PALM BEACH AND MARTIN COUNTIES, Fla. - Today, the South Florida Water Management District and Ducks Unlimited along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Palm Beach County, Martin County and other partners celebrated the completion of the Cypress Creek Restoration Project.
This project transforms 340 acres of former agricultural lands into a thriving, natural habitat. This important project hydrologically reconnects the Cypress Creek natural area to the Loxahatchee River by restoring historic flow ways and improving over 2,900 acres of wetlands and uplands in Palm Beach and Martin counties.
“Reviving this historic ecosystem is extremely important and I am grateful for our strong partnerships with Ducks Unlimited, FWC, Palm Beach County and Martin County among many others to bring this project to fruition,” said South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member Thomas Hurley. “Together, we are bringing this landscape back to life.”
"We are proud to be working collaboratively with our partners at Cypress Creek Natural Area to restore invaluable wetland habitat," said Elizabeth Guthrie, Ducks Unlimited Manager of Conservation Programs for Florida. "Through strong partnerships, we’re not just restoring wetlands, we’re ensuring clean water, healthy wildlife and waterfowl populations, and access to public lands for future generations."
Historically, Cypress Creek was a major tributary feeding fresh water into the Loxahatchee River, one of Florida’s wild and scenic rivers. It flowed into the river just downstream of the Trapper Nelson camp in Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Over the last century, the river and its tributaries have been heavily altered but now, the earthwork portion of this restoration project is complete.
The land was re-graded to create natural elevations, marshes and sloughs. The project also included backfilling canals and ditches and installing new water control structures. In addition, this project improves water quality, restores natural flow ways and revives critical habitats for fish, birds and other wildlife.
The State of Florida and our partners have completed, broken ground or reached a major milestone on more than 80 restoration projects since 2019.
Media Resources
Download Video of the Cypress Creek Restoration Project Ribbon Cutting
Download Photos from the Cypress Creek Restoration Project Ribbon Cutting