2019
Nature Needs People,
PEOPLE NEED NATURE
A Habitat in
Harmony Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Magazine
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WELCOME
Mission
To protect the natural resources of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, its surrounding watershed, and the Western Everglades and to
influence Everglades restoration for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people through land management, science, education, restoration, and public policy advocacy.
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Sustainability Board of Directors West McCann, Chair Steve Nellis, Vice Chair Joseph T. Ambrozy Preston Came Ed Carlson Deb Carrier Mike Duever John Elting John Graham Lois Kelley Tom Maish Christian Spilker Sharon Stilwell
Managing editors: Beth Preddy, Tabitha Stadler Art direction: Tim Kling Graphic Design
Contributing Photographers:
Ralph Arwood, Niki Butcher, Dennis Goodman, Brian Hampton, John Paul Howard, Jason Lauritsen, Debbie Lotter, Steve Rannels, Sally Stein, Mac Stone, Waddy Thompson, Allyson Webb, and R.J. Wiley. 2
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Cover Image by R.J. Wiley.
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y
s
FROM AUDUBON FLORIDA
Connect & Commit
TO CORKSCREW
Julie Wraithmell Executive Director, Audubon Florida
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hether it’s your first visit or your 50th, you can’t help but smile as you head off to a boardwalk adventure at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. From flatwoods to wet prairie to cypress forest to marsh and back again, each visit brings new discoveries both natural and historical, from raucous Red-Shouldered Hawks defending their territories to the Plume Hunters’ Camp where Audubon wardens risked their lives to protect Corkscrew’s wading birds from poachers. Ancient bald cypress trees tower overhead festooned with ferns and air plants, and visited by tiny jewel-toned warblers flitting from limb to limb in search of a meal. One of these towering elders, the Hemenway cypress, has stood sentinel over Corkscrew’s lettuce lake for nearly 600 years. And while you marvel at its majesty, it’s also humbling to consider the wisdom and fortitude of those who saved it from the axe. This ancient forest is a place of wildness and solitude, reverence and gratitude. Today, the threats to this special place are less obvious than an axe, but just as formidable. Wendell Berry famously adapted the Golden Rule to watersheds saying, “Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.” The water flowing through Corkscrew – sustaining the cypress, Wood Storks, alligators and more – is the legacy of decisions already made upstream. And in another month the water that today courses through this sanctuary will spill out into Naples Bay, Estero Bay, or Wiggins Pass, connecting this wetland to the Gulf of Mexico. Not only is Corkscrew a sanctuary, it is a living laboratory where we are studying this changing watershed and pioneering restoration strategies to save it. Will the nests of egrets, herons and Wood Storks, the birds our wardens sought to protect, still adorn the Hemenway canopy 600 years from now? Will families from Ohio, New York and Germany still stroll our boardwalk? If they do, it will be because we have chosen to appreciate, value, understand, and protect Corkscrew and the complex ecosystem upon which it depends. It will be because we committed to educate the next generation to do the same.
Wendell Berry famously adapted the Golden Rule to watersheds saying, “Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.”
Join Us:
Step onto the boardwalk, and find your own Corkscrew adventure. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Magazine
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Celebrating AUDUBON’S CORKSCREW SWAMP SANCTUARY Audubon-protected nature site for more than 100 years Established as Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in 1954 13,000 acres of pristine wilderness in the Western Everglades World’s largest old-growth Bald Cypress forest, with trees more than 600 years old Internationally-acclaimed Ramsar Wetland and Important Birding Area Gateway to the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail
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Audubon science and research center 2.25-mile nature boardwalk with 100,000 visitors annually Nature Store with fair trade and artisan items Gallery Café Discovery Center with children and family learning opportunities Boardwalk tours and special visitor events offered year-round “Friends of Corkscrew” membership program
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the Treasures of
CORKSCREW Old-Growth Bald Cypress Forest is Unique in the World by ED CARLSON Director Emeritus, Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
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The challenges facing Corkscrew Sanctuary today are just as daunting if not more so, as the lifeblood of the swamp is being drained away.
