Beach offers guided walking tours
SPECIAL TO FLORIDA WEEKLY

COURTESY PHOTO Walking along the Matanzas Pass Preserve boardwalk you will experience old Florida.

Did you ever wonder what a gopher tortoise is? Did you know there are three different kinds of mangroves? Did you know if you're on Fort Myers Beach right now that you could be near an endangered or protected creature?

Learn more on a free guided walk sponsored by Lee County Parks & Recreation. Walks happen weekly at two Beach locations through April.

Bowditch Point Regional Park, on the north end of Fort Myers Beach, offers hour-long walking tours on the beach and trails at 10 a.m. every Tuesday through April 22.

Matanzas Pass Preserve, behind Fort Myers Beach Library, offers hourlong walking tours on its boardwalk along the bay at 10 a.m. every Thursday through April 24.

No sign up is necessary. Bring money for parking at Bowditch; parking at Matanzas is free. Tours are free. Call 707-3015 for more information. Or go online to www.leeparks.org

COURTESY PHOTO Gopher tortoises are one of the many creatures you may encounter on a nature walk at Bowditch Point Regional Park on the north end of Fort Myers Beach.