Florida State Parks lead nation with E-bikes for park rangers

SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. ( WMBB ) — Florida State Parks are taking a step forward in conservation with electric bikes for park rangers to use.

In Northwest Florida, parks such as Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County are one of 25 parks in the state to receive a Cannondale Tesoro Neo X 3 electric bike.

The bikes are meant to be used by park rangers to replace any gas vehicles.

The Florida Parks Foundation donated the bikes as part of their greener initiative.
Previously the group donated refillable water stations and LED lighting to state parks.

At a press conference Thursday, the Florida State Parks Director Chuck Hatcher said this initiative is the first of its kind in the nation.

“E-bikes will allow our staff to easily bike deep into the sand to observe and manage sea turtle nests and shorebirds as well as access to our upland areas like forest and reserve to manage our resources.

Panhandle parks like Topsail have not received the e-bike as of this report. The bike joins an already environmentally friendly parking lot at Topsail with its electric golf cart.

List of parks to receive a bike:

• Northwest Florida:

·      Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park (Wakulla Springs)

·      Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park (Tallahassee)

·      Topsail Hill Preserve State Park (Santa Rosa Beach)

·      Blackwater Heritage State Trail (Milton)

·      Tallahassee St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail (Crawfordville)

• North Central Florida:

·      Nature Coast State Trail (Fanning Springs)

·      Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park/Gainesville Hawthorne State Trail (Micanopy)

·      San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park (Alachua)

·      Ichetucknee Springs State Park (Fort White)

·      Little Talbot Island State Park (Jacksonville)

• Central Florida:

·      Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway (Ocala)

·      Wekiwa Springs State Park (Apopka)

·      Lake Kissimmee State Park (Lake Wales)

·      Lake Louisa State Park/ General James A. Van Fleet State Trail (Clermont)

·      Tomoka State Park (Ormond Beach)

• Southwest Florida:

·      Alafia River State Park (Lithia)

·      Collier-Seminole State Park (Naples)

·      Koreshan State Park (Estero)

·      Hillsborough River State Park (Thonotosassa)

·      Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (Copeland)

• Southeast Florida

·      Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park (Key West)

·      Oleta River State Park (North Miami Beach)

·      Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (Fort Lauderdale)

·      Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park (Key Biscayne)

·      Bahia Honda State Park (Big Pine Key)

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.