Preserving and protecting the water resources and natural communities of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed
We are happy to announce an additional Spring Wildflower Walk has been added to our spring schedule. Local authors and wildflower experts, Glen Stacell and Dr. Gary Schmelz have agreed to lead a walk at the CREW Marsh Trails on Friday, April 4th. Register today for this one-time walk. Click the link below to register…
Wildflower Walk with Glen Stacell and Gary Schmelz on April 4, 2014, 9:30 AM to noon
Other CREW guided walks can be found here.
There are still tickets available for this CREW Strolling Science Seminar, Paleo-Plants that the Dinosaurs Ate – Ferns of CREW. Jack Berninger, teacher and naturalist, will lead this in-depth strolling seminar to help you learn to identify ferns and their relatives and discuss the natural history and science related to these primitive plants. Register today for this popular seminar.
The CREW Trust is pleased to announce the following businesses, organizations, and individuals as sponsors for our 25th anniversary concert and silent eco-auction to be held March 1st. Thanks to each of them for their financial support. Please let them know how much you appreciate their support of CREW!
If you’d like to be a sponsor and see your logo here, contact Brenda Brooks at 239-657-2253 or brenda@crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com.
Our 25th anniversary concert and silent eco-auction will be held on March 1st 2014, 6:00 PM at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs FL. Tickets are on sale now at http://crewconcert2014.bpt.me/
The CREW Land & Water Trust kicks off its 25th anniversary today with its annual Trustees meeting, a BBQ and buggy rides for invited guests and the media, and the kick-start to a new fundraising campaign for the newly established CREW Education Fund. Donations to the CREW Education Fund can be made at https://crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com/donate/.
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
We hope to see you at one of our events. Come celebrate with us!
After eight months of planning and permitting, we are delighted to announce that construction has begun on a new shelter at the CREW Marsh Trails. For many years, the CREW Trust has wanted a shelter at the trails to provide shade from the hot sun and cover from the rains, especially for our school groups who attend field trips.
Through a generous donation from CREW Trust member Ed Jacobitti, a beautiful 20′ x 40′ shelter – soon to be known as “Suzanne’s Pavilion” – is now becoming reality. Terry Skates of Terry Skates Construction navigated the permitting process for us and now has boots on the ground with construction started this week. The CREW land management staff from the South Florida Water Management District did all the site preparation work, so once again CREW is demonstrating the power of its partnerships.
Next time you hike the CREW Marsh Trails, take a stroll along the Oak Hammock Trail and sneak a peak at the new shelter. And let us know what you think…
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:
Here’s a very abbreviated timeline of some of the highlights of our 25 years….
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
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.
Brian Beckner, owner of Native Bird Boxes, has generously donated four new hand-crafted bluebird boxes to the CREW project and is installing them today at the CREW Cypress Dome Trails with the assistance of FWC biologist Kathleen Smith and CREW Trust Executive Director Brenda Brooks. These boxes will enhance habitat and encourage bluebird nesting on CREW properties. If you’re hiking at the Cypress Dome Trails, keep your eyes open for bluebirds in the coming seasons and report any activity you see to us here or via email to crewtrust@crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com.
Check out the article on Florida Black Bears by CREW’s environmental education specialist, Deb Hanson, in the current issue of Southwest Florida Spotlight magazine (p. 43) – on shelves and online now. Deb is writing this monthly column for Spotlight to highlight interesting wildlife and plants that can be seen at CREW.
What topics would you like to see covered in future columns?
Today’s Strolling Science Seminar is “The Lives of Fungi at CREW” with CREW intern Ben Dion… It’s a beautiful day to learn about how our world works at CREW.
