When congress set up
townships in the United States in 1785, section 16 of the township was to be set up for education. When
Deltona was developing, a
shopping center was proposed in the 1990s where the Lyonia Preserve would be.
Volusia County School Board decided that the land would be used for education and environmental preservation, both receiving 240 acres (0.97 km2)[4] and 360 acres (1.5 km2) respectively.[5][6] The preserve was named after the
lyonia.[4]
A
Florida scrub jay festival was held at the Lyonia Preserve February 13, 2022.[7]
Conservation
Florida scrub jays do not live in
suburbia and require open
scrubland. While the preserve provides scrubland, the city is reluctant to do
controlled burns due to its proximity to city hall and
Daytona State College's Deltona campus, lowering the quality of habitat for scrub jays. The county does cut down trees to recreate natural processes,[8] however, it does not fully mimic fire.[6] While the trees are being cut down, trails remain open.[8]
Each year, a group from
Audubon Florida does a yearly count of the scrub jays at the preserve.[8]
Lyonia Environmental Center
The Lyonia Environmental Center is a museum and activity center to provide environmental information for the protected
scrublands.[9][10]
Trails
The preserve has three trails. Their lengths are: 0.4 miles (0.64 km), 1.2 miles (1.9 km), 2.4 miles (3.9 km).[2] The trails are made of
sand[11] and lack shade.[2]
^Kinane, Rose (September 27, 2022).
"Field trip: Lyonia Preserve". Florida Wildflower Foundation. Archived from
the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.