Preserving and protecting the water resources and natural communities of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed
October is National “Go on a Field Trip Month”, and there’s no better way for kids to learn science than outdoors in nature. Just look at all the new research that shows the benefits of getting kids outdoors to learn.
So, grab your students, kids, friends, loved ones, and come to CREW to take a walk, explore the wetlands, find frogs and bugs, watch the fall migrating birds fly through and just enjoy the calming, healing world that is CREW!
Ever wonder what that 5,000-acre marsh that you can see from the overlook at the CREW Marsh trails looks like out in the middle? Take this virtual ride on an airboat through the Corkscrew Marsh, the headwaters to the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) and you will see.
This is where much of southwest Florida’s drinking water gets stored and cleaned by nature within the watershed and where wading birds nest, limpkins and snail kites forage, and alligators raise their young. Notice the patchwork of sawgrass, open water with water lilies, tree islands, and big beautiful sky! The CREW project team (land managers, biologists) recorded this ride in August of 2014. Video by Tiffany and Dan Thornhill.
Q: How can snakes climb up trees?
A: Snakes use “concertina locomotion” to climb trees – the act of gripping with some parts of the body while pulling or pushing with other parts of the body in the general direction of movement. Ripples of muscle travel along the snake’s length while the spaces in between
inch forward.
Concertina locomotion is very irregular and appears to be quite strenuous. So, it takes snakes much longer to climb a tree than they could move on the ground or in the water.
This push/pull motion is made possible by scales that are keeled, or ridged. Think of the keel on the bottom of a boat. Unlike smooth scales, keeled scales have raised ridges on the center of each scale which enables the snake to get a grip on rough surfaces, much like a tire with a good tread grips the road better than a bald tire.
Snakes cannot stick to smooth walls the way insects and lizards often do; the snake must have something for the keel to rest on in order to push up. So working in concert with the body muscles, the keeled scales lodged in bark crevices help the snake push against the bark on the tree and inch upward. And yes, sometimes snakes do lose their grip and fall out of a tree.
All snakes either have smooth or keeled scales, and one way to distinguish is that smooth scales typically reflect light, making the color pattern of these snakes shiny, glossy, or iridescent, whereas keeled scales tend to make snakes appear dull and non-reflective because of the raised ridge. Because snakes climb with their bellies to the tree trunk, the scales on their undersides of some snakes may be keeled while the scales on the topside may not be.
A Florida black bear was sighted at Bird Rookery Swamp today by CREW volunteer George Luther as he worked to remove some downed trees off the trails. The bear was seen twice within 30 minutes along the grassy tram trail.
So next time you are there, be on the look out for these magnificent creatures who make their home in Bird Rookery Swamp.
Have you seen a bear on the CREW Trails? Tell us when and where.
The CREW Land & Water Trust is pleased to announce new 4th Saturday Guided Walks at the Bird Rookery Swamp this summer. 4th Saturday Walks at Bird Rookery Swamp are offered FREE of charge on the 4th Saturday of each month, May through August. Join CREW Land & Water Trust volunteer naturalists, George Luther and Bob Melin, for an entertaining and informative 2.5-hour guided walk on a portion of the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp trails near Naples, FL.
Walks are open to the first 24 people who register. Walk-ins are welcome if space is available on the day of the walk. Registration for 4th Saturday Walks is online at http://goo.gl/IHpbTA
CREW’s Nature’s Peace at CREW walk for Alzheimer’s patients is highlighted in a Fort Myers News-Press article today! Thanks to George and Susan Luther for putting this program together and making it happen!
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” — Albert Einstein
There are stories in everything you see at CREW… What do you learn from looking deep into nature?
Back in May, we told you CREW volunteer, George Luther had received a Paradise Coast/Collier County Tourism Award for his Nature’s Peace at CREW program for Alzheimer patients and their caregivers.
Now – in its July issue – Gulfshore Life Magazine has published an article entitled Here & Now: Heroes without Headlines highlighting some of those winners, and George is featured in the article and on their website. So pick up a copy and read all about him and this amazing program he designed.
Congratulations again, George! Thanks for all you do for CREW.
10 Ways to Enjoy the CREW Trails This Summerby Deb Hanson Summer is approaching and our schedule of events is empty. The CREW Trust has had a fabulous fall/winter season at CREW this year with the help of our project partners, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) staff who owns and manages the CREW lands, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission biologist who monitors wildlife and habitat at CREW, and our fabulous volunteers and FGCU interns who assist with guided walks, trail maintenance, exotics removal, and many other tasks. Since October 1st, 2012 over 6000 people participated in our guided hikes, strolling science seminars, school field trips, and special programs for CREW Trust members and the public. Thousands more explored the CREW trails on their own and have connected with the watershed in many ways. But don’t stay away from CREW just because we don’t have many organized summer programs planned. Come on out and enjoy CREW in a whole new way on your own. Summer is a time for the CREW trails to rest. With fewer footprints along the paths, grass grows taller, wildlife ventures out, and of course – with the arrival of summer storms – the water levels rise. By October, the marsh and swamps of CREW will be wet and green and teeming with animal activity. Summer is truly the most amazing time of year to experience CREW. So, put on your old sneakers and long pants, sunscreen and bug spray, and try one or more of these suggestions to enjoy CREW on your own this summer:
3. Track an Animal – hit the trail with one purpose: to track a critter. Summer means rain and softer ground, so tracks are more easily found along the trails. Challenge yourself to locate and identify five new animal tracks this summer. Grab a track field guide or app, a tape measure and a friend, then see what you can learn about animals that come out to play at CREW during the summer. 4. Just Sit There – 99% of the time people come to CREW walk, run or bike the trails. Rarely do people go to one spot and sit still. Yet 100% of the time, if you sit still in one place for more than 10 minutes you will see, hear, and experience more critters than in three hours of hiking. So, pick a trail, find a spot, and just sit there. Watch the magic happen.
6. Engage Your Senses – most folks walk and look when hiking the CREW Trails. Next time you go, take advantage of the summer humidity and focus attention on your sense of smell. Every animal and plant has a unique scent. Expand your sensory experience by listening and touching, too. Just be sure you can ID poison ivy first! 7. Take the Road Less Traveled – Do you take the same trail every time you come to CREW or have a favorite that you always share with friends and visitors. This summer, take a different trail or loop. Try the Pine Flatwoods Trail at the CREW Marsh or the White Loop/Wild Coffee Trail at the Cypress Dome Trails, or if you’re really ambitious (and well-prepared with water, food, and sun protection) try to get to the north or west tram at Bird Rookery Swamp. Head a new direction and see what surprises await you. 8. Awaken Your Sense of Wonder with a Child – Rachel Carson proclaimed “If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” So, take a child by the hand and explore CREW, experience bugs and birds, get dirty and wet, spend unstructured time playing in nature. You may be surprised at how much it helps you connect, too.
10. Catch a Sunrise/Sunset – all the CREW Trails are open to the public from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset, so start your day right and head out to the Marsh Overlook early one morning this summer to watch the sun rise over the 5000-acre Corkscrew Marsh. Or, if you’re just not a morning person, try getting there just before dark to watch the sunset filtering through those billowing summer storm clouds. Either way, you’ll enrich your life and your spirit! However you choose to experience CREW this summer, we’d love to hear from you! Share your adventures with us by posting pictures and comments on the CREW Land & Water Trust Facebook page or send us an email to let us know what you did that was new and exciting. We’ll be publishing our fall/winter program schedule later this summer, so stay tuned…and have a wonderful time at CREW or wherever you spend your summer! |
