The Myakka Conservancy, Inc.

Decidedly rural in its upper two-thirds, the 600 square mile basin lies just east of the sprawling urban strip stretching from Bradenton and Sarasota to Englewood. In the upper basin, pine flatwoods blanket the landscape, dotted with seasonal ponds, bayheads, srub islands, pastures, groves, and vegetable fields. Small farms and large ranches produce calves, citrus, vegetables, ornamental plants, and sod.

The middle basin includes Myakka River State Park, the Carlton Reserve and large cattle ranches. This part of the basin is so flat that much rain never reaches the river, captured instead in countless seasonal ponds where frogs and fish thrive and wading birds find food to feed their young.

Below Warm Mineral Springs, the communities of North Port and Port Charlotte extend eastward from the Myakka nearly to the Peace River. Pressure is mounting for residential development along the river waterfront, especially downstream of the Interstate 75 corridor. The bulging coastal communities of Sarasota, Venice and Port Charlotte are pushing urban uses into the basin. Watewater disposal, a landfill, and water reservoirs have been proposed for the basin. Phosphate mining and industrial development pose air and water pollution threats. Rural subdivisions and intensified agricultural uses threaten wildlife habitat as well as water quality.