Tarpon Bay launch ramp reopens
The boat ramp at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s Tarpon Bay Recreation Area recently reopened for non-motorized ($7 fee) and motorized ($10 fee) vessel launching, up to 25 feet.
Boat launches are available through Tarpon Bay Explorers, the refuge’s recreation concession.
Launchers may launch as early as 8 a.m. but must return a half hour before Tarpon Bay Explorers closes – 5 p.m. from October through mid-April, and 6 p.m. from mid-April to September.
The ramp had been closed for nearly two years because of the construction of the refuge’s newest building, which will house the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation marine lab, and replacement of two sea walls and a boat dock at Tarpon Bay Explorers. A partnership between the refuge and SCCF to enhance water quality monitoring, the lab was completed in August with the sea walls and dock.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service provided grant monies to construct the building and use of the land for the marine lab; DDWS has contributed to equipment to support water health in the bay.