Shell Key Preserve is an 1,800-acre preserve located on Shell Key in Tierra Verde,

Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. The preserve protects sensitive marine habitats and includes one of the county's largest undeveloped

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

s as well as numerous mangrove islands and expansive sea grass beds. Shell Key emerged as a

in the early 1960s from a submerged shoal on the north side of Bunces Pass (the island was originally named North Bunces Key). The island extends up to the

Pass-a-Grille Pass-a-Grille is a small beach neighborhood and former town at the south end of St. Pete Beach, FL, St. Pete Beach in Pinellas County, Florida. The community includes the Pass-a-Grille Historic District, Gulf Beaches Historical Museum, and Pass- ...

inlet. The island has grown as

swash Swash, or forewash in geography, is a turbulent layer of water that washes up on the beach after an incoming wave has broken. The swash action can move beach materials up and down the beach, which results in the cross-shore sediment exchange. T ...

bars develop off-shore and migrate onto the beach. The island has been breached by storms, but the breaches have closed. The island remains vulnerable to being

overwash Overwash is the flow of water and sediment over a coastal dune or beach crest during storm events (or other situations with high water). 'Overwash' may refer only to the landward flux of water due to overtopping of a dune system while 'washover' may ...

ed by

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

s. Shell Key has been designated as one of the state's most important areas for shorebird nesting and wintering and it serves as an important study area for these species. It also is an important area for recreation. A balance for both uses was established by restricting public use to the northern and southern ends of the island. A central core area for conservation is closed to the public. Boating, camping, and beach-going activities are permitted in public use areas of the preserve. Visitors can access Shell Key only via a water vessel and no restroom facilities are provided. The closest boat ramps, trailer parking, and restroom facilities are located at nearby at

Fort De Soto Park South-southwest of St. Petersburg, Florida, Fort De Soto Park is a park operated by Pinellas County on five offshore keys, or islands: Madelaine Key, St. Jean Key, St. Christopher Key, Bonne Fortune Key and the main island, Mullet Key. The key ...

References

Gulf Coast barrier islands of Florida Protected areas of Pinellas County, Florida Nature reserves in Florida Islands of Pinellas County, Florida Islands of Florida {{PinellasCountyFL-geo-stub