Sign Up  /  Login

Endangered Animals of Florida Series: Okaloosa Dar LbNA #50600

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Sep 23, 2009
Location:
City:Niceville
County:Okaloosa
State:Florida
Boxes:1
Planted by:Moo Poo
Found by: kelliskids
Last found:Mar 16, 2012
Status:FF
Last edited:Sep 23, 2009
ENDANGERED ANIMALS OF FLORIDA SERIES: OKALOOSA DARTER Letterbox

Created by: Moo Poo
Placed by: The Real Truth and Alekinda
Difficulty: Easy
Stamp: Hand-carved
Fee: $5 per vehicle (2 to 8 people). $4 for single occupancy vehicle. $2 pedestrians, bicyclists.

Okaloosa Darter (Etheostoma okaloosae)
A small member of the perch family, the fish feeds on aquatic insect larvae and grows to about 2 inches in length. It inhabits aquatic vegetation, root mats, and detritus patches in six small, cool, clear, stream systems flowing from forested sandhills on Eglin Air Force Base into two bayous on the north side of Choctawhatchee Bay in Okaloosa and Walton counties, Florida. Okaloosa darters are in danger of extinction because their habitat has deteriorated due to the construction of impoundments, and pollution due to erosion, sedimentation, and siltation. These species also face stiff competition for food and habitat from the brown darter, a closely related fish that is thriving despite the altered conditions.

Directions:
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Recreation Area (Hours: 8 am – Sunset)
4281 Hwy 20, Niceville, Florida 32578
From Interstate 10, take Exit 56 toward Niceville.
Merge onto S Ferdon Blvd/ FL-85 and follow this road for 11.5 miles.
Be sure to take a slight Left at FL-85/ State Road 85 and continue to follow this for 4.2 miles.
Turn Left at FL-20/ John Sims Pkwy W and follow it for a little over 3 miles.
Take a slight Left at FL-20/ E Johns Simms Pkwy and continue on this road for 3.5 miles. The Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Recreation Area will be on your Left.

Clues:
1) Follow the signs for the Picnic Area/ Boat Ramp.
2) As you go toward the boat ramp, you’ll pass a set of restrooms on your left.
3) Very shortly, you will see a sign on the left: “Red Cedar Nature Trail”. Walk on this trail, past marker 1, until you reach a bench. If you reached marker 2, you’ve gone too far.
4) Standing on the trail, facing the bench, look beyond it and slightly to the right. There is a half-rotten log. Behind it is a black duct-taped bag.
5) When finished stamping in, please be sure to seal all bags completely. Be sure to put the baggie for the logbook and the baggie for the stamp in a 2nd bag, and then place back into the duct-taped bag.
6) Please re-hide the bag better than how you found it.
7) Please log your find in to either AtlasQuest.com or Letterboxing.org