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eople love mysteries and there is no greater mystery in this world than its natural wonders. Lofty mountain ranges, raging waterfalls and old growth forests did not have essential survival values for our species and, in fact, were mostly impediments. So why do these places leave us speechless and inspire us so much? We are awed by the grandeur and power of the forces of nature that created them and us. They remind us that we are part of something much greater no matter how hard we try to hide in our cities, suburbs and theme parks. While there are many mountain ranges, forests and other wonders to inspire us throughout the world, there is only one place on the planet with the natural gifts of the Bald Cypress forest of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Globally positioned where the tropic and temperate come together to mingle, the total biological diversity of Corkscrew has yet to be determined although many experts have been working hard on it for a long time. Bald Cypress forests have a relatively limited global range, confined mostly to the Southeastern U.S. An ancient species of tree common during the age of dinosaurs, they become ancient themselves by living more than one thousand years. These old behemoths tower into the sky with trunks greater than three curious humans can reach around. Their massive, spreading canopies, atop clear, branchless trunks, create one of the world’s greatest cathedrals. The ceilings are lavishly decorated with orchids, ferns and air plants. But, what makes this primeval forest 6
cruising through the swamp you realize that these are dinosaurs living in their ancient home just as they have for hundreds of millions of years. There are dinosaurs in the cathedral! What a timeless, mysterious, inspiring place to see our reflection. Visitors wonder how all these trees, plants and creatures thrive and grow in such a beautiful place without human intervention. Who takes care of and manages all of this? The simple answer is that nature is in control and the key is water. As long as the rain falls and flows through the swamp as it always has, the natural system will manage itself. Preserving Corkscrew has never been easy. It certainly was not easy for Audubon warden Rhett Green to travel there on horseback from 1912 to 1917, set up camp, load his
While no one feeds the wildlife, Corkscrew Swamp would not exist today without a century of protection by very dedicated
People.
mysterious and spectacular beyond belief is the dark, calm primordial swamp in which it is bathing. This is the magic potion that releases an explosion of life in Corkscrew Swamp. You will not see it unless you watch the herons and egrets very closely while they sample the swarms of shrimp, crayfish, snails and fish from the black water. Frogs reveal themselves with raucous calls that can be deafening after a rainstorm. Otters never seem to rest in pursuit for their prey. Alligators watch them closely but rarely waste their energy trying to catch one. When you see one of these half-ton monsters
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rifle and risk his life protecting the nesting herons and egrets from plume hunters. Nor was it easy or simple to organize a national campaign to save the cypress forest from the loggers in March 1954, when logging proceeded until a sufficient down payment was raised for purchase nine months later. The challenges facing Corkscrew today are just as daunting if not more so. A recent analysis has shown that while rainfall has not changed in the region, surface and ground water levels have changed significantly. The surface waters are dropping sooner in the dry season, and the ground water levels are going lower. The lifeblood of the swamp is being drained away. This change not only threatens the health and productivity of plant communities and wildlife populations, it increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. If the cathedral forest at Corkscrew burns, there is no other to replace it. This is likely the result of an influx of new residents and industrial agriculture to Southwest Florida. The pattern of draining freshwater wetlands to make room for residential and agricultural development, sending the drainage to the sea, and then extracting the remaining water resources for everyone’s water supply, will eventually take its toll.
Join the effort to protect water for wildlife. Corkscrew.Audubon.org
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VISITOR EXPERIENCE
Rebuilding an icon – it took heart and dedication for staff and volunteers to rebuild portions of our boardwalk damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
CONNECT to
NATURE W
alk into timelessness, when human life and nature enjoyed a special relationship, surrounded by some of the oldest living trees on earth and descendants of Jurassic wildlife. It is an experience available to all of us living and visiting near the manicured beaches of Southwest Florida. The Corkscrew experience begins at Blair Audubon Center, where exhibits, a nature store, discovery center, and gallery cafe invite learning, relaxation and enjoyment. From the Center, the 2.25 mile boardwalk meanders through pine flatwoods, an open prairie, a strand of pond cypress, and finally into the ancient bald cypress forest, where hundreds of impressive giants tower more than 100 feet into the sky. The serene experience is the cure for what is often called “nature deficit disorder.”
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See the forest through the trees. Linger and admire each tree’s unique beauty, its silhouette adorned with vines, bromeliads or orchids, its boughs cradling hummingbird nests or a heron’s heap of twigs. Notice the arc of branches where hawks perch and migratory warblers rest after flights along the Atlantic flyway. Marvel at the massive trunk punctuated by cavities where owls, raccoons and the occasional bear burrow. Learn about the tree’s natural history and timeworn character over centuries of mild weather punctuated by occasional hurricanes. Imagine the tree growing in stately slow motion before Europeans settled on the North American continent, and wonder that the tree remains, a monument in one of America’s last great wildernesses.
