Category: Environmental Education

Posted on

Geocaching at CREW

by Allison Vincent, CREW Trust Communications Director

Geocache Day April 24, 2021 at CREW Marsh Trails, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Register here for this event as space is limited.

Geocaching is an any day, anytime­­ adventure that can take you to amazing and beautiful places or even just to a place in your town that you’ve never been before! That’s the introductory hook of the “What is Geocaching?” video on the Geocaching website, Geocaching.com, that captures the excitement and universal enjoyment of Geocaching adventures. The caches at CREW fit neatly into the “amazing and beautiful places” category with 122 active caches!

What is Geocaching you might ask! Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunt using GPS-enabled devices to locate your geocache. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. These containers vary greatly in size and appearance. In the field you will see everything from large, metal cases, a fake stump with a hidden compartment, to a coconut with a film canister sized hole drilled out. First thing you need to do is get a general idea of the cache’s size from the cache page then narrow down your search with the location point. When you arrive at your coordinates, put down your GPS device and look around for the cache. Think to yourself, if I were to hide a cache, where would I put it?

Many individuals, families and friends start Geocaching because they like to get out in nature and experience places they would never have seen before with a purpose in mind. Geocaching brings that extra layer of motivation that gets all ages out the door exploring. Often Geocaching includes solving puzzles, searching for clues and answering riddles that challenge you to see your environment in a new way. When you go Geocaching get ready to challenge yourself in a mental exercise, in addition to a physical one! It’s literally active problem solving! Geocaching also lends itself to seeing a place like a local, often embracing insider knowledge of an unknown area. So, get out there, visit new spots like a local and discover incredible places like the CREW trails through fresh eyes!  

Q & A with Pete Corradino AKA JunglePete of Everglades Day Safari

What originally got you into Geocaching?

In 2004, I was working as an environmental educator for the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. I had befriended a man on one of my programs who was an avid hiker and was looking to go on a 4-mile excursion to a half-frozen waterfall. He needed someone to accompany him for safety reasons and so I volunteered. During the 2-mile trek up to the falls he revealed his primary purpose for the hike, but I was sworn to secrecy. I was a bit concerned he was going to push me over the falls, but he turned out to be an active geocacher in the early years of the sport. Here we were, only four years after Geocaching was invented, creating one of only a few thousand geocaches hidden around the world! It’s named “between a rock and a hard place” and was placed in 2001 – just a year after geocaching started and it’s still active! While the idea of finding a hidden container in the woods and logbook to write of your adventure was intriguing, the most important thing to me was that it brought me to this place – Lye Brook Falls and I have this story to retell. It set me off on thousands of adventures in the US, Canada and Ecuador, everyone with their own story!

Do you have any advice for new Geocachers?

Go to events! You’ll meet interesting, weird, goofy, fun, adventurous people and that leads to crazy new adventures too. I’ve met some of my best friends through geocaching including Milla and Dick (Nolehawks) who are like surrogate grandparents to my kids. I would also say enjoy “the numbers”, the statistics that you accumulate over time, but appreciate the experience (good and bad) that comes from finding these hidden treasures.

Tell us your best geocaching story.

During Hurricane Irma we evacuated to Pikeville, Tennessee where my family lives. They brought us out to Fall Creek Falls State Park which has spectacular waterfalls and scenic views along a mountain ridge. There are a few caches in the park, but Piney Creek Falls was my favorite and probably the most dangerous one I have found. I had to cross a swinging bridge that traversed a small chasm. From there my 7-year-old son and I descended to the river, made our way across cold, wet rocks and then removed our socks and shoes so we could make it the rest of the way across the river. Once we had our socks and shoes back on, we climbed 20 feet up a cliff landing where my son sat with my camera taking pictures of me as I climbed another 20 feet straight up above the river to find a cache that was tucked into a rock ledge. It was quite the adrenaline rush and fortunately my son didn’t have to record me plummeting to my death on my birthday while retrieving a cache.

What type of gear works best?

