Leisurely strolling nearly a half-mile of walkways that wind beneath a sprawling hardwood canopy, they are able to transport themselves back to a time when Beneath the shimmer of one of the state's most beautiful springs, manatees, tropical fish and other aquatic species are at home in peaceful surroundings.

It is, by all accounts, one of the state park system's most treasured jewels. And thanks to some visionary planning - as well as an undying commitment to preserve the irreplaceable - the park's future looks brighter than ever.

In the months and years ahead, the landmark will undergo a series of renovations aimed at enhancing visitor appeal, while helping to improve the environmental health and well-being of its inhabitants.

"It's a very exciting time for us," said park manager Tom Linley, who has been at the helm since just after the state acquired the park in 1989. "A lot of things are on the horizon that will impact what we do here for generations to come."

Already under way in 2003 is the park's long-planned Phase 2 expansion that will see the replacement of some 800 feet of existing limerock trails with more aesthetically pleasing wooden boardwalks. When finished this summer, the new trail will provide visitors with close access to several new exhibits, including an expanded Western cougar habitat and a new, larger reptile house.

Also slated for construction: facilities to house the park's newly acquired black bear cubs, which were abandoned by their mother, and an aviary expansion. Perhaps most paramount in the new expansions, Linley said, is the park's desire to become more interactive with visitors.

Said Linley: "We see ourselves as a first-rate wildlife education facility. One of the things we want to show our visitors more of are the things we do behind the scenes."

Linley points to the park's manatee containment facility as one such exhibit. Built last summer, the huge concrete tank allows visitors to watch as veterinarians and park staff perform minor medical treatments on its captive herd of manatees, which are primarily there because of injuries.

As many as four of the creatures can be corraled into the tank at one time. After the water is drained, the animals' skin can be treated with topical antibiotics.

According to Linley, plans include constructing a more sophisticated long-term isolation tank that will assist in the treatment and monitoring of more serious health threats, including the papilloma virus that infects many of the nine animals in the captive herd.

Linley said the park's goal is not to become a manatee hospital. He said that any facility that houses captive manatees must be able to treat them effectively and safely.

"Before we had the tank, the only way to give medical treatment was to haul them out of the water, which is time consuming and very dangerous work," Linley said. "This way we can give better treatment and more frequently than before."

The park's origin dates back to the 1940s, when it was known primarily as a roadside tourist attraction. Its owners trucked in loads of limerock to build footpaths and dug huge drainage ditches and culverts to reroute small streams and runoff areas. Over the decades, the eroding limerock and and other organic nutrients caused many shallow areas to fill with sediment and silt.

Four years ago, the park began working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a plan to remove the layers of silt and help restore a more natural flow from the park's main spring. Linley hopes the planned $800,000 restoration project can be launched this year. Once completed, the benefits will be far-reaching, he said.