Location: 5400 NE St. James Drive, Port St. Lucie, FL 34983 

The Oxbow Eco-Center main entrance and parking lot will be closed Tuesday, April 7 through Monday, April 20 in preparation for the St. Lucie Earth Day Festival. Auxiliary parking will be open for visitors just south of Oxbow’s main entrance on NE St. James Drive. Directional signage will be posted to guide visitors into the auxiliary parking area.

Preserve trails, nature playscape, amphitheater, and picnic areas will remain open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with limited access to indoor Eco-Center exhibits and restrooms.

Location: 4911 Ralls Road, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34981

Reason for closure: In partnership with Ducks Unlimited, St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Department will begin restoration of the historic oxbow floodplain connection along Ten Mile Creek within the George Lestrange Preserve, causing some of the trails inside the preserve to be closed for several months. 

Designed and permitted under American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 with additional funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Wetland Restoration and Protection Grant for construction, this restoration project aims to improve hydrologic connectivity of the historic remnant oxbows in order to increase seasonal water levels within the preserve’s wetlands, while restoring a mosaic of wetland habitats which serve as essential wildlife habitat and natural floodplain attenuation. The project also includes components of streambank erosion control, using native plantings to reduce downstream nutrient and sediment transport, thereby supporting improved water quality and reduction of Total Maximum Daily Load (TDML) inputs set out within the county's Basin Management Action Plan.

Construction is scheduled to begin in late February and will require a partial trail closure within the preserve. The preserve will remain open during normal hours of sunrise to sunset; however, the trail head will be relocated to the south entrance. The northern entrance and trail will be closed for the duration of construction. Visitors will be directed to turn around and loop back along the southern trail portion during the project timeline. 

Expected Reopening: August 2026

Location: 3398 Selvitz Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34981

Reason for closure: The Richard E. Becker Preserve will be closed starting Monday, May 5, for a few months while Summerlin Marine Construction LLC works to construct a pedestrian bridge connection from the preserve to the island and a new canoe/kayak launch facility.

The majority of the trail system at the Becker Preserve was cut off by the 10-Mile Creek oxbow restoration project, which restored the natural bend/oxbow in the waterway. The pedestrian trail bridge and kayak launch at Richard E. Becker Preserve cost roughly $138,000 for design, engineering, permitting, and construction.

Project Description

St. Lucie County’s Environmental Resources Department (ERD) was awarded a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant to help fund the construction of a pedestrian bridge and kayak launch at the Richard E. Becker Preserve. RTP is a federally funded grant program administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection that provides financial assistance to agencies of city, county, state, or federal governments for the development of recreational trails, trailheads, and trailside facilities.

Background

The Richard E. Becker Preserve is a jungle-like 13-acre preserve on Ten Mile Creek, part of the headwaters of the St. Lucie River North Fork. The site offers ½ mile of hiking trails along the historical spoil mounds left when the creek was channelized, and is where young and old alike can discover the mysterious and hidden life of the forest and river.

Expected Reopening: Late Summer 2026

Location: 10809 Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, Fl 39881

Reason for closure: Crews will be constructing a 60-foot tall observation tower.

Expected Reopening: Summer 2026

Location: 5275 Tozour Road, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34946

Reason for closure: The Indrio Savannahs Preserve parking lot and trails are closed temporarily for a restoration project to reconnect the historic marsh system and restore the freshwater marsh habitat inside the preserve. Once the restoration project is complete, boardwalks will be constructed to restore pedestrian connectivity to the Indrio Savannahs trail system.

Thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan, National General Construction will be working to reconnect the historic marsh system and restore the freshwater marsh habitat inside the preserve.

Project Description

Indrio Savannahs is a preserve that contains a natural flow-way that connects the northernmost lands in St. Lucie County to Taylor Creek. An existing lake is currently bypassed and could be connected and augmented with BMPs to provide nutrient reductions.

Background

Indrio Savannahs Preserve is a 297-acre natural area purchased for conservation by St. Lucie County and the State of Florida’s Florida Communities Trust Program. The site preserves most of the last remaining North Savannahs freshwater marsh system, and a large 35-acre man-made lake. The lake is an important resource for recreation, including paddling, fishing, and birding. Historically, a sand mine operated at the east end of the property near US1, and as a result, the 35-acre lake was created. However, the lake is currently isolated from the surrounding marsh system, which drains untreated water from west to east into the Savannahs system, before eventually draining into the Indian River Lagoon. The county is currently starting the construction phase SoCal Shaker Plates & Construction Site Services LLC was the lowest responsible bidder for the amount of $802,998.00.

Expected Reopening: Spring 2026

Location: 7601 VPI Grove Road, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34987

Reason for closure: County staff is working through right-of-way access issues to the property.

Expected Reopening: Undetermined at this time.