Staff Reports
St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and Orange Audubon Society celebrated Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive’s 10th anniversary of its opening with a May 4 event at the drive.
The event took place during the drive’s regular hours. Families took photos, toured around the lake, enjoyed the wildlife, and met SJRWMD and Orange Audubon Society representatives and volunteers.
The Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is a one-way, 11-mile drive that curves through the eastern section of Lake Apopka North Shore starting at Lust Road in Apopka and ending on Jones Avenue in Orange County.
Depending on usage and the number of stops visitors make on the roadway, the drive could last one to three hours.
The Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, which first opened on May 1, 2015, was a byproduct of the Lake Apopka and North Shore restoration efforts, which helped bring in more wildlife, including over 300 species of birds.
In conjunction with the city of Apopka, the Orange Audubon Society is developing a 70-acre nature and birding park at the Wildlife Drive’s Lust Road entrance.
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting has designed the birding park’s $1.5 million, 2,400 square-foot energy-efficient education center, which will be widened to 3,400 square feet.
The Orange Audubon Society, a long-time partner of the SJRWMD, anticipates construction will begin this year.
The Wildlife Drive is open to automotive traffic between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays. All vehicles must leave the drive by 5 p.m.
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