I use my iPad and iPhone which is limited by cell service and battery life. I bring backup charging bricks to keep them charged for long excursions. Tweezers are good to retrieve paper logs that get stuck in the container and replacement paper and plastic baggies are helpful to maintain caches that need some love. 

What makes the CREW trails a great place for geocaches?

The poison ivy! The green briars! The rattlesnakes! I absolutely love the CREW Marsh trails, the CREW Cypress Dome trails and the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp trails. We have had so much fun placing over 400 caches over the last 13 years. We can’t wait to put caches out on the CREW Flint Pen Trails! The thing that I love about these trails is I can hike for miles in solitude and each location has its own unique beauty. I love the dew-covered spider webs in the morning, the Zebra Longwings roosting before sunrise, the cypress dome at sunset. I could go on and on but the great thing about the caches of CREW is that it’s an introduction for many people to one of the least known and most beautiful places in Southwest Florida. Once people have visited and found a few caches they want to keep going and explore every nook and cranny including the Wild Coffee Trail, the Pop Ash Trail and even the service roads! I’ve seen bears, painted buntings, armadillos and so much more on those service roads and yes rattlesnakes and poison ivy. 

Why should I come to Geocache Day at CREW?

Attending events is a great way to meet new people who share the same interest in geocaching. It brings together people that might not ordinarily meet and most importantly it brings everyone together to explore! This might be the first time that someone visits the CREW trails, or they may have been out to every event we’ve done since 2009. Either way we are all in good company! 

Geocache Stats!

The very first Geocaching Event was held at CREW on 5/9/2009
12 Events have been held (4 at the CREW Marsh trails, 6 at the CREW Cypress Dome trails, 2 at the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp trail) and one was cancelled due to COVID.

As of Saturday 4/24/21 there will have been
        290 Traditional Caches
        59 Mystery Caches
        21 Letterbox Caches
        12 Event Caches
        10 Multi Caches
        7 Wherigo Caches
        1 Earthcache

As of Saturday 4/24/21 there will be 122 active geocache
       CREW Cypress Dome Trails – 36
       CREW Marsh Trails – 41
        CREW Bird Rookery Swamp Trails – 45

The Event on Saturday will be the 400th cache!

Thanks to the following geocachers who have placed caches over the years at CREW:

Blue Diamonds – Roger Terrel
FLPirate – Roger Primus
JunglePete – Pete Corradino
Junglito – Theo Corradino
Ecuadorable – MaLe Corradino
Lehigh Mafia – Rob & Staci Johnson
Matkat* – Gary Mangan
Nolehawks – Milla and Dick Voellinger
Pilot searcher – Brian Wylie
rbmotmot – Tim Hall
sandbetweenmytoes – Kris Slagle
Team Crime Scene – Kenny Jenkins
The Wench – Jean Primus


Posted on

Hidden in the Forests of CREW: Florida Spotted Skunk

Eastern spotted skunk, Florida. FWC photo

Within the CREW lands live a diverse population of wildlife. Some are easy to spot, like the white peacock butterfly or white ibis, some are easy to hear like the red-shouldered hawk, whereas some are much more elusive and you might spend years before even catching a trace. In this series we’ll explore some of the lesser known and ever elusive species that call the CREW lands their home. To start, we’ll focus on the fascinating life of the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius ambarralis) and all its various distinctions!

In Florida, the eastern spotted skunk is considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). This is an important distinction that’s given to particular species in an effort to conserve the states wildlife for future generations. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to involve you in their new project aimed at learning more about Florida’s skunk populations. To report a skunk sighting, visit myFWC.com/skunksurvey and make a difference in this effort!

Now, a little more background on these elusive forest dwellers. Eastern spotted skunks are generally smaller than their striped cousins also found within this region, with an average body size (excluding their tail) of 11-12.5 inches and a total length of about 21-24 inches. Spotted skunks are also striped, with one large spot between the eyes and four stripes down its back, but stripes are wavy and broken and appear like spots. While research is ongoing, their habitat is thought to occur within the understory protection of dense scrub habitat, like many areas protected within the CREW lands. The scrub cover, like that found within the saw palmetto understory, is thought to protect them from predators like great horned owls or bobcats, among other threats.

