Oscar Scherer State Park
1843 S Tamiami Trail
Osprey FLorida 34229
USA
Oscar Scherer State Park
WELCOME – Matt
FOSP are delighted to welcome Matthew Kruse as the new OSSP Park Manager.
Matt began his Florida Park Service career in1999 as a Park Attendant at Lovers Key State Park, within a year he had advanced to Park Ranger. In 2006, Matt was promoted to Assistant Park Manager, and used his degree in Wildlife & Recreation Management, together with his park ranger experience, to further staff development and manage field operations.
After nearly 20 years at Lovers Key, Matt accepted the Park Manager II position at Collier-Seminole. Now, with promotion to Park Manager III and the move to Oscar Scherer, he is eager to develop new relationships with the park staff, the FOSP – the CSO, and the adjoining community. In his personal time, nature lover Matt, will be taking advantage of the endless opportunities OSSP has to offer, enjoying wildlife viewing, hiking, and kayaking.
David Pierce
President
Friends of Oscar Scherer Park
BOARDWALK UPDATE – FOSP awarded $75,000.00 grant!
The Board of Directors for the Friends of Oscar Scherer Park are proud to announce the awarding of a $75,000.00 grant from the Selby Foundation to assist the Board with the Boardwalk project.
The Friends have been working on this project for over ten years accumulating more than $200,000 in the fund. This grant was submitted by the Florida State Parks Foundation.
This award will allow the Friends to request bids for construction on the first arm of the boardwalk. This arm will be constructed using ADA guidelines and will have areas of lowered railing so that wheelchair bound visitors can have an unobstructed view the scenery and be able to cast a line for fishing.
There is still much to do on this project so the Friends will continue to hold fund raisers to complete the entire project.
David Pierce
President
Friends of Oscar Scherer Park
UPDATE JULY 23 2021
Oscar Scherer State Park is open for CAMPING & LIMITED DAY USE PURPOSES ONLY
- PLEASE NOTE: Park programs and scheduled events will be restarting soon; updates will be posted here.
- UPDATE: Guided Paddle with recommence on AUGUST 4th.
- Pavilions are not available for rent but can be used on a first come first serve basis during park hours.
- The Nature Center will open Saturdays & Sundays 10:00 – 2:00; but will remain closed at all other times.
- The swimming lake, trails, and day use restrooms will be open for visitors to use.
- Social Distancing is encouraged.
- Normal admission fees apply
Campground Bathroom Closures
Bathhouses 1 and 5 will be closed from June 1st to July 1st, July 6th to September 2nd and September 7th to September 30th.
However these bathrooms will be open on the holiday weekends of July 2nd to July 5th and September 3rd to 6th.Please call the Ranger Station – 941.483.5956 – if you have any questions.
Thank You, Tony Clements, Park Manager
Friends of Oscar Scherer Park
About Us
The FOSP is a 501c3 non-profit organization; officially designated a CSO – Citizen Support Organization – by the Department of Environmental Protection. We operate under usual non-profit guidelines but have DEP oversight, due to our affiliation to a state park.
Our purpose is to raise funds from events and appropriate grants that can be used by Oscar Scherer State Park for projects and equipment purchases. Basically the “Friends” make up the shortfall in state funding and also plan more ambitious projects that we consider beneficial to the park.
