As the restoration nears completion in the Southern Critical CREW Project, the CREW Trust has been working with staff and volunteers to explore the vacant lands area in anticipation of mapping out trails.
Within the course of three weeks, the area where the trail system will be in place went from dry sandy soil to very seasonally wet, with areas knee-high with water.
A grand opening will take place on January 19, 2018, revealing the first sections of trails. Guided hikes and programs will be offered at the Flint Pen trail system; details will be announced when the 2017-2018 seasonal programming is released. Follow CREW Land & Water Trust on Facebook for continued Flint Pen updates.
This spring, CREW Land & Water Trust shared an intern with FWC. Rachel Walter shot and produced this short video in an effort to explain the CREW Project, the importance of the watershed and the partner agencies working to preserve and protect the watershed and the wildlife within its borders.
Recently I led a group of new volunteers on a training session at the Cypress Dome Trails. My goal was to discuss our volunteer handbook and things to know as a new volunteer as well as engage in conversation so we could get to know each other.
I also wanted them to hike the Wild Coffee Trail, the section of the white trail that few people actually traverse. Why?
Most of the year it is wet. Very wet. And when it isn’t wet, it’s muddy. Not fun muddy, but suck-your-shoe-off-and-taunt-you muddy.
While we were hiking the easier part (after marker 10), I asked our volunteers, “What is the coolest wildlife sighting you’ve had?”
For almost everyone, the answer came very quickly and varied from mammals to reptiles to birds. I have two: a Great Horned Owl that flew very close to my husband and I while we were hiking and completely surprised us, and the Pink Lady’s Slipper, a member of the orchid family that surprised us all by growing one summer in my grandmother’s garden at our cabin in Northern Michigan.
The most common answer, not surprisingly, was the Florida Panther.
A few in our midst had a story to tell about their panther sighting, and for the rest of us, we all expressed how seeing one was definitely on our bucket list.
I myself have yet to see one in real life. I did recently find tracks, right by our mailbox, and they were spectacular.
I sent the photos of the tracks to a volunteer who monitors game cameras near our office, and he emailed a photo taken the evening before I found the tracks of this handsome male panther.
On the short drive home that evening, I was thinking about my excitement and the possibility of seeing my first (living) panther. Surely I would see one soon since I saw the tracks and we have the panther on game camera.
It seems inevitable. Move to SWFL, and you are bound to see panthers. There are signs all over warning of panther crossings (and, no, panthers are not black – please help spread the word).
I’ve heard everything from locals who have waited their whole lives to see a panther to tourists who simply turned a corner in their car and saw one dart across the road.
One of my very wise volunteers often tells people on her guided walks that she has never seen a panther, even with the countless hours she spends outdoors volunteering with several local nonprofits. Her view is that, when the time is right, she will see a panther. She uses the word “honor,” as in, the panther will honor her patience with its presence.
And maybe that is how we should look at at all of our coolest wildlife sightings. Whatever we see, when we see it, it’s an honor.
We have created our own CREW Trust language over the years, and our volunteers, guests and members often stop us to ask for explanations.
Most of the time it’s when we are referring to a trail system. “Great! See you at 7 at CDT.”
CDT is Cypress Dome Trails. CMT is the Marsh Trails and BRS is Bird Rookery Swamp.
(Now use one of those abbreviations the next time you’re in a CREW-related conversation and you’ll feel like an insider)
And then there is the Iron Ranger.
It’s not a band. And it’s not a sports team.
An Iron Ranger is simply a donation box, and we have one at each trail system.
Because we do not have a visitor’s center and we do not charge admission, we rely on our kiosks and maps to offer information and our trusty Iron Rangers to collect donations.
I’ll be the first to admit I very guiltily slink past the ranger when I visit CDT and CMT. I never have cash with me so instead, I donate online. I see it as a punch card; I’ve visited four times so I’ll donate $30 to cover that and my next six visits.
Why donate? We use those donations to fund the education programs we offer for all ages.
So, next time you’re at CDT or CMT, check out our newly re-painted Iron Rangers, complete with fresh, new birds to greet you and collect donations!
For me, it started with something as simple as an odd bird call.
We heard the loud call at dusk and tiptoed into the backyard. I turned on my phone to record the sound and shushed the kids, afraid we would scare away the bird.
(apologies for the video being sideways- I was a bit excited)
A quick text to a birding friend revealed it was a Chuck-will’s-widow and, while it was new to us, it wasn’t as uncommon as we thought. A little curiosity about our backyard resident led to a bit of research and learning for our family. I added the bird to my lifetime birding list (which is admittedly shorter than I’d like it to be). The experience certainly meant something to my family but, beyond observation, would it count to anyone else?
Making our wildlife observations count is the topic of the CREW Trust’s final Strolling Science Seminar this season. Dr. Win Everham will lead us along the trail at Bird Rookery Swamp in Naples for a hands-on learning experience.
Our everyday observations can be scientific and can help conservation efforts. It’s just a matter of knowing how.
