Front Cover About this Guide ional, Historical, and Environ This guide is designed to help boaters enjoy Navigat mental and appreciate the natural and cultural resources in the Loxahatchee River and Jupiter Inlet vicinity. The maps and text display and describe features from the maritime history of the area; resources important to boaters and anglers, including marinas and boat ramps; fi sh species commonly caught in local waters; the distribution of natural resources, such as sea grass, estuaries, and beaches; and sources of information and 68. etty in 19 he south j assistance. ntage of t t District) take adva upiter Inle ishermen (Credit: J Do not rely on this guide for navigational F purposes. Instead, use the latest charts. The Jupiter Inlet District (JID), a special taxing district established the district dredged a channel near the south jetty. However, the inlet The Jupiter Inlet District provided funding for in 1921 by the Florida Legislature, is the oldest local government in was allowed to close in 1942 and remain blocked by a sandbar for the this guide, which was prepared in collaboration with northern Palm Beach County. The Legislature requires the JID Board duration of World War II. JID reopened the inlet in 1947 and has since the Florida Sea Grant College Program. to maintain and preserve (1) the Jupiter Inlet, with a specifi c emphasis dredged as needed to keep it open for small-craft navigation. For information on obtaining a copy of this guide, on navigability, and (2) the Loxahatchee River and its tributaries. please contact: Additionally, JID operates and maintains the northernmost portion of Jupiter Beach Park. JID built two parallel, 400-foot jetties at the inlet in 1922 and in 1929 By the early 1930s, t extended the north jetty by 200 feet and the south by 75 feet. In 1941, Th he jetty on the e rock ballast north side of th is visible near th e inlet provided (LRHS) e left side of th stability. e photograph. Jupiter Inlet District Florida Sea Grant (561) 746-2223 (352) 392-1837

Aurhors: Mike Grella, Jupiter Inlet District; David Fann and Robert Swett, Florida Sea Grant SGEB 57 Graphic Design: Regina Cheong, Vista Graphics March 2006 L-R: Mr. Heiser and Captains Armour and Wells were keepers of the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse. This photograph was made around 1895. (FM) In the foreground of this 1997 aerial photograph, Archival copy: for current recommendations see http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu or ayour dredge pumps local material fromextension the “sand trap” office. in Jupiter Inlet and deposits it on the beach south of the inlet. To the west, beyond the bridges, are the Loxahatchee River Central Embayment and the river’s North and Northwest Forks. Photo credit: National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration Photo Library (Mrs. Marge Captain Armour was Beaver, photographer) head lighthouse keeper for forty years, from 1868 to 1908. He was also one of the area’s most noted pioneers.

Photo Credits Abbreviations: Florida Memory (FM). Deep-sea fi shing boat passing Jupiter lighthouse. Loxahatchee River Historical Society (LRHS), Postcard Image, Florida Photographic Collection. Lynn L. Drake Collection (LLD)

Front cover postcards, courtesy of Lynn L. Drake collection.