The 2.25 mile boardwalk meanders through pine flatwoods, an open prairie, a strand of pond cypress, and finally into the ancient bald cypress forest, where hundreds of impressive giants tower more than 100 feet into the sky.
Deep within the forest, stop by the wide “lettuce lakes,” watery clearings that are favorite feeding grounds for wading birds and alligators. Pause at shelters and benches to view the theatric masterpiece of a forest at play. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Magazine
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Managing Nature Modern day nature needs people to manage it by Tabitha Stadler Assistant Sanctuary Director
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here are common misperceptions about what we do to manage a national natural treasure such as Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The first is that nature can be left alone and will thrive independently of human management. There was a time in history when that was true, when people, and our homes and infrastructure, weren’t so dominant on the landscape. In the modern day, the offsite influences on a natural area – such as non-native invasive species, pollution from various sources, and large-scale landscape-level changes that affect water flows and more – require Corkscrew’s staff to take an active hand in managing the land. Key examples include: PRESCRIBED BURNS: We conduct prescribed burns, which are controlled and choreographed efforts at mimicking the natural effects that a lightning strike, followed by a wildfire, would have on our pine flatwoods and prairies. NON-NATIVE PLANT REMOVAL: We remove invasive non-native plants that were introduced by accident to our region and have few local predators to keep them in check so they do not crowd out the native species. MONITORING: We monitor the Sanctuary’s health, such as the water levels, mammal species, and the nesting success of Wood Storks which are an indicator species whose health is a proxy for the health of the entire ecosystem.
We manage nature in a way that mimics its historic and natural state so that we can understand it and
preserve
a small piece for
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Modern day people need nature to thrive The second misconception about managing Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is that we muck around all day with plants and animals, working outdoors in the sunshine and never seeing another human being. It’s exactly the opposite (although we do enjoy that part) because the majority of our work is focused on the management of people. This endeavor requires that we engage, educate and inspire diverse individuals and groups in many different ways. In the community, we work with elected officials and the private sector to find compromises that minimize impacts to our shared resources, such as water. And we coordinate with other scientific, academic and land management organizations to share innovative restoration practices, such as the work we’re doing to remove Carolina Willow. At Corkscrew, our tours, events and workshops give visitors meaningful experiences in nature. They enjoy guided tours about birds and the ancient forest, embrace wellness during swamp meditation classes, learn from experts about scientific topics in our classroom, visit the forest at night in our After Hours programs, and get off the boardwalk and knee deep in water on a full-day swamp walk. It’s exciting to see a citified adult climb back onto the boardwalk after their first swamp walk, with a swagger in their step and a twinkle in their eye. Studies demonstrate the importance of getting outdoors because it decreases stress levels and improves overall wellness and fitness, which is so necessary in today’s world.
RJ RILEY
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A Habitat in
Harmony A
covey of Northern Bobwhite Quail scurries into the protection of a patch of Saw Palmetto in the predawn light. They had been foraging in the diverse understory of a pine flatwoods that just six months before had prescribed fire run through it. In the distance, Sandhill Cranes glide into a wet prairie, landing gracefully. An abundance of aquatic prey in the area makes feeding easy for the birds. Wildlife do not recognize boundaries; they go where the habitat is right for them. Just like humans, they need good quality shelter, food and water. At Corkscrew, we have a land management team that addresses threats to the habitat that put wildlife and the watershed at risk.
HELP US
Success Story: Carolina Willow Corkscrew’s team uses a threepronged approach – mechanical, herbicidal, and prescribed fire – to tackle invasive Carolina Willow. The result is that we now see Sawgrass, Smooth Cordgrass, and abundant other plants thriving for the benefit of wildlife and the entire system. Land managed through the use of mechanical and herbicidal treatments combined with appropriatelytimed prescribed fire is of benefit to everyone, but there is often not enough funding to provide for all, or even any, of these activities.