Beyond the defense of their preferred habitat, skunks are well known for their last-ditch efforts of protection. However, if they come across a perceived threat, they first try to run away and can even climb a tree. When unable to retreat they often try to make themselves appear bigger, sometimes performing handstands. As a last resort, they rely on the pungent odor of their spray, accurate up to 15 feet, serving as a distraction so they can escape.

When you’re out walking the CREW trails, keep an eye to the ground for areas that are hospitable for burrowing, like saw palmetto. Skunks will sometimes make their own burrows, but they will also den in vacant mammal or gopher tortoise burrows, brush piles, wood piles, areas with high grass or other similar places of shelter. Current research shows that skunks are mostly nocturnal, foraging around their dens at night, but emerging research indicates that eastern spotted skunks in Florida are active during the day.

All skunks are solitary by nature with adult eastern spotted skunks usually only congregating to mate in early summer and another time in the fall. Generally, they give birth to five or six young, called kits. Newborn skunks are blind but are easily recognizable to all by their fine hair displaying the black and white pattern of adulthood. Young kits will stay with their mother for several months, leaving their den sites, between six and eight weeks of age with their mother’s protection to forage.

Eastern spotted skunks are omnivores whose diet depends on the season, adapting to what is available at different times of the year. Scat analysis has found that larger insects including beetles and grasshoppers are important in their diet, along with small mammals and crustaceans, depending on the season.

We urge all that frequent the CREW trails to keep an eye, and nose, out for these fascinating forest dwellers and report all sightings to the FWC for their future protection and for the preservation of the habitats on which they depend.

Skunk infographic. FWC
Posted on

Adapting to the pandemic on the CREW trails

by Nan Mattingly

Everyone has a story about how the ongoing pandemic has rearranged his or her life. Some changes are major – working from home or losing a job. Difficulty finding childcare. Worry about loved ones becoming infected.

And some changes are less drastic. Instead of shopping for groceries in the usual places, more people are ordering food from shopping services or ordering online. Wearing a mask in public. Avoiding large gatherings.

Here at the CREW Land & Water Trust we’ve had to adapt, too. Because all of the trails are owned by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the CREW Trust must follow state regulations. When SFWMD closed all four of trail systems in April, we had to implement changes mandated by the state. We cancelled any remaining in-person events and once trails reopened, we posted signs reminding our visitors to wear masks and practice social distancing.    

Now that the winter season is beginning, we are again offering weekly guided tours and we’ve added a few new experiences (more about those below). The CREW Trust requires program participants to wear masks and make every effort to social distance wherever possible. Before we set foot on the trail, guests will sign two liability waivers – one for the CREW Land & Water Trust and one for the SFWMD. And we’ve added a nominal fee for each weekly tour, $5 per person for most of our guided tours and $10 per person for our “Bike the Loop” tour at CREW Bird Rookery Swamp. As usual, special tours with experts, such as a birding tour with renowned ornithologist Bernie Masters in January, start at $20. (Sorry – Bernie’s tour is sold out!) Members enjoy a reduced rate for most events.

Why have we put a price on our weekly tours? Last year they were free (though registration at our website has always been required). But during this pandemic we’ve felt the pinch just like everyone else. We have had to cancel our major yearly fundraising event, the CREW Concert & Silent Eco-auction, so we have had to look for other ways to raise money to support our educational and outreach programs.

Our new initiatives are intended to safely introduce more participants to our unique environments as well as to support our programs. On two Saturdays a month during this season we’re offering a chance to Bike the Loop at Bird Rookery Swamp. Bring your own bike and be prepared to get dirty! The 12-mile loop offers a moderately demanding experience as well as a chance to see lots of alligators. We’ve also added weekend guided tours at various trail systems.

To sign up for a guided tour or other events, please go to our website CREWtrust.org and explore the possibilities. This is a great chance to get outside and enjoy the glorious winter weather. Please remember that we follow CDC guidelines to keep all of us safe during this pandemic. When you sign up for a tour, you’ll find a recap of those important guidelines. Please be prepared to follow CREW Trust requirements when you’re on the trail with us.            