In 1696, the barkentine Resolution, with passengers including Philadelphia Quaker Jonathan Dickinson, his wife, and his infant son, ran aground in a storm on the beach of Jupiter Island, about The sidewheel steamboat Ibis navigated the Loxahatchee River sometime before 1902. fi ve miles north of the inlet. In his diary, Dickinson recorded The Ibis was one of many steamboats and an account of the wreck, encounters of the survivors with the These photographs, made by William Henry Jackson (1843 - 1942), sailing craft engaged in commerce along native Jeaga Indians, and their eventual rescue following an are from the Library of Congress. The works of Jackson infl uenced the Florida’s coasts and inland waterways in the late 19th Century. (FM) arduous trek north to Spanish St. Augustine. Convinced the establishment of Yellowstone and other early national parks. His extensive party’s salvation resulted from divine intervention, Dickinson travels included working visits to many sites in Florida, including the published an account of the journey in 1699. Usually called vicinity of Jupiter. simply Jonathan Dickinson’s Journal, the volume became an This postcard image, taken from the lighthouse, looks east to Jupiter Inlet, with the U.S. Weather Bureau meteorological immediate success and has been reprinted many times. station in the foreground (Inlet ca 1913). (LRHS) Top left: Jackson photographed these In October 1905, construction of the U.S. Navy’s Jupiter Seminole Indian men on Wireless Telegraph Station was “nearly complete.” Assigned a pier across the inlet from the lighthouse The Celestial Railroad pier was under call letters “RA,” the station soon joined the Navy’s growing (ca. 1891). Seminoles construction on the south shore of Jupiter roster of wireless installations. (http://earlyradiohistory. long occupied the Inlet in the early 1890s. The railroad us/navy1.htm) Loxahatchee River moved passengers and cargo from coastal vicinity and were steamers and sailing vessels south to The primary function of Navy wireless telegraph stations prominent in the history booming Palm Beach. (FM) of the area. was communication with warships at sea. The stations provided another valuable service as well: transmission Top right: Jackson of accurate time signals, which were of great assistance in photographed the the days of celestial navigation. Starting in 1913, station lighthouse, its pier, and a palmetto-roofed work RA also handled commercial radio traffi c, both as a public shed styled after the service and to provide Navy operators abundant practice Indian chickees (ca. 1880-1897). messages. The Navy continued to operate radio communication and The Loxahatchee River Historical Society collection includes a Lower left: Jackson direction fi nding stations at Jupiter Inlet during World War framed Geographical, Statistical, and Historical Map of Florida, evidently photographed printed ca. 1822. The map labels a feature “Grenvil Inlet” at the II. Wire antenna elements are visible in the original of this Jupiter Inlet from the location of Jupiter Inet. Who was Grenvil? Perhaps the name was lighthouse in 1890. photograph, made in the 1940s. More recent installations a misspelled tribute to British statesman George Grenville (FM) Surf breaking across at the inlet included the U.S. Air Force TEL-4 telemetry (1712–1770). (LRHS) the mouth of the inlet station (for communicating with missiles and spacecraft indicates a shallow The Loxahatchee bar that would have launched from Cape Canaveral) and U.S. Coast Guard River Historical Society’s impeded vessel traffi c. LORAN stations. collection includes a seventh edition of Jonathan The waterway to the Dickinson’s journal, published in 1791. left leads north to Jupiter Narrows and then into the Indian Dr. James A. Henshall, author of the guide River Lagoon. Camping and Cruising in Florida, caught this 360-pound jewfi sh (Goliath Grouper) A German submarine torpedoed this ship Lower right: This off the Jupiter Lighthouse dock during a off Jupiter Inlet—one of the 111 ships lost companion view looks visit in 1884. Anglers, including lighthouse to U-boats in the Gulf Stream, Gulf of across the inlet to the tenders Capt. James A. Armour and his Mexico, and the Caribbean during World south shore, where a son-in-law, Capt. Joseph Wells, caught War II. (LRHS) Frank McGinnis, a well known fi sherman and charter sternwheel steamboat many jewfi sh and sawfi sh in the area boat captain in Jupiter, kept a dock on the NW side of is berthed at a pier. during the late 1800’s. (LLD) the original U.S. Highway 1 Bridge behind Shuey’s Inn. Credit for all four photos: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection Shuey’s had a restaurant, heated cottages, gas station, and fi shing pier where “Everything for the fi sherman may be bought or rented.” (LLD)

By the mid-1940s, a bridge for U.S. 1 spanned the inlet. Part of the bridge remains today as a fi shing pier. The more distant road and railroad bridges cross the lower (LRHS) Loxahatchee River. The Central Embayment is visible in the background. (LRHS)