restore 200 acres of marsh this year! Our proven method for removing invasive Carolina Willow, a thirsty plant that pulls water out of the system, is how we are restoring our marsh and prairies. The goal is 1,000 acres restored by 2020, at a total cost of $2 million. Significant support for this has already been received from the Rathmann Family Foundation, Coca-Cola and SeaWorld. With your added support, we will restore and preserve our wetlands and support a host of species including Wood Storks and Roseate Spoonbills. Donate at Corkscrew.Audubon.org/MarshandPrairie
The Science Behind the Scenes – 60-years of water level data Median Daily Feet Above Sea Level
1960-1999
5.6
2000-2015
5.4 5.2 5.0 4.8 4.6 Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
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Analysis of 60 years of water level data, gathered daily at the Sanctuary since the 1950s, shows significant drops in water table levels in recent decades. Since 2000, we’re seeing our swamp get much drier in the dry season (December-May), and low water levels last longer than they did historically. The abrupt departure from historic water level patterns is due to human activities, most likely a combination of too much ground water extraction for agriculture and residential use, regional drainage to prevent wet season flooding of farms and homes, and habitat changes due to widespread suppression of fire in our fire-dependent ecosystem. This unnatural dry down alters wildlife habitat, increases risks of devastating wildfires, and diminishes our supply of fresh water for drinking, agriculture and recreation. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is advocating for additional research, improvements in water management, reductions of wetland losses, and increased water conservation.
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SCIENCE AND LAND MANAGEMENT
The Orchid and the Moth A Banner Year for the Ghost Orchid
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orkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s “Super” Ghost Orchid has enjoyed celebrity status ever since its discovery on July 7, 2007 by a visitor searching for owls. By any measure, 2018 was a banner year for the Ghost Orchid. For starters, it bloomed for 85 consecutive days, from July through September. During that prolific flowering period, it had a total of at least 19 blooms, sporting as many as nine flowers at one time. Most Ghost Orchids produce only a few blooms at any given time and Corkscrew’s
is dubbed “Super” because of the numerous blooms it regularly produces. The profusion of flowers make it a beautiful sight, but this past year the “Super” Ghost Orchid made frontpage news. The article chronicled conservation photographer Mac Stone’s effort to photograph a Giant Sphinx Moth pollinating the Ghost Orchid. Scientists have long believed that only the Giant Sphinx Moth can pollinate a Ghost Orchid but that has never been documented. This is because of the moth’s long proboscis, which is a tubular mouth
that can exceed 10 inches in length. Mac Stone and Peter Houlihan, an expert on Ghost Orchids and a National Geographic Explorer, climbed the ancient Bald Cypress tree on which the orchid sits and positioned a camera in hopes of capturing the neverbefore-seen image of the nocturnal pollination. The results of this effort have yet to be seen, but the search for scientific answers is an important part of the Sanctuary’s mission. When in bloom, you can monitor the Ghost Orchid’s status every day on the Sanctuary’s website and daily posts also appear on our social media channels.
Peter Houlihan climbed the ancient Bald Cypress tree on which the “Super” Ghost Orchid grows.
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VOLUNTEER AWARDS
Natural WINNERS
Honoree Jack Wheeler, right, shakes hands with Jack Wert, director of Collier’s tourism bureau, at the Tourism Star Awards; Jean McCollom below.
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has never been shy in proclaiming its volunteers as the best. In 2018, two major honors reaffirmed that bold claim. Jack Wheeler was recognized August 30, 2018 at the Paradise Coast Tourism Star Awards as the Collier County Tourism Volunteer of the Year. Jean McCollom was honored October 19, 2018 at the Audubon Assembly as the Audubon Florida Volunteer of the Year.
Jack Wheeler Jack Wheeler was among nine nominees in the volunteer category for the Collier County Tourism Star Awards, which included 12 different categories overall. Wheeler finished first in a strong field that included volunteer nominations from the Naples Zoo, TheatreZone, the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce, the Hilton Naples, and the Golisano Children’s Museum. Jack has been a volunteer at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for 25 years and has more than 11,000 hours of service. In addition to being a Boardwalk Naturalist, Jack and his wife Thelma visit the boardwalk every morning to clear it of fallen branches and pine and cypress needles. Jack also led the team of volunteers who repaired the boardwalk after Hurricane Irma.
