Tag: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

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2017 Silent Eco-Auction Preview: Adventure Time!

We’re counting down to our concert and are very excited to share our 2017 Silent Eco-Auction items!

Each year our silent auction grows, but it never loses it’s eco-focus. This year, we have fifteen exclusive adventures for you to bid on, each more unique than the next. Take a look at six of this year’s auction lots, and see the rest Saturday when the auction opens at 5:15 p.m. at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs.

Auction Lot #40: Fakahatchee Swamp Hike

Ready for a wet walk? You’ll head to Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve Park with three friends and enjoy a four hour guided walk with a naturalist. While wading through the swamp, you’ll learn about the animals and plants that call the preserve home, including bromeliads and orchids. Value: $400; Starting Bid: $100.

Auction Lot #14: Buggy Ride for 10 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

CREW Trustee Ed Carlson will take you and 9 friends on an exclusive tour of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in your very own swamp buggy. You’ll learn about the history of the sanctuary along with swamp ecology and the importance of conservation in Southwest Florida. Value: $1500; Starting Bid: $150.

Auction Lot #10: Exclusive Bird Rookery Swamp Bike Tour

This private bike tour will be led by local cyclist and naturalist Peter Davis. You’ll experience the most remote parts of Bird Rookery Swamp as you complete the entire 12 mile loop. You and 9 friends will see alligators, wading birds, otters and more on this 3-4 hour ride. Each participant must BYOB (bring your own bike), helmet, water and supplies; bikes must be suitable for grassy terrain. Value: $500; Starting Bid $100.

Auction Lot #38: Fossil Trip for Two

Join Fossil Expeditions (as seen on the Travel Channel) for a guided fossil trip for two at one of their many sites. You’ll get to dig in and get dirty as you search for mammal, shark and reptile fossils, all covered under a group permit from the Vertebrate Paleontology Department at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainseville. Value: $150; Starting Bid: $60

Auction Lot #15: Tour of FGCU Food Forest

This is the perfect lot for curious foodies! You and three guests will enjoy a three hour private tour of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Food Forest, a student-run botanical garden on FGCU’s campus. You’ll see and learn about growing your own food and what edibles grow well in our sub-tropic climate. At the conclusion of the tour, the winning bidder will take home a basket of food from the food forest. Value: $150; Starting Bid: $20

Auction Lot #45: Brew for a Day at Momentum Brewhouse

CREW is all about preserving water, and water is the main ingredient in BEER! The winner of this lot will work with owner Brian Hahn and his brewers to create a 1/3 barrel of craft beer. You will be involved in every step of the process and receive a Momentum Brewhouse gift pack and lunch at the brewery. Once the batch is ready to serve, you’ll be invited back to for a VIP tasting for you and three friends. Value: $150; Starting Bid: $70.

Want to see more? Get your tickets now for our 2017 CREW Concert & Silent Eco-Auction on Feb. 18 from 5-9 p.m. at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate and can be purchased at eventbrite.com.

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CREW Trust Celebrates 25 Years of Conservation

CREW Marsh after a Tropical Storm
CREW Marsh after Tropical Storm Faye in 2008 (Photo by Deb Hanson)

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2014. This is a watershed year for the CREW Land & Water Trust as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary! The CREW Trust was formed in 1989 by Joel Kuperberg (a former Naples City Councilman, botanist, head of Florida’s Internal Improvement Fund, and later Director of the Trust for Public Land) as a public-private partnership to coordinate the land acquisition, management, and public outreach for the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW). Since then, this watershed stewardship project has accomplished much that it set out to do, including protecting over 45,000-acres of land within the established boundaries of the watershed.

This accomplishment has been the result of efforts by multiple agencies, organizations, landowners, businesses, and private citizens. The CREW Land & Water Trust’s strength over the years has been to build partnerships and bring people together with the vision of protecting this watershed which provides drinking water for residents and visitors to southwest Florida. Some of the main partners are:

  • The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) – the primary landowner and land manager within CREW.
  • Lee and Collier Counties – both of which have purchased land within CREW
  • The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) – which oversees wildlife management, hunting, and law enforcement on CREW lands
  • Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary – which is located in the heart of the CREW and whose former Director, Ed Carlson, helped write one of the initial proposals requesting the SFWMD to purchase Bird Rookery Swamp
  • ALICO – which sold the first land to the CREW project – the Corkscrew Marsh unit off of Corkscrew Road.

Here’s a very abbreviated timeline of some of the highlights of our 25 years….

CREW Timeline

The CREW Trust has multiple events planned throughout the year to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. Registration is required for all of these events. You can register at http://crewtrust.eventbrite.com

  • January 16 – CREW Wine & Cheese Social (Invitation Only -Members and Volunteers)
  • February 1 – Hike the Loop: 12-Mile Hike at Bird Rookery Swamp
  • February 14 – Love in the Wild Hike
  • March 1 – CREW Concert & Silent Eco-Auction – tickets at http://crewconcert2014.bpt.me/
  • March 21 – CREW Horseback Ride from Flint Pen to Bird Rookery Swamp
  • April 5 – Butterfly Hike with David Cooper @ Marsh Trail
  • April 5 – Geocaching with The Unusual Suspects @ Cypress Dome Trail
  • April 12 – Wildflower Hike with Roger Hammer @ Marsh Trail
  • October TBD – CREW Golf Tournament
  • October TBD – 10K Trail Run
  • November 15 – Vitamin N Hike for Families
  • December 6 – Bike the Loop: 12-mile Bicycle Trail Ride at Bird Rookery Swamp

We hope to see you at one of our events. Come celebrate with us!

And thanks to Chad Gillis and Andrew West for the article in today’s Fort Myers News-Press about the CREW Trust’s 25th Anniversary.

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