Posted on

Crepuscular Creatures

Tips to keep animals safe on your evening commute

Theme: Fall-back time change means nocturnal and crepuscular animals are more active around your evening drive.

Definition: Crepuscular: occurring or active during twilight. Crepuscular creatures abound in our area. Crepuscular creatures are most active at dawn and dusk. They tend to sleep at night and lay low during mid-day. This differs from those animals that are nocturnal or diurnal.

For people, the “fall-back” time change creates noteworthy inconveniences like realizing you’ve forgotten how to reset the clock on your dash or unpacking the groceries in the dark, but for wildlife the unintended consequences can be more severe. Namely, the increased number of cars on the road during the evening twilight hours can have a downright dangerous impact on crepuscular animals’ natural evening routines. In many states across the country, November sees more car accidents involving wildlife than any other month. According to transportation studies, motor vehicle accidents involving wildlife rank as the third leading cause for crashes behind speeding and inattentive driving. So, as many of us are now driving during the evening twilight, please take a moment to remember some important habits that will help out our local wildlife and us too. 

Remember These Tips

While some collisions may be unavoidable, motorists can reduce the likelihood of an accident by taking the following precautions:

  • Slow Down! Driving more slowly increases reaction time and reduces the chance of a collision.​
  • Stay alert while driving at dusk and dawn. This is when many of Florida’s wildlife are the most active and are likely to be crossing roadways.
  • Scan ahead and watch for movement along roadsides. When driving at night, watch for shining eyes in headlights. Always look and be prepared for more than one animal.
  • Obey traffic signs and watch for wildlife warning signs.

A side note for when you get home – dogs should be leashed/supervised. Morning and evening walks with our dogs are great fun and relaxing, but they can be very stressful for local wildlife if our dogs chase or roam too close to a den site. Our schedules shift as a result of Daylight saving time, so remember that the routine wildlife we’re used to will be changing, too. 

Further reading: 

According to the research article, Daylight saving time can decrease the frequency of wildlife-vehicle collisions, daylight saving time (DST) could reduce collisions with wildlife by changing the timing of commuter traffic relative to the behaviour of nocturnal animals. 

Posted on

Fine Feathered Friends Found at CREW

By Nan Mattingly, CREW Trust volunteer

You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy the birds at all four CREW trail systems, and you don’t need fancy equipment. Just an inexpensive pair of binoculars and the will to get outside and use them.

We consulted with some birding experts to identify birds you’re likely to see throughout CREW. Their best tip for seeing most of the birds named below is to start early in the morning, just after sunrise.

CREW Marsh Trails

Blue jay: A medium size bird with a blue body, black bars on the wings and a crest on the top of the head. Present year-round in Florida. At CREW Marsh Trails, look for them in the large live oaks just north of the tower overlooking the marsh. You may hear them before you see them; they have a variety of loud calls and unique songs.

Red-shouldered hawk: Medium to large size raptor with rust-red bars on its breast and where the wing meets the body. Tends to use the same territory for years, even the same nests. Screeching, repetitive call. This hawk stalks prey from a perch, so look up when you hear that loud call. Found throughout CREW; at the Marsh Trails, you may see them in the pine flatwoods and oak hammocks.

CREW Cypress Dome Trails and Caracara Prairie Preserve

Swallow-tailed kite: All black and white with a sharply forked tail and a four-foot wingspan. Nests in the tops of pine trees in early spring in southwest Florida, migrating from South America. It’s a breathtaking sight to see a group of kites circling and swooping, dropping briefly to skim the surface of lakes to drink or bathe. Listen carefully for their sweet, shrill cries or soft whistles.

Turkey vulture: Red head, white-tipped beak, dark body feathers that resemble those of a turkey. Soars above tree tops alert for freshly killed prey, using both sight and smell to find food. They are a consummate scavenger, cleaning up the countryside one bite at a time. This bird has no song, but it hisses, grunts and growls when eating.

