The Sunniland Oil Trend
The Sunniland Trend is a well-defined, onshore oil reserve stretching from Ft. Myers to Miami. Oil was first discovered in the Trend in 1943 by the Humble Oil and Refining Company, now known as Exxon. Since then, eight commercial oil fields have produced more than 118 million barrels of oil at some of the highest on-shore per-well flow rates in the country. Wells in the Trend produce from limestone formations located more than two miles below the surface and contain very low amounts of gas...much like a flat soda... requiring pumps to bring the oil to the surface. The variety of oil produced in the Trend is “heavy sour” which when refined produces auto and aviation fuels, diesel fuel, lube oils and asphalt.

Big Cypress National Preserve
A large part of the Sunniland Trend is located within the Big Cypress National Preserve, which was created in 1974. The Collier family conveyed more than 159,000 acres for the establishment and expansion of the Preserve but maintained private ownership of the mineral rights.

The environmental protection standard that Congress mandated when creating the Preserve was to “...assure the natural and ecological integrity in perpetuity...” while allowing “...reasonable use and enjoyment of privately owned oil and gas interests.” Collier Resources follows stringent environmental requirements unique to the area when exploring for or producing oil in the Preserve.