smith Preserve Way
Naples, Florida 34102

Nature Center Hours

Monday - Saturday
9:30 am - 4:00 pm (ET)

Sunday: 12 pm - 4 pm

von Arx Wildlife Hospital Hours

239-262-2273
8 am - 8 pm (ET)
365 days a year

 

Contact

239-262-0304 phone
239-262-0672 fax

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