Carolina wren: Medium size bird with a brown crown, white throat, buff-colored or white underparts, rufous-colored back and wings and a distinctive white stripe above the eye. Once paired, they define and maintain a territory and stay together for several years. They raise multiple broods during the summer breeding season. These birds like to hang out in undergrowth and sometimes you have to identify them by their loud, distinctive song which sounds like “teakettle, teakettle, teakettle” or “cherry, cherry, cherry.”

CREW Bird Rookery Swamp

Snowy egret: A small white heron with black legs and a long black bill with a yellow patch at its base; yellow feet (think of them as yellow snow boots to remember their name). At one time the plumes of the snowy egret were in demand to decorate women’s hats and plume hunters decimated their numbers, but now protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and their population has rebounded. Snowy egrets wade in shallow water to spear fish and other small aquatic animals.     

Northern parula: Small, compact warbler with blue-gray upper parts and bronze-green back patch. Throat and breast are yellow and belly is white. Winters in southwest Florida. The northern parula feeds on insects and invertebrates; occasionally hovers or hangs upside down on foliage to catch insects in the air. Its song is an ascending “zeeeee-yip”. Fairly common in Bird Rookery Swamp, less common in other parts of CREW, because it prefers the swampy, forested habitat.  

Green heron: Small heron with a glossy, greenish cap and back. Its wings are gray-black grading into green or blue, and it has a chestnut-colored neck with a white stripe. Active during the day, it walks slowly or stands motionless in water to wait for prey, and then it strikes quickly with its daggerlike bill. This heron has been seen to place food in the water to attract fish. Sometimes you’ll see them perched in trees and shrubs. 

CREW Flint Pen Strand

Bald eagle: The bald eagle is the star of the show at Flint Pen Strand, larger and more impressive than other raptors found there. Most of us are familiar with its distinctive look – white head, neck and tail, big yellow bill and dark brown body. Swooping over water, it hunts its favorite prey – fish – and its strong hind talon pierces the fish while the front talons hold the fish securely. Its wing span is six to seven feet. A pair of bald eagles has been nesting around the eastern side of Flint Pen Strand for some years, and lucky hikers are occasionally treated to the sight of a bald eagle soaring overhead.     

Eastern bluebird: Brilliant blue back and wings, with a rusty breast and white underparts. Often seen in open woodlands and clearings; look for them in the northeast corner of the lakes area. It makes its loose nest of grass or plant stems in natural tree cavities, even in abandoned woodpecker holes. Its population declined by 90% in the last century, partly because as trees are felled, it loses its favorite nesting sites. Bird boxes have helped restore the population. 

Woodpeckers: Woodpeckers of all kinds are year-round residents, including red-bellied, downy, pileated and sapsucker woodpeckers. Most remarkable is a sizable population of red-headed woodpeckers, with their solid red heads, black wings and white wing bars. You’ll see them near the southern portion of the red trail, usually hunting insects on dead trees.

Some hints for beginning birders:

Invest in a pair of binoculars and learn how to use them; take along a good field guide like Sibley’s Bird Basics, which will teach you how to identify birds by characteristics; download a good bird identification app like the Audubon Bird Guide and eBird; wear dull, neutral colors to blend into the natural background; and respect nature – don’t step off the trail to get a good picture, and don’t harass birds. If you can, tag along with an experienced birder and don’t be afraid to ask for advice. If you want to start and keep a list of birds you’ve observed, there are many apps that provide guidance and allow you to keep your list on your phone.

More resources on birds:

Cornell Ornithology Lab maintains a web site called “All About Birds” which covers just about everything you need to know to get started and develop your skills. A particularly useful book for this region is Birds of Florida by Fred J. Alsop III. And here’s a cool website:  https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/, where you can follow bird migration in real time all over the U.S.

Please share your best bird photos with the CREW community, on our CREW Land & Water Trust Facebook page or send them directly to Allison@CREWTrust.org.     

