Crosby Sanctuary
Nestled in suburban Orange Park in Northeast Florida are 510 acres of swamp and hammocks called Crosby Sanctuary. Owned by Duval Audubon Society, this limited access nature preserve is home to a full biodiversity of native plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. This special place, now included in conservation lands mapping by Clay County and the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, provides respite amidst a busy, congested backdrop of human dominated landscapes.
Crosby’s swamp area is dominated by bald cypress, black gum, Carolina ash, American elm, swamp laurel oak, and red maple trees. The property perimeters contain transitional areas of herbaceous marsh, pine flatwoods, and several impressive live oak hammocks. Crosby’s important wildlife habitats are connected to many thousands of acres of regionally significant conservation lands, including Jennings State Forest, Cecil Habitat Preserve, Cary State Forest, and Camp Blanding, through riparian habitat corridors. These habitat corridors consist of Little Black Creek, McGirts Creek, Ortega River, and Black Creek.
The connectedness of Crosby allows wildlife utilization by wide-ranging species such as river otter, white tailed deer, raccoon, red fox, bobcat and, believe it or not, North American beaver. The beavers sometimes cause drainage problems by building dams across drainage points but we like having them around anyway! They are a beneficial member of the bottomland swamp ecosystem!
Birds abound! It is an important breeding site for the Prothonotary Warbler, which returns from Central America each year to Crosby from April through August. Rusty Blackbirds (a declining species) have been seen there occasionally during wintering and migration periods. There are always great birds to see and signs of wildlife activity to enjoy when visiting Crosby.
The presence of Crosby as an Audubon sanctuary helped to stop a poorly planned Florida Department of Transportation road project/elevated bridge through the area in the early 2000’s. The Sanctuary also provides us with valuable ecosystem services (for free!) such as flood water attenuation, storm water treatment, temperature regulation, wildlife enjoyment, and nutrient cycling.
At this time, access to Crosby is only available to the public during our monthly open house events on the fourth Saturday of the month, September through May (excluding December), from 8 am -12. The address is 427 Aquarius Concourse, Orange Park, FL. Options for an appointment to visit Crosby are available by contacting the Crosby Sanctuary Manager, or Duval Audubon's President or Vice President.
Future plans include trail improvements, enhancements to our native plant garden, and possibly constructing a boardwalk over the swamp trail as well as a bird blind in the uplands section of the preserve. In the meantime, wildlife flourishes at Crosby, and we at Duval Audubon Society know that we have a very special place.