Paynes Prairie is a region of savanna south of Gainesville, Florida, United States. It became the stronghold of the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe under the great chief Ahaya the Cowkeeper in the 1700s. It is named for the Cowkeeper's eldest surviving son, Payne. Savanna is a grassland dotted with trees, and occurs in several types of biomes. ... Gainesville is a city located in Alachua County, Florida. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Official languages English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Area - Total - % water Ranked 22nd 170,451 km² 17. ... Seminole is the name of an American Indian tribe formed in Florida in the 18th century. ... Cowkeeper (ca 1710 - 1783) is the Anglicized name of the first recorded chief of the Alachua band of Seminole tribe. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...
Over 270 species of birds can be seen in the park as well as alligators and bison. The bison were reintroduced to the park from Oklahoma in the mid 1970's. As a part of the park service goal of restoring Florida's natural resources to pre-European settler conditions, the bison were reintroduced because they once roamed this area until the early 1800's. It is rare to see them, but the best place to look for them is along the Cone's Dike trail.
The park also contains exhibits and an audio-visual program at the visitor center that explains the area´s natural and cultural history. A 50-foot-high observation tower near the visitor center provides a panoramic view of the preserve.
Eight different trails provide opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, and bicycling. Ranger-led activities are offered on weekends, November through April. Fishing on Lake Wauberg is allowed and a boat ramp provides access for canoes and boats with electric motors. Full-facility campsites are available for overnight visitors.
A mosaic of wet prairie, freshwater marsh and open water covers the basin, which was formed through the dissolution of the underlying limestone and subsequent settling of the terrain.
In the vicinity of the Prairie the central highlands are characterized by flat-bottom lakes, wet prairies and the erosional remnants of a plateau that extends to the north.
The bottom of PaynesPrairie is at the long term level of the local aquifer and all surface water flow out of the basin is through a sinkhole located along the north rim of the basin.
Contributions to the PaynesPrairie State Preserve picture collection are welcome.
PaynesPrairie State Preserve, a so-called "wet prairie", is a 21,000 acre state-owned preserve in Alachua County, between Gainesville and Micanopy in north central Florida.
Because of the high number of animal road kills by traffic on US Highway 441, which crosses the middle of PaynesPrairie, the Florida Department of Transportation began the construction of an animal protection wall in April, 2000.
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