One of our volunteers, Tom Mortenson, wanted to learn more about the wildlife in his new Florida home. He set up game cameras, similar to those he had up north, on parts of the CREW Project. That led to his first images of Florida panthers and he now submits the data he collects to the FWC panther biologists. His curiosity led to his contributions as a citizen scientist.
From backyard calls to uncommon sightings, your observations count.
Want to learn how you can also be a citizen scientist? Join us on April 29 at 9 a.m. Tickets are $15 for members, $25 for non-members, and must be purchased in advance (eventbrite.com).
At last week’s family fun day, two of our volunteers taught my children how to geocache. We decided Spring Break was the perfect time to hit the trails and get a little lost in the woods. Thinking of doing some geocaching of your own, maybe with kids or grand kids? I’ve got a few suggestions that might make your trip go more smoothly.
Download a geocaching app on your smartphone. We used Geoacaching which was very user-friendly; I opted to purchase a one month subscription. You can also get the coordinates from a geocaching website, like geocaching.com. The smart phone app was nice because it helped me lure the teens into going with us.
Wear long pants and long socks. This seems like common sense but my 7 year old was more than happy to wear a pink fluffy skirt and her ladybug rain boots. After tromping off the trails and searching for our first two caches she understood why long pants were a better option.
Let the kids do the leading and the finding – within reason. I insisted on being in the front whenever we ventured off the trails and everyone followed that rule. But once the app alerted us that we were close, I let the kids take over and start searching for the caches.
Make sure you bring trinkets. Some caches have goodies inside and the kids can take something, like a really gorgeous marble, and leave one of their trinkets behind. Also bring a pen to sign your name on the list in the cache, and have the kids come up with a cool geocaching name for your group.
Set a reasonable goal. I said we would try to find four caches, and after our third one (which was a bit difficult, but probably our best memory of the day) the kids were ready to go home. I reminded them of our goal and we trudged on, finding two more caches on our way back to the trail head.
6. Bring water and snacks. A stack of graham crackers can be a lifesaver after you spend twenty minutes off-trail and end up on a service road (that you could have taken the whole time).
7. Be ready to get lost. Not really lost, just enough that the children start to doubt that you actually know what you are doing. My favorite memory of our first geocaching trip was the kids complaining about how certain they were that we were lost. I may have accidentally taken us very far off course but the end was worth it. The cache was in the middle of a beautiful cypress dome and I’d like to think they were thankful (but see tip #6 about why you should bring snacks).
8. Have fun. We identified wildflowers along the way, spotted a lot of lubbers on one section of the trail and definitely learned what poison ivy looked like (and tried to avoid it). Even the complaining was fun mainly because it made me laugh.
So, how much fun did we have? The kids asked to go again. And no one got poison ivy.
Interested in learning how to geocache? Come to the Cypress Dome Trails on April 22 and learn how to geocache. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.
National Walking Day is the first Wednesday in April, and the CREW trails are a great place to get out and walk, no matter what your fitness level may be. Check out our suggestions for a few spots to celebrate with some fresh air and sunshine.
CREW Marsh Trails
Location: 4600 Corkscrew Road (CR 850), Immokalee, FL 34142. Approximately 20 minutes east of I-75.
Cost: Free; donations accepted
Difficulty: Easy
Wear: Closed toed shoes and socks
Bring: Water, snacks, binoculars and cameras
Take a stroll on wide, hard-packed, mowed trails to the observation tower, where you can view the 6000 acre sawgrass marsh that helps clean the water that flows south and replenishes our aquifer. On the way to the tower, you will travel through pine flatwoods and an oak hammock. You may see butterflies, dragonflies, swallow tailed kites, red shouldered hawks, palm warblers, gopher tortoises and wildflowers in bloom. Approximate distance: 1.4 miles to the tower and back to the parking lot.
Cypress Dome Trails
Location: 3980 Corkscrew Road (CR 850), Immokalee, FL 34142. Approximately 15 minutes east of I-75.
Cost: Free; donations accepted
Difficulty: Medium
Wear: Closed toed shoes and socks
Bring: Water, snacks, binoculars and cameras
Start on the yellow loop from the parking lot and follow it around to the green loop. You’ll walk through pine flatwoods, cypress domes and you can stop to rest on a small bench overlooking one of our seasonal marshes. The end of the green loop takes you past Jim’s Pavilion, a great spot to sit and enjoy a snack or lunch. You may see butterflies, red shouldered hawks, wildflowers, warblers, woodpeckers, yellow rat snakes and box turtles. Approximate distance: 2.4 miles; if the distance is too much, use one of the two blue short cut trails.
Become a “Looper” and hike the entire loop at Bird Rookery Swamp! You’ll walk on wide, grassy raised trams and share the trail with wildlife, including alligators, otters, banded water snakes, red bellied turtles, barred owls, roseate spoonbills, egrets and more. Approximate distance: 13 miles; if the distance is too much, head back to the parking lot before you begin to feel tired. The loop may take six or more hours; it is very important to bring food and water with you and to check your energy levels often to determine if you can make the full loop or not. as there are no shortcut trails.
