Fish and Wildlife Service that it would cancel the lease of the property to the federal government for failure to control invasive species.

Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge's management activities focus primarily on wetland habitat restoration, particularly through water quality and hydropattern improvement, and exotic plant control.

A large portion of refuge management effort is spent controlling exotic and invasive plants and pursuing funding to eliminate these threats.

The three most problematic exotic plant species on the refuge are melaleuca, Brazilian pepper, and Old World climbing fern (lygodium).

It is home to American alligator, the endangered snail kite, coastal plain cooter and Florida softshell turtles, and as many as 257 species of birds.

The Lee Road fishing pier was damaged by Hurricane Irma and will remain closed until further notice.

[11] Despite all of its treasures, the refuge is in serious danger of quickly becoming an exclusive haven for invasive plants, especially the broad-leaved paper bark (Melaleuca quinquenervia) and Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum), both rapidly growing non-native species, which are quickly overgrowing the native flora and are likely not compatible with the native wildlife.

The refuge allows multiple activities in the park such as, fishing, hunting, hiking and also offers guided tours.

[17] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.