Many thanks to knowledgeable birders who contributed to this piece: Jayne Johnston, former education coordinator, CREW Land & Water Trust; Dick Brewer, volunteer naturalist and brilliant citizen scientist; Barbara Centola, CREW Trust volunteer and birder extraordinaire; and Kathleen Smith and Lauren Plussa, biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

Posted on

Early Settlers in CREW

Europeans & Early American Settlers, the history of land use and its effect on our water resources and wildlife in CREW
Lakes of Flint Pen Strand

Water management in Florida today has evolved from the lessons of the past, as well as from changing philosophies about natural resources and the environment. Early Native Americans in Florida altered the land by building settlements, cultivating fields, building mounds, establishing transportation routes, and digging canals and fish ponds. European explorers and settlers arrived in the 1500s, but much of Florida, particularly the central and southern regions, remained relatively undeveloped until the last decades of the 19th century. Significant increases in population and tourism were contemporaneous with new development and developers directly and indirectly caused significant changes to the natural landscape and resources of the state (Purdum et al.).

Europeans & early American settlers:

The history of Florida’s human settlement for most of the past 14,000 years has been shaped by water. When Spanish explorers arrived in Florida in the 1500s, an estimated 350,000 Native Americans were living throughout the state almost exclusively near water filled regions (Bureau of Archaeological Research). At the time of the European contact in the late 16th century, the Spaniards identified the people of Southwest Florida as the Calusa. The Calusa occupied the coastal zone, however their political influence and trade network extended inland to the Lake Okeechobee basin.

Settlement of Lee County really began in the years following the Civil War. Government land surveys seeking out areas for settlement were also completed during this period, although CREW area surveys were left incomplete due to the “impracticable” nature of the swamp. Ultimately, even though people had lived in Florida for thousands of years prior to 1900, their overall impact had been minimal.

Lakes of Flint Pen Strand where majority of research was conducted. Photo by John Lane

Historical & archaeological research at CREW:

Archaeological research on the CREW lands, which includes approximately 60,000 acres, have uncovered no prehistoric or historic artifacts (Halperin et al.). However, archaeologically significant sites were identified adjacent to the CREW lands near Lake Trafford and several potential sites with historical resources were identified within the CREW project. Even though archaeological research uncovered no diagnostic artifacts and given the limited excavation done, it is reasonable to assume CREW would have been used for hunting and gathering activity by prehistoric peoples. Feel free to contact the CREW Trust or the Bureau of Archaeological Research if you discover a possible historical/archaeological site.

The early 1940s aerial photographs show limited cultural activity within the CREW project and by the 1970s, only a partial ditch system was in place. The Flint Pen Strand canals were more recently constructed, as evidenced by the dirt and rubble leftover from excavation. Some time after 1970, 12 to 15 homesteads were established in the slightly higher eastern part of the CREW project. The sites appear to have been selected based on slight elevations and access via the dirt trails. Almost nothing remains of these homesteads except abandoned power poles and a thin scatter of debris (Halperin et al.). 

In 2010, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) began steps to restore hydrologic functions within the CREW Flint Pen Strand area (Blog: History of  Flint Pen Strand: Part Two), just another example of Floridians actively seeking ways to preserve, protect and restore water resources in more recent years.

Environmental choices & change:

Since 1900, Florida has seen substantial changes in land and water use. General consensus viewed Florida as having too much water and as a result, many Floridians were focused on drainage, flood control and navigation (Purdum et al.). Historically, water resources were seen primarily for human use and therefore were controlled and modified to suit our needs. Now, the value and sustainability of our finite water resources are clear. Land managers (SFWMD) today are concerned with water quality protection, water supply and ensuring natural places like the CREW watershed are under protection and preserved for future generations (Purdum et al.). 

Bibliography

Halperin, Christina, et al. “Cultural Resources Survey of the Corkscrew Marsh Tract of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, Collier County, Florida.” C.A.R.L. Archaeological Survey, vol. Bureau of Archaeological Research, no. June, 2002, p. 42.

Purdum, Elizabeth D., et al. “Florida Waters.” A Water Resources Manual from Florida’s Water Management Districts, vol. Florida Water Management District, no. 1, 2002, p. 120.