Sea Grass Beds, 2001–2004 (Sources: Palm Beach Co. 0.5 mile Dept. of Environmental Resources Mgt. and the St. Johns The Loxahatchee River fl ows in a “barrier-impounded, River Water Management District) Snook season Oyster Bars, 2003 (Source: Loxahatchee River District) drowned river valley.” That is, the present valley is the upper reach opening day (September 1, 2 Dolphin (mahi-mahi) of a larger, longer valley that likely formed when sea level was much draw 005) : Offshore, s anglers and N lower—most recently in the Pleistocene glaciation (Ice Ages) that ven a live bait especially in Gulf Stream, often under fl oating cover. o Technicians collect sediment dor to Jupiter Inlet. r the striking color c Note Feeds on fl ying fi sh and squid. th ended about 10,000 years ago. The river can fl ow freely to the ocean, core samples in the river. hange F Atlantic between wat er fl ow o and tidal currents can effi ciently fl ush the river’s lower reaches, but the inlet (f ing out rk Ocean oreground) and the only when Jupiter Inlet is open through the coastal barrier island. open Atlantic. N W Studies of sediments in the river by University of Florida scientists,

F in partnership with the Jupiter Inlet District, reveal a complex history o r Digital photographs (left) and

k over thousands of years, affected by sea level change, many natural Gag grouper: Usually offshore, on rocks and X-radiographs of sediment core reefs, but occasionally inshore and in estuaries. closings and openings of the inlet, and, recently, the actions of sample (above left) reveal eons of humans. geological history. L Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ox Over geologic time, sediment deposition has kept the riverbed load and freshwater contribution to the Central Embayment, Information: (352) 732-1225, www.fl oridaconservation.org aha tchee elevation nearly in equilibrium with sea level. However, in the 1930s, affecting ongoing sediment deposition. Distinguishing human- Fish Kill Hotline: (800) 636-0511 River Fish tag reports: (800) 367-4461 the Northwest Fork (the main river channel) was dammed. In the infl uenced sedimentary changes from natural variation is a King mackerel Ju Fishing regulations: (850) 488-6058 : Nearshore and offshore, rk pit 1950s, channelization of the Southwest Fork and a new sluice-gated challenge. Except in dredged channels, sediment sequences Fo er I Licenses & species identifi cation: myfwc.com/marine/ sometimes from piers and in the surf. SW nlet control structure began to affect the natural stream fl ow and sediment from the past century are hard to distinguish from those formed Violations: (888) 404-3922 (Cell: *FWC or #FWC) sources. When the inlet was closed in the past, the limited tidal fl ushing Toxic spills: (850) 413-9911 in the last several thousand years. Further studies, with greater likely created a stratifi ed, stagnant water body with low dissolved Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) emphasis on fossils in the sediments, will provide additional Clean Marina Program: (850) 245-2847 oxygen concentrations that reduced biological activity within the insights to changes in the estuary that have occurred over the sediments. Jupiter Inlet has been stabilized and open continuously www.dep.state.fl .us/law/grants/cmp/ IC past several thousands of years. US Coast Guard: www.uscg.mil/d7/ Mutton snapper W since 1947. : Offshore wrecks and reefs. Adapted from manuscript by Jaeger, John M., Ashish Mehta, Richard Faas, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Unit 070-05-02: Inshore sea grass beds, mangrove shore, and canals. These changes, along with signifi cant alteration in use of the nearby and Michael Grella, Anthropogenic Impacts on Sedimentary Sources and www.uscgaux.org/index.html Credit: Adapted from Myers, Ronald L. and Ewel, John J., Ecosystems of Florida, Check latest regulations for size and season limits. University of Central Florida Press, Orlando, 1990 lands due to increasing population, modify the river’s sediment Processes in a Small Urbanized Subtropical Estuary, Florida, 2005. NOAA VHF Weather: 162.55, 162.425 Sea grass beds are among the most