CONTACT US: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 727-896-8626 http://MyFWC.com/ BoatingGuides Boating_Guides@ MyFWC.com Charlotte County UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant 25550 Harbor View Rd #3 Port Charlotte, Florida 33980 941-764-4340 http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/ seagrant info@flseagrant.org Funding for this project was obtained through grants from the West Coast Inland Navigation District and Charlotte County. Additional funding for this project was obtained through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund.

Charlotte Harbor is home to three National Wildlife Refuges (NWR), administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. These refuges protect breeding areas for colonial water birds, as well as provide habitat for shore birds, land turtles and tortoises, and plants. Many of these species are classified as threatened or endangered. For more information about the National Wildlife Refuge System, please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service home page. Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge Island Bay NWR is located in the Cape Haze area of Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte County, Florida, southwest of Punta Gorda. Access to the waters surrounding the islands that make up the Island Bay NWR is by boat only. The islands are not accessible to visitors. Boaters should consult navigational charts and tide schedules before attempting to visit any waters surrounding the refuge. Numerous oyster bars and shallow back bay/estuary waters are difficult to navigate and fragile seagrass beds must not be damaged. By boat, the refuge is located on the north side of Charlotte Harbor in Turtle Bay. Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge Matlacha Pass NWR is located within the Matlacha Pass/Charlotte Harbor estuary, Lee County, Florida, approximately 8 miles northwest of Fort Myers. Since its establishment in 1908, the refuge has grown to 23 islands encompassing about 512 acres. Access to the waters surrounding the islands that make up the Island Bay NWR is by boat only. The islands are not accessible to visitors. The refuge can be located by boat via the intracoastal waterway south of Charlotte Harbor between the eastern boundary of Pine Island and western boundary of Cape Coral. Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge The Pine Island NWR is located on the southwest coast of Florida, north of Sanibel Island in the Pine Island Sound. The 500-acre refuge has been expanded to over 17 islands and consists of densely forested red and black mangroves with little uplands habitat. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this Web site, please e-mail us at Boating_Guides@MyFWC.com. Would you like to receive notices of changes to this Web site and the Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor? If so, please e-mail us and include SUBSCRIBE-CHARLOTTE in the subject line.