by U. S. Department of the Interior (Author)
Located along Florida's southwest Gulf coast in Lee and Charlotte counties, the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex includes Pine Island, Matlacha Pass, Island Bay, Caloosahatchee, and J.N. "Ding" Darling NWRs (Figure 1). The Pine Island, Matlacha Pass, Island Bay, and Caloosahatchee refuges were each established with the primary purpose as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. These four refuges currently cover a total of about 1,201 acres (486 hectares ha]), as follows: Pine Island - 602.24 acres (243.72 ha); Matlacha Pass - 538.25 acres (217.82 ha); Island Bay - 20.24 acres (8.19 ha); and Caloosahatchee - 40 acres (16.19 ha). Located within an estuarine system consisting predominantly of mangrove swamps, these four refuges provide a diversity of habitats that include mangrove islands and shorelines; saltwater marshes and ponds; tidal flats; and upland hardwood forests. They also provide protection for 13 federally listed and 25 state-listed species, as well as many species of wading birds, waterbirds, raptors and birds of prey, nearctic-neotropical migratory birds, shorebirds, and seabirds.