The Florida Scrub-Jay is endemic to Florida and requires a large swath of sandy, scrubby habitat to survive. The largest amount of protected Scrub-Jay habitat in Southeast Florida can be found at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
Hobe Mountain is an ancient sand dune rising 86 feet above sea level, and climbing the observation tower will elevate you another 27 feet above Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
The pine flatwoods of Jonathan Dickinson State Park roll on for as far as the eye can see on top of Hobe Mountain in Jonathan Dickinson State Park on August 28, 2024.
The sand pine scrub of Jonathan Dickinson State Park is reminiscent of a desert like habitat.
The tan to black ombré eastern coachwhip snake sunbathes shortly after sunrise in the scrub of Jonathan Dickinson State Park on August 28, 2024.
The sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean and Indian River Lagoon, as seen from Hobe Mountain on August 28, 2024, in Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park is the southernmost natural habitat of the Florida Scrub-Jay, a threatened bird that requires the conditions the park provides. There are an estimated 130 Scrub-Jays living in the park.
A poisonous, inedible Coprinopsis lagopus mushroom sprouts up at the top of Home Mountain, an ancient sand dune, on August 28, 2024, at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park preserves 10,500 acres of different habitats including sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves, and river swamps.
Over 150 bird species are found in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, including this Common Grackle.
Nature’s mosaic is on bold display at Jonathan Dickinson
At the top of Jonathan Dickinson State Park’s Hobe Mountain, the mosaic of scrubby flatwood, pine forest and rolling sand hills seem to stretch on forever. Looking east, there is a panoramic view of the never ending Atlantic Ocean, where the rising sun casts rays of light over the water each morning. To the west, pine trees are layered for miles until they meet the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River.
This ancient sand dune, standing 86 feet above sea level, is the highest natural point south of Lake Okeechobee, so you won’t find these majestic views anywhere else. A wooden tower (currently closed and in need of repairs) elevates you another 27 feet. From here, you feel on top of the world.
That high came crashing down for thousands of us in late August when leaked FDEP documents revealed a destructive plan to destroy this habitat and replace it with golf courses. Without pause, Floridians across the state banded together in a fight to save Jonathan Dickinson and eight other state parks left vulnerable by the so-called Great Outdoors Initiative. That resounding public opposition paid off. For now, the plan is dormant, but Friends of the Everglades isn’t resting easy, and stands ready to lead the battle against it should it arise again.
Views like the one from the top of Hobe Mountain remind us why we continue to fight for natural Florida. At least two-thirds of the coastal scrub pinelands in Florida have already been lost, making Jonathan Dickinson a preserve for a biological community so rare it has been designated globally endangered. This landscape, part of the historic Everglades ecosystem, is home to more than 40 species, like the striking Florida Scrub-Jay, that are endemic to coastal scrub. Many of these are listed on the Florida and federal lists of endangered, threatened and protected species.
We won’t stand by as this park, or any other, is destroyed. But the efforts can be exhausting. That’s why it was important to our Multimedia Producer Leah Voss to return to the park with her cameras a week after the madness began. She needed to be rejuvenated by the morning sun, to find the peace only nature can provide. These photos exemplifies why Jonathan Dickinson is important not only to the humans who cherish it, but to the species who call it home.
