Bivens Arm

{{Short description| Lake in the state of Florida, United States}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{one source|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox body of water | name = Bivens Arm | image = Bivensarm.jpg | caption = | image_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = | location = Gainesville, Florida | coords = {{coord|29.62450|N|82.34459|W|type:waterbody_region:US-FL|display=inline,title}} | type = | inflow = | outflow = | catchment = | basin_countries = United States | length = | width = | area = | depth = | max-depth = | volume = | residence_time = | shore = | elevation = | islands = | cities =  | pushpin_map = Florida#USA | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = Location of Bivens Arm in Florida, USA. | pushpin_map_caption =  | website = | reference = }} [[Image:Bivensign.jpg|thumb|250px|A traffic sign for Bivens Arm.]] '''Bivens Arm''' is a body of water in Gainesville, Florida. Located west of U.S. Route 441 and south of Archer Road, it is a part of Paynes Prairie. Bivens Arm is a small shallow lake covering approximately {{convert|189|acre}} in southwest Gainesville.

Bivens Arm supports a wide diversity of flora and fauna. Tumblin Creek, which is fed by small springs and seeps, drains into Bivens Arm and is the primary source of drainage into the lake. Bivens Arm overflows onto Paynes Prairie and eventually discharges to the aquifer via Alachua Sink.

==History== The early history of Bivens Arm is not well documented given that it is a relatively small body of water. The earliest known use of the land around the lake was as hunting grounds by Native Americans. Beginning in the late 1800s, the land was used mostly for agricultural purposes including cattle ranching, swine farms, vegetable farms, and orange groves.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Jerry Michael |title=For Whom Or What Are Lake Alice And Bivens Arm Named? |url=https://www.wuft.org/untold-florida/2019-07-15/untold-florida-for-whom-or-what-are-lake-alice-and-bivens-arm-named |access-date=23 January 2026 |work=WUFT |date=15 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1930s, Bivens Arm was designated as a bird sanctuary and rookery and even had a resident ranger to care for the sanctuary. In 1965, the state of Florida designated the lake area as a wildlife sanctuary (Bill No. 1356 Chap. 65 1005). In 1981, the City of Gainesville purchased the land between the lake and Williston Road (SR 331) to form the Bivens Arm Nature Park. This park features a lush Live Oak Hammock habitat and marshlands, which periodically become inundated with rising water levels from the lake.

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Lakes of Florida Category:Geography of Gainesville, Florida Category:Lakes of Alachua County, Florida