Eagle Scout candidate Steven Rapp is on a mission. He’s planning to build a viewing platform with handicap accessibility at the Bird Rookery Swamp parking area. His project, called A View for All, includes a flat platform that extends over the pond near the parking lot, providing easy access from the handicap parking spaces onto the platform for visitors with disabilities to be able to get close and view the birds and other wildlife that frequent Bird Rookery.
As an eagle scout candidate, Steven must prepare the design, get all the appropriate permits, recruit volunteers to do the labor, and raise funds for materials for the project.
Part of his fundraising strategy includes a Car Wash scheduled for Saturday, December 6th, 2014 from 8 AM to noon at G’s General Storeat the corner of Oil Well Road and Immokalee Road in Naples. The requested donation/cost is $5.00 per car wash.
So, come on out and support this great project and help Steven create “A View for All” at Bird Rookery Swamp!
Description of and rationale for the project by Steven RappPlatform design
It’s been a long, hot summer, but the cool fronts are moving through and the rains are getting scarce, and that means it’s time for us to crank up our regular Guided Walks at the CREW Trails. Starting in November – and running through April – regular guided walks will be held at the CREW Marsh Trails (led by Dr. David Cooper) and at Bird Rookery Swamp (led by George Luther, Bob Melin, Chrissy Podos, and Jack Shine). This year, we’re adding a third “regular” walk at the CREW Cypress Dome Trails (led by Dick Brewer). Guided walks include some history of CREW and interpretation of the natural world found at each site.
Each trail is unique and each walk leader has his/her own special talents and stories to share. Come on out for one or all three. These CREW walks are free, but pre-registration is highly recommended since they often fill up, and registered participants get first dibs on space.
Bird Rookery Swamp Trail Walks with George Luther & Bob Melin Wednesdays (9 – 11:30 AM) – November through April
1st Sundays (1:30 – 4 PM) – November through April
4th Saturdays (9 – 11:30 AM) – November through August with Chrissy Podos 1st and 4th Thursdays (9 – 11:30 AM) – February and March with Jack Shine 2nd and 3rd Thursdays (9 – 11:30 AM) – February and March
Fall is right around the corner and that means cooler weather (we hope) and more trail activity, including visitors and school groups coming to CREW to learn and play. We’ve got some fabulous programs planned for you this year. Here’s a sneak peek at our fall schedule. For full details and/or to register for CREW programs, check out our list of events on Eventbrite (or use the calendar on the CREW homepage to scroll through the months and see what’s coming).
This week we begin a monthly Q & A post about various natural history topics written by CREW volunteer naturalist, Dick Brewer. This month he tackles a frequently asked question from Bird Rookery Swamp visitors.
Q: What made the large platform up in the tree, and does anything live in it? (This can be seen at the 0.5 mile marker at Bird Rookery Swamp)
A large Witches’ Broom growing on a cypress in Bird Rookery Swamp above the 0.5 mile post. (Photo by Dick Brewer)
A: It’s called a Witches’ Broom. It’s a dense cluster of twigs/needles growing from a central source, sort of resembling a broom. It is a symptom of stress found in woody plants, mainly trees but also shrubs. The stress results in a deformed mass of twigs and branches which often appear broom-like. It can be small or up to several feet across.
The term Witches’ Broom dates to medieval Europe when people looked up into trees and saw what looked like a mat of twigs woven together and believed that witches placed them high in the trees and even rested on them. As brooms were once fashioned together from bundles of twigs, and since witches were presumed to be responsible for anything unusual, the abnormalities gave rise to the common name.
Factors which may cause Witches’ Brooms include infestations of mites or aphids or parasitic plants like mistletoe, genetic mutations, infection by fungi or phytoplasmas (wall-less single celled organisms with unorganized nuclei), or adverse environmental conditions that kill the terminal bud of the shoots.
Those caused by genetic mutation may be stable, so people have been able to propagate them vegetatively as dwarf cultivars. Regardless of the cause, each one is the only one of its kind in the world and is genetically unique.
In Florida, many of the Witches’ Brooms are a result of a fungal infection from Sphaeropsis tumefaciens (reference: http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/jos/Sphaeropsis.htm). Plants in Florida known to be affected by this disease are oleander, holly, bottlebrush, citrus, crepe myrtle, ligustrum, and even Brazilian pepper.
On some of these plants, the symptoms produced are a knotty gall rather than the mass of twigs known as Witches’ Broom. Sometimes, Witches’ Broom can be caused when the tree is stressed from a branch that broke off by accident or was poorly pruned by a person.
Witches’ Broom can last for several months to several years, and while it may be unsightly to some people, it really poses no serious threat to a healthy tree or shrub.
Witches’ Brooms can be ecologically important. They tend to be inhabited by a wide variety of organisms apart from the causative one. Some species of moths rely on them exclusively for food and shelter for their larvae, and larger animals including many arboreal rodents such as flying squirrels may nest in them.
As the rainy season picks up and we get rain events bringing 3 or 4 or more inches at a time, the CREW Trails, as you can imagine, begin to get wet. As of this week (July 1, 2014) trail conditions are as follows:
At the CREW Marsh Trails:
Marsh Trail and Alternative Marsh Trail – Some dry spots, but puddles and stretches of several inches of water to a foot deep in places along the marsh edge.
Oak Hammock Trail – One to 4 inches deep in places.
Pine Flatwoods Trail – One to four inches deep in places.
Campsite Gate 3 – needs 4-WD vehicle to access.
At the Cypress Dome Trails:
Green and White Loops – completely under water, depth from one to 6 inches.
Blue shortcut from Yellow to Green Loop – inundated with 3 to 6 inches of water.
Yellow Loop – some dry patches, wet in low areas near seasonal ponds.
All trails mowed on June 26th.
Campsite – dry and accessible.
At Bird Rookery Swamp:
Most of the trail is still dry. A few soft and wetter spots between map points 3 and 6.
Water rising fast.
Grass getting tall.
Of course, how wet the trails are depends on the frequency and amount of rain. A few days without and it’ll dry down. But as the ground gets saturated, even small rain events will fill the low spots with water.
Either way – wet or dry, summer is abuzz with life on the trails. So , come get your feet wet and enjoy the essence of summer in the swamps and marshes of CREW!
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 SaturdayWalks 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
“PLEASE NOTE!!! Vultures may be attracted to rubber including linings on car doors and windows…hanging plastic shopping bags from the top of your door frame may deter them.”
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!
As the rainy season picks up and we get rain events bringing 3 or 4 or more inches at a time, the CREW Trails, as you can imagine, begin to get wet. As of this week (July 1, 2014) trail conditions are as follows:
