History
Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park derives its name from the bayou that empties into Perdido Bay.
During the 1800s, tar kilns were placed on the adjacent peninsula to process the sap removed from Southern yellow pines. Visitors still can find an occasional "cat face" in some of the larger pine trees where ceramic pots were used to capture the seeping sap. While pine pitch was an important resource for the maritime industry, it was also used in the production of soaps and animal medicines.
Before the property was purchased, it was free from modern development. A 1950s aerial photo shows the property east of Bauer Road was open with very few trees, which indicates it was logged at one time and was possibly also used for pig or cattle grazing.
The protection of natural resources and acquisition of Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park land were done in ways that demonstrate how you can make a difference no matter how small you think you are.
The Friends of the Prairie formed in 1996 with members consisting mostly of a recently disbanded group that previously saved Trout Point on NAS Pensacola in 1995. The group also worked tirelessly to protect the Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie Preserve. With renewed energy, they focused on saving the white-topped pitcher plant and surrounding wetlands from development. This area is also home to other rare carnivorous plants including three other pitcher plant species - sundews, bladderworts and butterworts.
The originally acquired 900 acres west of Bauer Road and South of the Blue Angel Park property was at one time scheduled to have 1,300 homes, a golf course, and a marina on Tarkiln Bayou.
The efforts of second-grade students at Hellen Caro Elementary School, located just south of the property, made a big difference as well. Mickey, a ranger at Big Lagoon State Park, took pictures of the pitcher plants, wetlands and pine flatwoods and spoke to each second-grade class about how important wetlands are to our drainage systems and our waterways. Around that time, school faculty members were teaching the children how to write letters. The students wrote their letters, which were hand-delivered by the Friends of the Prairie to the Conservation and Recreational Lands (CARL) Commission meeting in Tallahassee, and the campaign worked.
The property was moved up the list and the original 900 acres was purchased sooner than expected by the Nature Conservancy. The land was turned over to the Florida Park System in April 1998 and Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park came to fruition.
The first International Coastal Cleanup at Tarkiln Bayou took place in September 1998 and in just one day two 22-foot dumpsters were filled. We continue to work hard to restore this area to its natural state with the use of prescribed fire and trash cleanups. The hard work is evident with the increase of carnivorous plants and wildflowers in the Real Florida found in Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park.