The Biscayne Landing Environmental Park

A portion of the Biscayne Landing site includes some of the wetlands of Biscayne Bay. The development firm, Boca Developers, decided along with the City of North Miami, to preserve those wetlands in the form of an environmental park.

The Biscayne Landing environmental park will consist of 35 acres. It will be created with an emphasis on helping it to retain its relatively pristine habitat. It will feature nature hikes, jogging paths, information plaques that describe the resident wildlife and trees, benches, a canoe landing and a boat house. It will also have connecting trails to the magnificent Oleta River State Park, which at 1,043 acres is Florida's largest urban park.

In addition to maintaining its role as a thriving ecosystem, the Biscayne Landing environmental park will represent an opportunity for residents to enjoy the beauty of Florida's wetlands.

Background on the Wetlands of Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a diverse marine ecosystem, encompassing mangrove shorelines, a shallow bay, developed and undeveloped islands, and living coral reefs. As an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, it provides a home for all types of marine life including pink shrimp, stone crabs, seagrasses, manatees, dolphins and a wide variety of wading birds.

The Bay is about 40 miles long and 2-10 miles wide. It forms a part of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. It connects with the Atlantic Ocean mainly through Safety Valve Entrance and with Florida Bay (in the south) through a series of sounds.

Historically, a thick forest of mangrove trees lined the shore of Biscayne Bay. The complex system of mangrove roots helped to stabilize the shoreline and provide a home where animals, birds and marine life could thrive. The leaves of the mangroves which fell into the water were an important part of the food chain. Many mangrove forests have been lost to development. Remaining mangrove resources, including those at Biscayne Landing, are protected from destruction.