productive communities on earth. They provide Tides and weather Extended tide forecasts: habitat for small invertebrates and fi shes; serve as nurseries and feeding grounds www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/fl oridaatlanticsites.html for species such as drums, sea bass, and snappers; and effi ciently convert nutrients National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov Bluefish: Nearshore, inlet, and surf. Migratory; in their environments to organic matter vital to the base of the food chain. Among National Weather Service: www.srh.noaa.gov/mia best in winter. Be careful with sharp teeth and strong jaws. the sea grass species present in the Loxahatchee River estuary, Jupiter Inlet, and Jupiter Inlet District: www.jupiterinletdistrict.org nearby Intracoastal Waterway are manatee grass (Syringodium fi liforme) and turtle The Loxahatchee River– Loxahatchee River District: www.loxahatcheeriver.org grass (Thalassia testudinum), named for its appeal to green sea turtles. A variety Lake Worth Creek Aquatic Florida Sea Grant: (352) 392-1837, www.fl seagrant.org of wading and diving birds also use sea grass beds as feeding grounds. Healthy sea Preserve (outlined in red on Martin County Sheriff’s Department: grasses in estuaries are essential to commercial and recreational fi sheries, including the map) includes the three Dial 911; non-emergency: (772) 220-7000 that of the pink shrimp, economically one of the most important in Florida. forks and central embayment Sheepshead: Inshore around oyster bars, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department: of the Loxahatchee River, as seawalls, and pilings and in tidal creeks; nearshore in Grass bed extent varies seasonally, as well as over longer time spans, responding to Dial 911; non-emergency: (561) 688-3000 well as Lake Worth Creek, the late winter and early spring, gathering over rocks and changes in water salinity, temperature, turbidity, and quality. Denuded seabed scars Jupiter Vicinity Information Websites: waterway that continues south www.jupitercourier.com artifi cial reefs and around navigation markers. caused by boat anchors and propellers take many years to heal. Boaters can help of the Loxahatchee behind (service of the Jupiter Courier newspaper) to maintain healthy sea grass beds by just not anchoring in grass—which generally the barrier islands. The 9,000- www.jupiterfl oridausa.com offers relatively poor holding anyway—and by using a pole or oars to move vessels (visitor information) acre preserve was established over grass when the water is too shallow to avoid prop scarring under power. This Loxahatchee River Historical Society: in 1984 and comprises two map shows distribution of sea grass beds in the lower Loxahatchee, Jupiter Inlet, 1 www.lrhs.org (561) 747-6639 Snook: Usually inshore in coastal and brackish sections: Wilderness and and the Intracoastal Waterway, but remember to look out for grass wherever you waters, along mangrove shorelines, seawalls, and Urban. The Wilderness anchor and when venturing into shallow water. bridges; also on reefs and pilings. Check latest Preserve—upstream from regulations for size and season limits. Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are fi lter feeding, sedentary invertebrates found mile 5.5 of the Loxahatchee mostly in estuary areas with fi rm substrates, such as mud/shell bottom. Oysters River Northwest Fork—is provide food and habitat for a variety of estuarine species, including sponges, managed to maintain the mollusks, worms, and crustaceans. Freshwater runoff provides food for oysters, existing wilderness condition. Spotted Seatrout: Inshore and/or nearshore limits predation, and reduces disease, so oyster beds are associated with areas of Management goals for the over grass, sand, and sandy mud bottoms; move lower salinity. Urban Preserve are to restore into slow-moving or still, deep waters in cold weather. Found in the northwest and southwest forks of the Loxahatchee, oyster bars (red on and enhance the natural the map) are productive fi shing spots that attract adult snook. Exercise caution in condition of the resources. these areas; oyster