If you’ve been to any of our three trail systems, you know that our conditions are very dry. For some of our regular hikers and walkers, they have seen this most years and know it is part of the life cycle down here. Rainy season brings so much water that we still have wet conditions into November, then, during the dry months, the water levels slowly drop.
This year, the change seems more marked. This has been a very dry season, but most of us are also comparing this year to last year, which was much wetter than normal. For example, Bird Rookery Swamp stayed very wet all through the dry season and this year the levels are very low, and visitors have expressed concern.
Where’s the water? Is everything okay? Are the animals okay?
Yes.
This is a normal part of the ecosystems here in Southwest Florida, and our plants and animals are more adapted to it than we are. Our executive director, Brenda Brooks, noted that all we are seeing as we walk the trails is a very limited amount of the 60,000 acre CREW Project and animals will travel to where there is water.
And, just because we can’t see the water, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
If you head to Bird Rookery Swamp this week, you’ll notice that, with the low water levels, animals like raccoons, otters and banded water snakes are feasting, preparing for the reduction in food sources as we wait for rainy season to start.
So, while we humans may be very concerned about how this affects the plants and animals we see, it’s important to keep in mind that the plants and animals around us are adapted to this cycle of wet and dry seasons and, when the rains come, the cycle will start all over again.
If you do, then you are familiar with natural products produced by plants.
Join CREW Land & Water Trust and Dr. Maureen Bonness for an informative guided walk through Bird Rookery Swamp, located at 1295 Shady Hollow Blvd. in Naples, on Saturday, March 18 at 9 a.m.
Dr. Bonness will discuss plant natural products and how these products have profound effects in swamp ecology, including the interactions between plants and their swamp co-inhabitants. Toxins, colorants, scents, herbs and medicines are all plant natural products that humans use. While many plant products are used for their beneficial properties, some are used nefariously.
Tickets are $15 for members and $25 for non-members; reservations are required and spaces are limited. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com.
One of the most common questions I hear, either on the phone or on the trails, is “What will we see?” or “Which trail is best to see wildlife?”
Red-shouldered hawks at CREW Marsh Trails
The answers: Sadly, we can’t predict what you will see and, all three trails are different.
Bird Rookery Swamp is our most visited trail system, and for good reason. You can walk less than a mile and see alligators, wading birds and the occasional otter or bobcat. Sightings of alligators are almost guaranteed.
This means that, when choosing a trail system to visit, people often overlook Cypress Dome Trails or CREW Marsh Trails.
A large alligator at Cypress Dome Trails
There are alligators at the Cypress Dome Trails, but you’ve got a pretty long hike if you want to see them. At the CREW Marsh Trails, people seem to think that bears, boars, bobcats and panthers will be out there all day, just strolling by. And, if they don’t see large animals, there is disappointment, a feeling that is sometimes vocalized as “We didn’t see anything.”
For me, the marsh trails are my favorite. It’s the first trail system I visited, and the first trail system I worked as a volunteer. It’s the first trail system Brenda took myself and my three kids to during their Spring Break a few years ago. It’s the trail system that my youngest daughter loves to hike and my oldest loves to go trail running.
What do we see there?
Everything.
Butterflies, dragonflies, red shouldered hawks, palm warblers, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, a giant beehive, lubber grasshoppers, wildflowers and, right now, swallow-tailed kites. And that is only a small fraction of the flora and fauna that is there.
Two of our volunteers, Jane and Laurel, recently spent a day cataloging all of the plants, birds, dragonflies and butterflies they saw at CREW Marsh Trails. It’s a great example of how much is there on the trails, so much more than bears or boars or panthers or alligators.
Feb. 2 CREW Marsh Trails Observations from Jane Wallace and Laurel Rhodes
ButterfliesBirds
White Peacock, 30+ Cardinal
Pearl Crescent, 30+ White eyed Vireo
Carolina Wren
Phaon Crescent, 30+ Cat bird
Black Swallowtail, 3 Common Yellow Throat
Ceraunus Blue, 1 Red Shouldered Hawk
Monarch, 1 Great Egret
Barred Yellow, 2 Dragonflies
Great Southern White, 3 Pond hawk, female
Gulf Fritillary, 3
Zebra longwings at CREW Marsh Trails
Flowering plant lists:
Non-native
Caesar weed, Urena lobata
Chocolateweed, Melochia corchorifolia
Red Tasselflower, Emilia fosbergii
White headed broom, Spermacoce verticillata
Native plants
American bluehearts, Buchnera americana
Blackroot, Pterocaulon pycnostachyum
Blue mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum
Blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium sp.
Carolina wild petunia, Ruellia caroliniensis
Carolina wild petunia at CREW Marsh Trails
Carolina willow, Salix caroliniana
Chapman’s goldenrod, Solidago odora var. chapmanii
