You depend on CREW trust staff and volunteers to use your money wisely to provide environmental education for all ages. We take this job seriously and make sure we provide the best field trip experiences to all. We emphasize the importance of protecting our watershed that we all rely on to provide water to parts of Lee and Collier counties. The CREW lands protect habitat for wildlife and also provides wonderful recreational opportunities.
Revenue from last year’s CREW Concert helped to fund the Dr. David R. Cooper Education Fund which directly supports our education programs. This year, proceeds from the concert will support our efforts to develop more trails and education programs at our newest trail system, Flint Pen Strand off of Bonita Beach Road. Check out our free guided walks offered every Thursday through April to get a great introduction to this unique ecosystem – home to bald eagles, ospreys, many songbirds and other wildlife.
Have we mentioned how much fun our yearly concerts are? Attending the concert is a great way to give back while having a great time with friends and family. Dance to the music of the High Voltage Band (a local group), buy some great food from local food vendors, enter a bid for something special in our Silent Eco-Auction and enjoy a night out with friends and family. Think of all you get and all you contribute to CREW for the cost of your ticket!
We’re very excited for this season’s programs and crossing our fingers for no large weather events and good trail conditions!
Registration for our 2018-2019 programs will open on Tuesday, September 4 for all CREW Trust Members. Non-member registration will open one week later on Tuesday, September 11. You must be a current CREW Trust member to register during our first week, so please make sure your membership is up to date or join today online at crewtrust.org/become-a-member/.
Hikers at Bird Rookery Swamp by Bill Zaino
Strolling Science Seminars
Our scholarly walks for ages 18 and older are always a hit and sell-out quickly! This year we have four set dates and will have a pop-up Strolling Science Seminar on Prescribed Burning when conditions are conducive to hosting that event.
November 8: Mad Batters of CREW: Join CREW FWC biologist and bat expert Kathleen Smith for a batty evening at Bird Rookery Swamp! This a hands-on experience for a small group of participants. We will set up and monitor mist nets and learn about the different bats that call Bird Rookery Swamp home.
November 10: Not-So-Naked-and-Afraid: Roger Hammer, wildflower expert, amazing story teller and friend of CREW has also worked as a consultant on the television series Naked and Afraid. Think you could survive 21 days with no clothes and no supplies in the wilds of CREW? Roger will tell you what to do – and what not to do – along with a lot of stories from his time on the trails and time working on the shows.
December 7: Exploring the Outdoors with your Inner Child: Our weekly guided walk guests at the CREW Marsh trails often see Ricky Pires’ field trips or the CREW Trust’s field trips in action and ask us “What are those kids doing?” If you want to learn about CREW from a kid’s point of view, join Ricky and Jessi Drummond, our former education coordinator, for dip netting, scent stations and more! Plus you’ll get to play some games like Oh Deer! and Save the Wildlife Bingo.
February 23: Descent with Modification: Natural Selection: On this walk with Jack Berninger, participants will discuss the foundation principles that explain how all life developed on planet Earth. The pillars of this foundation are variations; reproduction, selection and time. These supports will be viewed in the flora and fauna as you stroll the trails.
Prescribed Fire: Thaddeus Penfield and Joe Bozzo, our CREW South Florida Water Management friends, will lead a pop-up strolling science seminar in January or February on prescribed burning. They will discuss the role of fire in the natural history of the landscape and show how they use fire today to manage the acres within the CREW Project.
Specialty Walks
October 20: Fall Wildflower Walk: Join Brenda Thomas for a stroll along the trails where you’ll see the bounty of Florida’s fall wildflowers! And, if you’re lucky, it might be pine lily time.
January 26 and March 9: Birding with the Master: It’s the return of Dr. Bernie Master! After a year spent travelling the world, Dr. Master is back and leading two birding sessions in Bird Rookery Swamp. These sessions are for everyone from serious birders to beginners.
April 13: Spring Wildflower Walk: Springtime means a new rush of color on the trails! Participants will stroll through the CREW Marsh Trails with Roger Hammer, author of several wildflower books including The Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers.
Free Guided Walks
Our free guided walks schedule has changed this year and walks will be offered on select dates at Bird Rookery Swamp and the CREW Marsh Trails.
Save the Date: 2019 CREW Concert Under The Stars & Silent Eco Auction: February 16, 2019 5-9 p.m. featuring the High Voltage Band at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs.
Registration for members opens on September 4; for non-members on September 11. All programs require registration; visit eventbrite.com after registration opens. CREW Trust members will receive an email on September 4 when registration opens.
It’s almost March and we are nearing the end of our seasonal program schedule. If you haven’t reserved a spot on one of our guided walks or were waiting to purchase a ticket for a Strolling Science Seminar, check out our final program offerings and sign up today!
Join Dr. David Cooper, Florida Certified Master Naturalist, for a guided walk along the marsh trails. You’ll learn about wildflowers, dragonflies, the importance of the sawgrass marsh and the history of the 60,000 acre CREW Project. Reservations required; visit eventbrite.com.
Zebra longwings at CREW Marsh Trails
CREW Bird Rookery Swamp Guided Walks
Dates: February 25, 28; March 1, 2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30; April 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 19, 22, 25, 26.
You don’t have to walk very far to see wildlife on this trail! Join one of four volunteer naturalists for a guided walk down our boardwalk and onto a wide grassy trail offering views of the swamp on both sides. You’ll learn about the swamp, the CREW Project, the importance of water and all of the wildlife along the trails, including alligators and wading birds. Reservations required; visit eventbrite.com.
photo by volunteer Bill Zaino
Birding with the Master – Bernie Master
Date: March 11
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket eventbrite.com. Cost is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
This hike is for the birds! Learn about winter residents and CREW nesters as well as what birds are using this valuable habitat and why.
An internationally recognized conservationist, Dr. Bernie Master has a Birding Life List that includes over three-quarters of the world’s bird species, in excess of 7,700 birds. He is the first American to see a representative of every bird family in the world. He was honored by HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands for his contribution to conservation. A previously unrecorded songbird in Colombia, Vireo masteri, the Choco Vireo, is named for his family and the discovery published in IBIS, October 1996.
Ovenbird, photographed by Dr. Bernie Master
SSS: Murder, Mutualism and Medicine
Date: March 18
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Join the CREW Trust and Dr. Maureen Bonness for a stroll along the CREW trails, where Dr. Bonness will use local plants to discuss the topic of plant natural products – a plant “language” generally inaudible to humans, yet with profound effects on interactions between plants and their swamp co-inhabitants. The primary focus is the role of plant natural products in swamp ecology, with an undertone of how people use these chemicals, sometimes nefariously.
Spring Wildflower Walk
Date: April 1
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $5 for members, $10 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Join FGCU instructor and wildflower expert Brenda Thomas for this fabulous walk to identify wildflowers and grasses along the trails. The spring flowers are always spectacular after the dry winter season. This is your chance to learn from someone whose passion for plants is unsurpassed!
Nature Walk for Families
Date: April 8
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $5 per family for members, $10 per family for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Come join CREW for a fun family walk in the woods with activities that will get you dirty, inspire you and engage all your senses. This is a great opportunity for families new to the CREW trails to learn from a naturalist and become familiar with the family-friendly trails. You’ll learn about the CREW project and why it is important along with learning about the flora and fauna that call the trail systems home.
SSS: Making Wildlife Observations Count
Date: April 29
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Join Dr. John Herman for this hands-on strolling science seminar where you will learn how to turn your love of hiking into something more. On this hike, you’ll see how your every day observations can be turned into scientific data and used to help conserve wildlife.
