St. Lucie County Environmental Learning Center 5400 NE St. James Drive, Pt. St. Lucie, FL 34983 (772) 785-5833 EXHIBITS * HIKING TRAILS * PROGRAMS * GIFT STORE

... dedicated to educational programs that foster an awareness and appreciation of the natural world, an understanding of ecosystems and sustainability, and a sense of stewardship toward Florida and all its inhabitants.

The Center situated on a 220-acre preserve on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, the Oxbow Eco-Center offers a rare glimpse of "the real Florida" – a place where geologic history and the present time come alive in the canopy of the floodplain forest, in the sandy soils of the scrub and pine flatwoods, and in the primordial swamps and ephemeral wetlands.

A St. Lucie County Environmental Learning Center, the Oxbow Eco-Center is a place where young and old alike can discover the mysterious and hidden life of the forest and river. The preserve at the Oxbow is a living laboratory, offering year round ‘in-the-field’ opportunities to youth groups, adults, and families on a variety of nature related subjects.

At the Oxbow, you can join a naturalist on a guided walk through quiet gardens planted and nurtured by Mother Nature herself, or journey on your own through the verdant and wild sanctuary. In a partnership between St. Lucie County and the South Florida Water Management District, the property was purchased using Environmentally Significant Lands and Save Our Rivers funding respectively. The land is managed and preserved to sustain its native wildlife, utilizing boardwalks, trails, bridges, and observation towers that allow visitors to fully experience nature without disrupting it.

The Center was constructed using ‘green building technologies,’ and is a model for sustainability. Passive light design, solar panels, recycled and recyclable materials were used in the Center’s construction. In addition, a cistern system captures rainfall to flush the toilets, and the floors are made from salvaged pine trees lost in the St. Johns River in the early logging days. The Oxbow teaches by example ways that each of us can lighten our load on the planet and protect our precious natural resources for future generations to come.