Santa Rosa Band to open Creek Heritage Center in Florida

The Santa Rosa Band of the Lower Muscogee is establishing the Creek Heritage Center on 4.5 acres of the Jones Swamp Wetland Preserve in West Pensacola, Florida, according to the Pensacola News Journal. The center will feature a Learning Grove around a historic oak tree, offering outdoor educational programs, guided tours and hands-on experiences in nature. A greenhouse on site will grow spartina, a critical sea grass used in shoreline restoration projects, addressing local shortages of the plant.

Chief Dan “Sky Horse” Helms said the center will focus on environmental conservation and recreational opportunities, complementing the tribe’s 97-acre Cultural Center in Milton, which highlights history and culture. County support includes arborist services and integration with the Jones Creek Trail and Boardwalk. Grants from Impact 100 and the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Estuary Program are funding the project, which will also employ youth through the Oyster Corps conservation program.