Jean McCollom In presenting Jean McCollom’s award at the annual Audubon Assembly, Sanctuary leadership lauded her for making “a substantial difference at Corkscrew and throughout the state this past year in championing restoration, science and land management priorities.” McCollom’s current volunteer service at Corkscrew includes helping with prescribed burns, treating invasive exotic plants, and monitoring the removal of Carolina Willow. McCollom and botanist George Wilder have conducted a two-year inventory of the jaw-dropping diversity of plant life at the Sanctuary, documenting 753 species, nearly 200 more than previously known, including five previously considered historical and 27 that are critically endangered. McCollom has deep roots with Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. She came to Florida as an intern at Corkscrew in 1981 and has been working in the area as a biologist ever since. 14
Annual Volunteer Award Winners Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary announces its annual Volunteer Awards, presented on March 15, 2018 for outstanding contributions to the ongoing mission of our non-profit organization. CATEGORY WINNER Land Management: Ralph Arwood Research: Courtney Kern Facilities: Tom Wilson Visitor Center: Susan Schumann-Skehan Youth Programs: Catherine Johnson Public Programs: Leslie Burgess Boardwalk Naturalists: Amy Swanson Special Service: Jack Wheeler
2018 Volunteer Memoriam CLARENCE “LARRY” FRENCH January 8, 1933 – November 24, 2018 Joined as a volunteer in February 2002 WILLIAM E. PEASE April 9, 1927 – May 25, 2018 Joined as a volunteer in January 2003 WESLYN STRICKLAND March 12, 1934 – December 21, 2018 Joined as a volunteer in January 1997
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ADVOCACY
WORKING TOGETHER
Connections Key to Corkscrew Crises
by Brad Cornell Southwest Florida Policy Associate Audubon of the Western Everglades/Audubon Florida
Corkscrew manager Hank Bennett explores the lettuce lakes circa 1950s.
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ver a hundred years ago, the people who founded modern Audubon saw the slaughter of more than 90% of the 2.5 million beautiful plume wading birds. Connections were made between ways to stop this wanton destruction and the seats of power, ascending all the way to Congress and President Teddy Roosevelt. That crusade, as we know, was successful and made possible Audubon wardens at Corkscrew Swamp. Now, as Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary turns 65, we see that the Wood Storks and wading birds have yet to recover in the Everglades due to another ecological scourge – loss of wetlands and habitat. Those impacts are amplified by the accelerating effects of climate destabilization and warming.
Our robust advocacy program includes working with elected officials to understand complex scientific information. We gather data and make it useable and practical for those on the front lines of brokering effective policies to protect natural resources. Audubon understands that we are part of the impact that people are having on the natural world. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary works with people at every level of government, in the private sector including developers and landowners, and with individuals and groups, to integrate win-win solutions that are proenvironment and pro-people.
Corkscrew scientists have clearly documented the connection between the destruction of wetlands, and severe flooding, toxic algae blooms year-round, unnatural wildfire threats and costs, and reduction of water supply. These issues are at the heart of Audubon’s modern advocacy program to double wading bird populations to 200,000. Audubon’s solutions for these birds are solutions for all of us: protect and restore wetlands, fund Florida Forever and Everglades restoration, and build resilient human communities not in conflict with floods and fire. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Magazine
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MORE GREEN, LESS SCREEN F
or more than 20 years, Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has partnered with Collier County Public Schools on the Field Trip Specialist program, which is a countywide coordinated effort to provide outdoor environmental education experiences for elementary and middle school students. Corkscrew’s curriculum contributions last year included Wild Florida Adventure for 825 fifth graders and Insect Adventure for 650 second graders.
Teaching NATURE
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orkscrew Swamp Sanctuary shares nature with children through our partnership with the Collier County Public Schools, Florida Gulf Coast University and many other organizations that work with young people throughout the community. These programs are all hands on, interactive, outdoor learning experiences that make kids smile. They see wild animals, dip net to catch fish and other critters, and even act like birds to understand how their beaks are uniquely adapted to catch their preferred foods. 16
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YOUTH EDUCATION
Excellent ED-VENTURES By Dr. Kamela Patton Superintendent of Collier County Public Schools
Children share their learning with parents and families, strengthening our community’s commitment to the environment.
