Matanzas Pass Preserve on Fort Myers Beach closed for improvements

Fort Myers Beach – Matanzas Pass Preserve — a popular walking and nature-watching location on Fort Myers Beach — will be closed Jan. 15 through Feb. 4 for a boardwalk-expansion project.

This temporary closure of the 60-acre site will allow staff to complete the final link in the boardwalk’s ADA accessibility from the preserve entrance to the pavilion that overlooks the Estero Bay. The $35,000 project is designed and constructed by Lee County Planning and Design Department and funded with a Lee County Tourist Development Council grant.

Matanzas Pass Preserve has 1.5 miles of trails and several stops where visitors can enjoy its Old Florida feel, including its maritime oak hammock, transitional wetlands and mangrove forest. It is one of the few remaining natural habitats on Estero Island.

The preserve is at 199 Bay Road, Fort Myers Beach. Its entrance is located behind Beach Elementary School. Normal operating hours are 7 a.m. to dusk year-round, guided tours offered 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays during season. Visit www.leeparks.org or call (239) 533-7444.