WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge
Volusia County · Atlantic Coast
22,000 acres of marsh, swamp and creek along the St. Johns River, established in 1964.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
It was bought with money from the federal duck stamp program, which is paid for by hunters, and it was laid out for waterfowl. Three marsh impoundments were built in the early years to hold water at the right depth for ducks and wading birds, and the raised dikes around them are now the main walking and bicycling routes. Those dikes are where the birding happens. Herons, egrets, ibis, limpkins, anhingas and bald eagles are all regular, and in winter the duck numbers climb. Four separate wilderness areas inside the refuge, Bird Island, Audubon Island, Dexter Island and St Francis, total 1,066 acres and were designated in 1976, meaning no roads and no vehicles. Beyond the impoundments the ground is hardwood swamp, freshwater marsh, hammock and upland, cut through by creeks, lakes and canals, with the St. Johns River as the western edge. Paddling is the other way in, and the water connects to De Leon Springs next door. Entry is free and the gate is open in daylight. DeLeon Springs is the nearest town
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