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e are incredibly grateful for the long-standing partnership between Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Each year, approximately 1,700 children take part in field experiences that bring the classroom to life. Our teachers provide the foundation of content and the Sanctuary immerses students in learning on the Insect Adventures and Wild Florida Adventures field trips. The second and fifth graders are so excited to make observations, record data and truly be scientists! All of this is possible at no cost to the District, and is for some students, one of their first opportunities to see nature outside of the classroom, which is truly memorable. Children then share their learning with parents and families... strengthening our community’s commitment to the environment and natural beauty of Florida. Volunteers and Corkscrew staff are incredible partners in supporting these endeavors that are truly “game changers” for students. We know that experiences in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) are engaging and can often lead students to new pathways and studies. By being in the field taking part in experiences aligned to state standards, we are making an impact together. On behalf of the District, incredible thanks to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, you are truly part of our CCPS Family!
Earning their WINGS
Conservation Colleagues
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We are proud to be among the leading environmental educators participating in the Field Trip Specialist Program, including: BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE CONSERVANCY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA C.R.E.W. LAND AND WATER TRUST NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN NAPLES ZOO ROOKERY BAY NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY’S WINGS OF HOPE
“ Former Intern Kelsie Buxbaum
orkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has a robust internship program, Audubon Wings, where we employ recent graduates so they can develop workplace skills and knowledge. The program helps build the next generation of professionals engaged in studying, protecting and advocating for our environment. All of these young people will carry on our legacy.
Best advice for a future intern: Come ready to learn. There are so many wonderful people here ready to share what they know – try to take it all in,” says former intern Kelsie Buxbaum. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Magazine
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Donor
CONNECTIONS By Allyn Golub Co-Founder, Corkscrew Cypress Council
I
came to Miami from Connecticut in the mid-1960s for graduate work in biology at the University of Miami. As a young biologist, I relished exploring the unfamiliar natural areas of Southeast Florida. To my surprise, I found that I had a passion for cypress swamps and spent a lot of time getting to know Everglades National Park and, especially, Big Cypress National Preserve. During the 1970s, school and career allowed me less opportunity to get out to enjoy the environment, but sometime in the mid-80s I woke up and began rediscovering the world around me. Moving westward, there was Fakahatchee Strand, then northward, Picayune State Forest, and then a little further north, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Seeing Corkscrew for the first time, I recall being stunned by the extraordinary beauty and vitality of the place - a condition from which I have never recovered. As a frequent visitor in the years that followed, I was inspired by the long-term vision for Corkscrew by its director at the time, Ed Carlson, and his team. I was also introduced to the education program that Corkscrew was developing for the area’s schools and became a dedicated supporter of this important effort. 18
Looking to the future, it is vital that we continue to introduce our young people to the beauty and diversity of places like Corkscrew and educate them about the importance of maintaining and protecting these unique natural resources for them to enjoy and for future generations. Over the last four decades, I have enjoyed watching the evolution of Corkscrew and being a small part of its maturation into a major environmental and educational resource. To me, the word “sanctuary” implies not only refuge, which Corkscrew certainly provides for the animals and plants that comprise our environment, but also the spiritual renewal that we can experience and benefit from by being there. Opportunities like this are becoming increasingly rare in our time and one that I strongly believe is well worth our continued support.
Building and Preserving
A LEGACY
The Corkscrew Cypress Counc il is an exclusive group of sup porters who are the heartwood of Co rkscrew’s magnificent forest, and the forc e for the conservation, science, edu cation, and advocacy needed to pre serve Corkscrew’s grounds and the surrounding Western Evergla des. Council Members partner wit h Corkscrew to protect and res tore habitat at the 13,000 – acre San ctuary and to educate the public abo ut the importance of conservat ion in Florida. They lead the way to ensure that a sustainable, diverse and healthy ecosystem is passed on to future generations.
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THANK
YOU
Like the conservation pionee rs of 1954 who saved Corkscrew’s forest from the axe, the Corkscrew Cypre ss Council demonstrates to the commu nity and the world how a small, committed group of people can make a lasting diff erence. Join the Cypress Council by contacting Julie McCann at JMcCann@ Audubon.org.