Posted on

Stop and Smell the Wildflowers at CREW!

by Nan Mattingly, CREW Trust Volunteer

Here in southwest Florida we have the luxury of enjoying wildflowers year-round. October is a good time to bask in the colors and elegant shapes of all kinds of wildflowers. Look at this stunning October standout:

photos of pine lily

You’re likely to see this two-foot slender stalk topped by a single bloom in pine woods and savannas. It grows from a bulb that can lie dormant for years and suddenly appear after a fire. Its vivid color will draw your eye to it as you walk many of the CREW trails. Last year was a particularly good year for pine lilies – we had a wealth of them at the CREW Marsh Trails. Please don’t be tempted to take one home – leave it for others to enjoy.

photos of Chapman’s blazing star

Another striking flower that will catch your eye with its light-lavender colored blooms is one of the many varieties of liatris, a member of the aster family found in North America. In southwest Florida, there are a few varieties of liatris, but you’re mostly likely to find “Chapman’s blazing star” at CREW, a plant that typically features five or six spiky blooms on one plant. It’s another flower that blooms well after a fire, and it makes a great pollinator food source, attracting a profusion of butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds. 

photos of Florida paintbrush

photos of green lynx spider

This showy violet-colored flower resembles an artist’s paintbrush. Its large flat-topped blooms are incredibly attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. If you’re lucky, you might spot amongst its fluffy clusters a green lynx spider, who prey on the insects attracted to the bloom.

photos of lopsided indiangrass in bloom

photos of a skipper butterfly

When you visit one of the four CREW trails, don’t overlook the grasses. Lopsided Indiangrass is not very distinguished in summer but in fall it produces tall, dramatic flower spikes that last a few weeks. It’s called “lopsided” because the tufts grow on only one side of the stem. Look for this grass in sandy soil and dry flatwoods. Its soft yellow appearance attracts several species of skipper butterflies.    

photos of sugarcane plumegrass

photo of clouded skipper butterfly

Another tall grass that blooms in fall, sugarcane plumegrass is topped by golden plumes. It can reach 30 feet in the open but it’s more typically no more than eight feet tall on any of the CREW trails. Sugarcane plumegrass likes our trails that border the sawgrass marsh habitats. It’s also a favorite host for the clouded skipper butterfly.     

In October, Brenda Thomas, director of the University Colloquium at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), will share her knowledge of and love for wildflowers on a special tour at the CREW Marsh Trails. Unfortunately, that tour is already sold out, but you can visit any of the CREW trail systems in October to experience your own wildflower walk. Take photos of your favorites and share them with us on Facebook and Instagram! 

Wildflower photos taken throughout CREW this Fall

Posted on

CREW Trust Programs & COVID-19

*Wearing a face covering and social distancing is required while participating in CREW Trust Programs.*

If a participant chooses not to wear a face covering while on a CREW Trust program, they will be asked to leave the group and hike the trails on their own. 

As requirements change we will update you all on our website, social media, and E-blast subscription. 

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, follow these guidelines from the CDC:

  • Stay home if you don’t feel well, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, if you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 (within 14 days).
  • Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet or more from people who don’t live in your household.
  • Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of the elbow.
  • Soap and water are not available on the CREW trails, instead bring hand sanitizer to use that contains at least 60% alcohol and rub hands together until dry.
  • Avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Masks should not be placed on:

  • Anyone who has trouble breathing
  • Children under age 2
  • Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face covering without assistance
Posted on

History of Flint Pen Strand: Part Two

Restoration of the Wetlands

By Nan Mattingly, CREW Trust volunteer

Hydrologic restoration within the CREW Project in April 2000

Have you ever considered what your life would be like if you didn’t have easy access to water or if you had too much around you?

Restoration of the wetlands of the CREW Flint Pen Strand (FPS) has addressed both issues. Efforts to develop FPS lands for residences since the 1950s reduced the ability of FPS wetlands to function. If water has no place to linger, which is what you need to recharge the aquifer where your drinking water comes from, it must go somewhere. 