bars severely damage boat hulls and props, and the sharp shells Several miles of the are treacherous for people wading or swimming. Loxahatchee River’s Northwest Crevalle jack: Beaches, inlet, estuaries, Fork slowly meander through Monofi lament fi shing line can last for centuries in the and rivers. Generally not prized for the table, but challenging and fun to catch and release. one of the last vestiges of water, out of the sun’s ultra-violet rays. Each year, native cypress river swamp thousands of animals and many boat propellers become in southeast Florida. In 1985, tangled in discarded fi shing line. Shorebirds, sea turtles, Illustrations by Diane Rome Peebles the federal government Provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Some helpful tips for boaters: and manatees can starve to death, lose limbs, or drown designated 9.5 miles of Commission, Division of Marine Fisheries Management •Wear polarized sunglasses and look for a snout, back, tail, or fl ipper because of entanglement. Human divers can also become Captions adapted from Fishing Lines, publication of the FWC. the fork as Florida’s fi rst breaking the surface. A swimming manatee’s tail creates whirls or fl at tangled in line. National Wild and Scenic spots on the water. River (outlined in yellow on Please deposit used fi shing line in designated recycling West Indian manatees are large, gray aquatic • Stay in deep-water channels. For high-speed water sports, the map)—one of only two rivers in the state so designated. Large sections of the river corridor containers. mammals. An adult manatee may be choose areas that manatees do not or cannot frequent. and watershed are within Jonathan Dickinson State Park, which contains outstanding almost 10 feet long and weigh 800-1200 • Remain at least 50 feet away from manatees. Stop examples of the region’s natural biological communities. pounds. Manatees live in rivers, estuaries, your prop if you must go closer. Obey speed zone saltwater bays, and canals. Manatees signs and avoid posted manatee sanctuaries. Visitors to the area enjoy fi shing, boating, and watching animals, such as manatees have no natural enemies; however, • Recycle your litter or throw it in a proper trash and birds, in their natural environment. The three forks of the Loxahatchee many deaths result from collisions container. Debris such as discarded plastic bags or are freshwater tributaries, characterized by riverine communities such with watercraft. Manatees are protected six-pack holders is dangerous to manatees and other as freshwater and tidal marshes. Near and within the estuary, under federal and Florida state law. It is wildlife. Properly discard or recycle monofi lament mangrove communities are predominant with submerged unlawful to feed, touch, or disturb any line and fi shhooks. resources including tidal fl ats, sea grass beds, and oyster bars. manatee. State penalties are a maximum • Don’t touch, feed, or provide water to manatees. These The preserve hosts recreationally and commercially important fi ne of $500 and/or imprisonment for up to practices may encourage the animals to approach persons species such as blue crabs, mullet, snook, and tarpon, as well as 60 days. A federal penalty may be $100,000 and/ who might harm them. unusual fi sh species such as the bigmouth sleeper and the opossum or one year in prison. pipefi sh, a “species of concern.” LEGEND St. Lucie Inlet 1 2 Approx. Marina Buoys 3 4 16.5 miles Boat Lighthouse Ramp Channel Marks •SSMW Point of Northwest Fork •25 MPH in ICW, Slow Speed out of ICW Interest Flasher NNo •Nov 15–Mar 31, SSMW (Channel Exempt); o Apr 1–Oct 31, SSMW w/in rthr Fork 300 feet of shore (dashed 1000 feet SIGNS th line) (Channel Exempt) 57 Hazard: Note: SSMW=Slow Speed, Minimum Wake Fo Cable IntraInt Regulatory Fo Crossing rk rk ra Advisory cco oastal a st a •April 1-Oct 31, SSMW w/in 100 feet of shore l (dashed line); otherwise, Normal, Safe Operation •Idle Speed, No Wake WatW •Oct 1–May 31, SSMW w/in 50 feet of shore; Ref.: Florida Administrative otherwise, 30 MPH Code 68C-22.009 a te 0 500 1000 feet erw office. r Speed Zones for Boating Safety and Manatee Protection w