FIVE-YEAR GIVING LEVELS
Landmark Cypress – $100,000 $20,000 annually Black Cypress – $50,000 $10,000 annually Bald Cypress – $25,000 $5,000 annually White Cypress – $12,500 $2,500 annually
$100,000 AND ABOVE Blair Foundation M. Louise Cason, MD Trust SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund in partnership with the Coca-Cola Foundation $50,000 – $99,999 Derick and Sally Driemeyer Florida Power & Light Rathmann Family Foundation $20,000 – $49,999 The Batchelor Foundation John C. Bock Foundation Close Friend Foundation Vincent J. Coates Foundation Freed Foundation, Inc. Allyn L. Golub, PhD Anna and Marvin Hamburg Remembrance John Paul Howard Brian and Heidi Miller Stephen & Merrilee Nellis John and Virginia Rigsby The Robinson Foundation David S. Upton Memorial $10,000 – $19,999 Joseph T. Ambrozy Mr. and Mrs. Arwood Audubon of the Western Everglades Dr. Richard H. Bailey Memorial In Honor of Rob Berkley Fund Jack and Kristina Boykin John and Nancy Elting Dennis and Linda Finnigan William and Lois Kelley Knopf Family Foundation Anthony and Judy Licata Tom and Judith Maish Mary Jane and Frank Semcer Anne D. and Eddie Thomas $5,000 – $9,999 Charles and Molly Becker Trust Deb Carrier and Harry Gaines John and Georgia DallePezze Judith Ewing Brian and Donna Hampton Hawley Family Foundation John R. and Ann L. Helmsderfer Memorial Fund Elizabeth Hines Jinny and John Johnson Kate and Al Luzius Mary and Christopher Rayburn Ritchie Foundation/ MALLRD Foundation Mary Jane and Frank Semcer Dick and Sharon Stilwell Jack W. Thompson Trust Dennis and Dee Turner Welchwood Foundation William and Virginia Young $2,500 – $4,999 Arthrex, Inc. William Blodgett, Jr. Big Cypress National Society of Daughters of the Revolution
Preston and Cherie Came Desai Family Fund Ellin Goetz and Mike Watkins Gracey Luckett Bradley Trust The Green Heron Fund Sandy and Mike Hollenhorst IBM Matching Gifts Gerry and Darryl Manning Meredith Corporation Panther Island Mitigation Bank Penniman Family Foundation Wes and Yvette Powell Rohovsky Family Foundation Frederick S. Upton Foundation $1,000 – $2,499 Lew & Dawn Allyn Family Fund Mrs. Ralph W. Arwood, Jr. Shahida and Syed Asad Leona Boldt Paul and Linda Burnham John and Glenda Burkhart Timothy G. Carroll Cerda, Llanos y Cia, Inc. Columbus Foundation Community Foundation of Collier County The Corwith Fund Derek and Helen Day Warren and Leslie Durling Cynthia and Elliott Erickson The Evelo Family Fund Joan Dunn Alice and Dean Fjelstul Candace Forsyth Charles and Jane Gaillard Nancy Gillis Dave and Patty McNicholas Sharon Grider and Jeff Millar Foundation Dale Kammerlohr Walter G. and Barbara Korntheuer Kenneth and Ellie Krier Roger and Carol Lafontaine Mark and Barb Langenham West and Julie McCann Pat and Larry Minthorn Philip and Gale Morgan Whitney Neufeld–Kaiser Patricia Palmer John and Maggie Picotte Presstige Printing Reese Family Charitable Foundation Jim Rathmann & Anne Noonan Dianne and Mike Shanley Susan Schumann-Skehan Deborah Shultz Tom and Mary Anne Spann The Other Stratton Foundation Chris and Mary Jane Wurth John and Maureen Wurtz Mary Ida and Carl D. Yost CONSERVATION PARTNERS Naples Trust Company Panther Island Mitigation Bank
WITH SPECIAL GRATITUDE FOR THE MANY LEGACY GIFTS THAT SUPPORT OUR MISSION. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Magazine
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NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY ***ECRWSSEDDM*** RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER
Located 15 miles east of
NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID FT MYERS, FL PERMIT #215
I-75, exit 111
120 | Naples, Florida 34 375 Sanctuary Road g .or on ub ud .A rew sc 239-348-9151 • Cork
Join Us on the Boardwalk OPEN DAILY 7 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.
Last boardwalk admission is at 4:30 p.m.
ADMISSIONS
Entrance fees cover two consecutive days of admission. $14 per adult. $6 for college students with ID. $4 for children six to 18 years old. Children under six are free. $10 for National Audubon Society members with card. HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE
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Corkscrew.Audubon.org
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