Welaka, FL news and local guide

The nearby state forest adds a different chapter. In 1935, the federal government began the Welaka Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Project. The property later became a University of Florida conservation reserve used to study forestry and wildlife, before management passed to the Florida Forest Service in 1992. Along the east side of the St. Johns River, the forest protects a combination of river swamp, pine flatwoods and sandhill habitat. Its longleaf-pine areas support gopher tortoises, while Mud Spring connects with the river through a spring run. The town and forest are related destinations, not interchangeable boundaries. Together they show how a landscape once marketed for resort visits also became a place for ecological research and public conservation. Sources Town of Welaka: Welaka History Florida Forest Service: Welaka State Forest