Saturday Feb. 6 from 11am to noon - Photo contest winners announced at Interpretive Center.

Welcome to the web site of the Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.  We are a not-for-profit advocacy and support organization committed to preserving, protecting and promoting Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve for future generations (Read our mission statement.)  Please explore our site to learn about the slough (Pronounced: sloo) and to find ways to be a part of its preservation. The Boardwalk open from dawn to dusk 7 Days a week. The Interpretive Center at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve open: Tuesday – Friday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Saturday and Sunday 10am - 2pm closed on Mondays Directions to the boardwalk at 7751 Penzance Blvd., Fort Myers, Florida Exit #131 off I-75 Take Daniels Parkway west Turn right (north) on Six Mile Cypress Parkway 1.5 miles north on the right For a map, click here GENERAL INFORMATION Parking Fee You do not have to pay for admittance to the park. However, your vehicle parking fee of $1 an hour or a maximum of $5.00 per stay is used for maintenance and programming for the preserve. Guided Walk Schedule January-March: Daily - 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. May-October: Wednesdays only - 9:30 a.m. April, November and December: Daily - 9:30 a.m. Since it takes at least one hour to enjoy the trail, there is no entry one hour prior to the closing times listed above. Please Note! Smoking, fishing, jogging, pets, bikes and roller blades are not permitted along the trail. The Interpretive Center is now open for visitors.  This building is Lee County’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building.  The building is a result of a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment from an entire community and the partnerships that have been formed.  Please visit to see our “green” building and learn what it means to be “green.” Volunteers Needed Can you help?  Ongoing scientific work by the FGCU Inlands Ecology Research Group (IERG) requires a more exact boundary to be drawn for the watershed of the slough. Also, water monitoring is needed for all inputs to the Preserve.  There are two ways you can help: To do field work in the watershed around housing developments and canals and receive FGCU training for the job or If you have property bordering any water system in the watershed and will allow water and/or amphibian monitoring to occur on your property, call Jeff Key 239-822-6087. News PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED THE SLOUGH INTERPRETIVE CENTER - 11:00a.m. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 The photographs entered in the first Photo Contest sponsored by the Friends of the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve will be on display at the Interpretive Center at a reception from 11:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday February 6th. There were 36 entrants and a total of 150 photos in the three categories of plants, animals and an open category for any other type of picture.   The nine winning photographs will be announced and then remain on display at the Interpretive Center until May 1, 2010. Come and congratulate all of the entrants and take a look at all of the beautiful pictures taken in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. FRIENDS’ WINTER PROGRAM SCHEDULE all programs - 7pm at the Interpretive Center 7751 Penzance Blvd., Fort Myers, Florida For a map, click here RSVP by the day before the program to: caroyn_babb08@comcast.net marymurray@comcast.net or the Friends’ number 239-533-7557. Monday,February 22, 2010 - Cheryl Black, a Friends Board Member and professor at Edison College will tell us about her work with sharks and the impact that human activities are having on shark populations. Monday,March 22, 2010 - Friends Annual Meeting - Robert Repenning is the land stewardship coordinator for the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. He will be discussing the efforts that go into the challenges of managing the natural system we love, the Slough.   Connections (our newsletter) To view the Winter, 2009-2010  edition of our Connections newsletter, click here.  (.pdf 2 Mb) You can also view our newsletter page for past issues. click here to download free Adobe Reader Wanted!  Volunteers to help with the Adopt a Highway trash pickup every third Saturday of the month.    Meet at the boardwalk parking lot at 9:00 AM for a fun time helping keep Six Mile Cypress Parkway cleaner! Slough Advocacy Progress Lee County added 56 acres to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve 10/20/2009 bringing the total acres of the preserve up to nearly 2,500 acres. The acquisition was funded by the Lee County Conservation 20/20 Program. The parcel is located in the eastern arm of the Slough just west of I-75 and north of Penzance Road. Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is Lee Countys most visited preserve. When the first protective purchases were made, this unique natural feature was in a rural setting. Thirty years later it is in the City of Fort Myers surrounded by urban development. This acquisition contains both uplands and wetlands. The upland wet season refuges are needed for larger upland species to escape the rising water, such as panthers, black bears, bobcat, deer, fox, and other mammals. This acquisition protects one of the last undeveloped upland areas around Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. The area is also home to freshwater wetland species such as wide ranging wading birds, otters, alligators and many other types of wetlands-loving wildlife.