Raymond H. Neri Community Park
The restoration project is a cooperative effort to restore wildlife habitat and improve water quality in Joe's Creek through treatment of stormwater runoff, while providing the community access to the greenway for recreation. The Pinellas County School System plans to use the Joe's Creek Greenway for environmental education and to promote environmental stewardship.
General Information
- Located at 4303 46th Ave. N., in the Lealman Community
- Geography: The creek currently begins just east of 28th Street North and 42nd Avenue. It acts as a stormwater collection system for the area roughly between 38th Avenue North to 54th Avenue North, and from I-275 to 70th Street North.
- The creek flows westward to McKay Creek, and McKay Creek flows southwest to Boca Ciega Bay.
- The park is a habitat for a variety of endangered, threatened and rare animal species.
- Swimming in the creek is prohibited.
- The park includes a parking lot, restrooms, pedestrian bridge connecting the pedestrian trail around a picturesque pond area and three educational kiosks/observation platforms ideal for observing wildlife in the Creek.
Common Vegetation
Pickerelweed, southern red cedar, bald cypress, duck potato, spartina, Carolina willow, red maple, live
oak, and broomsedge bluestem grass.
Wildlife Routinely Observed
Alligators, peninsular cooter turtle, wood stork, roseate spoonbill, white ibis, great blue heron, little blue heron, great egret, tri-colored heron, red-shouldered hawk, red-winged blackbird, limpkin, osprey, white peacock butterfly, great southern white butterfly, dainty sulfur butterfly, double-crested cormorant, Carolina wren, downy woodpecker, yellow-crowned night heron, northern shoveler, palm warbler and more.