The waters of this area are divided into several seasonal variation in manatee presence. From aay speed regulation zones in order to increase boating November 15 to March 31, Slow Speed, Minimum y safety and to minimize manatee injuries resulting Wake (Channel Exempt) applies throughout the from encounters with moving vessels. Signs visible entire area outlined in solid red. For the remainder on the water mark the transitions between zones. of the year, the rule is Slow Speed, Minimum Wake 58 extension Tequesta Drive To show all the zones at a glance, this map displays within 300 feet of shore (dashed red line). A turning their extents in varying colors. “page” panel allows each advisory sign to display the correct seasonal message. 16 59 Note that speed regulations for the lower

local Loxahatchee River change twice each year to refl ect

60 A1A

your Aerial photographs courtesy of Palm Beach County GIS Department or 811

8

5 6 15 707 5 INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY BRIDGES S.R. 707, Jupiter Depths in Jupiter Inlet Island Bridge

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu vary frequently, and ICW 4 channel marks may not Location miles ** Bridge Name(s) Clearance* Comments 14 3 Hobe Sound 995.9 SR 708, Hobe Sound 25 Opens on demand 13 be where shown. Consult see Shoal 1 the most recent nautical Jupiter Island 1004.1 SR 707, Jupiter Island 26 Opens on demand Shoal 12 2 charts and sources of Jupiter 1004.8 US 1, Jupiter Federal 26 Opens on demand 11 A 10 local knowledge for Jupiter 1006.2 SR 706, Indiantown Road 35 Opens on the hour and half-hour navigational information. Juno Beach 1009.3 Donald Ross Road 35 Opens on the hour and half-hour 9 6 1 7 * Clearance in feet above mean high water (MHW), bridge closed 2 5 1 ** From Norfolk Loxahatchee River 4 3 2 Central Embayment 1 4 2 recommendations 3 1 U.S. 1, Jupiter 4 3 7 Federal Bridge 6 6 current JJu 8 up for ittere I k r Inletnlet Foror westwest copy: outh S 7 3 MARINAS AND POINTS OF INTEREST

Loxahatchee River Road 2 Slow–No Wake Along- Repair Pumpout Approach side Hull Haul Rent Restaurant Toilets Wet Slips Archival Low Depth Depth Engine Out Motor Lodging Showers Dry Water Bait Gas Contact 10 Bridge Marina (ft) (ft) Electronics Tons Boats Snacks Laundry Storage Charts Ice Tackle Diesel (Area Code 561) Address Center Street 744-2223 19137 SE Federal Hwy Burt Reynolds 1 Black Pearl 6 4 S T S W D Y W I B blackpearlmarina Tequesta, FL 33469 IntIn @adelphia.net blackpearlmarina.com 11 Park 18753 SE Federal Hwy 2 SeaGate 10 5 5 S T S L W D W I G 746-2600 t (Low bridge Tequesta, FL 33469 rar 18261 SE Federal Hwy clearance for 3 Jupiter Hills 744-0727 acoast 15 12 En El 5 Y S P T W D Y W Tequesta, FL 33469 Lighthouse coastal W east ramp) 746-3312 18487 SE Federal Hwy 4 Blowing 6 6 H En El 4.5 R L S P T S W D Y W I B T G D blowingrocks1 Rocks Tequesta, FL 33469 @aol.com 4 5 Jupiter 46 Beach Road Island Beach 7.5 7.5 S P T S L W Y W I B T G D 746-4300 Tequesta, FL 33469 a (JIB) Club jibmarina.com l 1095 N A1A 6 Jupiter 10 6 H En El 6 Y S T S L W D Y W I B T G D 575-0006 Wa Seasport Jupiter, FL 33477 18275 Hwy A1A 747-1050 a 7 Smilin Jacks 8 5 H En 2 W D Y Jupiter, FL 33477 smilinjacks.com t eerw 3238 Casseekey Is. Rd. 747-8980 r 8 Jonathan’s 10 9 En 11 Y R P T S L W D Y B T G D Jupiter, FL 33477 Landing [email protected] w jlmclub.com By awarding the Clean Marina designation, the Points of Interest aay y state recognizes a marina that takes extraordinary 1 Jupiter Lighthouse & Loxahatchee River Historical Society measures to help protect coastal waters. Only 2 Dubois Park & Dubois Pioneer Home Lake Worth designated marinas may fl y the Clean Marina fl ag. 3 Jupiter Beach Park Inlet 4 Jupiter Inlet District offi ces S.R. 706, Indiantown Approx. Bridge 12.5 miles Indiantown Road 706 8