Without a functioning wetland, water will traverse the FPS lands without stopping and seek lower levels, ending up in the yards and homes of the lower-lying areas of Bonita Springs. Many residents recall a particularly bad year, 1995, when Tropical Storm Jerry flooded east Bonita Springs in August. Just when residents were beginning to return to their homes in October, Hurricane Opal inundated the same area and did more damage. Flooding continues to hamper east Bonita Springs residents even today with the most recent being Hurricane Irma in 2017.

  • 2000
  • 2019

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) took on the responsibility of restoring about 5,400 acres of the wetlands of FPS. In some flood-prone areas, a variety of structural changes designed to improve the flow of water and thus reduce flooding have been tried, including ditches, canals, and channels. SFWMD decided that removing roads and culverts as well as treating invasive vegetation would be most effective and less costly to restore the wetlands and let the wetlands do what they do so well – collect water, filter it and let it soak into the aquifer. 

The FPS hydrologic restoration project is a slow and labor-intensive effort. The project is ongoing but we are seeing results today thanks to the continued efforts of the SFWMD. Sheet flow (inland water that flows toward lower coastal areas) that once crossed FPS land is now invited to stick around and help recharge the watershed that the 60,000-acre CREW Project exists to protect.  

The hydrologic restoration at FPS helps to assure that you’ll have access to water. It also helps to protect the residents of Bonita Springs from flooding. So, the next time you hike one of the FPS trails, take a moment to consider all that the CREW lands do when it comes to water and the flood protection that it provides.

Flint Pen Strand 2019
Posted on

THE ORIGINAL CREW USER GROUP – THE CALUSA

By Jayne Johnston

CREW Trust Education Coordinator

Today’s users of CREW – hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, dog walkers, campers, hunters, nature lovers, photographers and bird watchers – are not the original users. About 300 – 1000 years ago the original users were the Calusa, the indigenous peoples of southwest Florida.

Here’s the little we know – they were fierce defenders of their territory, spiritual by practice and belief, and one of the few peoples that relied on marine resources like fish, crabs, and mollusks. Their civilization spanned south from Marco Island, north to Punta Gorda and east to Immokalee. Much of what we’ve learned about the Calusa are written accounts by the Spanish during their 100-year effort to subdue the Calusa (they finally succeeded through disease transmission for which the Calusa had no immunity) and by meticulous archeological digs on Key Marco, Mound Key, and Pine Island that continue to this day. 

The Calusa’s hierarchy included a king, an army and abundant laborers. It was their organized army that defended their territory for so long against the Spanish. The death of Ponce De Leon is attributed to a Calusa soldier’s arrow. The king had a large temple-like structure erected where about 2,000 of the estimated 20,000 Calusa would gather for special occasions. They were spiritual believing in 3 gods. Their environmental reverence came from their belief the environment controlled them. Evidence of this belief is further confirmed given the discovery of their masks, carvings, and statues. Many of them were of wildlife found in southwest Florida – panthers, birds, and perhaps even a bobcat mask with ears. These preserved items were recovered in the oxygen-free muck, but quickly disintegrated once exposed to air. Rather than farming to supply food, they took advantage of their coastal roots by harvesting gifts from the gulf by net fishing, harvesting mollusks, and collecting crabs – and supplemented their diet with small native plant gardens.

Canoe found in Lake Trafford when water levels went down due to drought in 2007, photo by Andrew West/The News-Press

There is evidence inland of the Calusa. Unearthed posts from their structures were made of pine, which is not abundant in coastal areas. There was also the discovery of submerged cypress canoes in Lake Trafford, constructed and aged back to the Calusa period, when they became exposed by a severe drought in the 1980s (the same drought that likely led to the formation of CREW). While inland, they may have supplemented their freshwater diet of shrimp, fish, and mollusks with deer.

Canoes sites, like all archaeological sites, are recorded in the Florida Master Site File. To date over 235 canoe sites have been recorded constituting well over 400 individual canoes.

It is likely the Calusa used the lands of CREW to transport canoe and structure builders up river to the interior of Collier and Lee counties then using the rainy season’s sheet flow to float back to the coast. 

Although the Calusa civilization is extinct, I hope you’ll keep their spirit alive by learning more at: