Blog 3 – Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Blog 3 – Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

            The first thing I noticed when driving out to the corkscrew swamp sanctuary was the change in landscape on the trip there. As we approached the swamp I noticed a lot more greenery and vegetation and lack of concrete buildings. It was quieter and more peaceful without hearing the familiar sound of buzzing cars passing by on the busy Fort Myers roads. Since I am in the 8am class we embarked on the journey early enough to witness a bunch of deer and turkey foraging in nearby yards. I have lived in Florida my whole life but I haven’t had the privilege to see this but a few rare times. I did just spend the whole summer in Wyoming and seeing deer and antelope was commonplace, it was exciting to be able to see them in my hometown.

We arrived at the sanctuary and got to utilize their restroom facility and were educated on the “Living Machine.” This machine was fascinating. They had built a system that cleansed the sewage. It had multiple steps the water/waste flowed through: the anaerobic tank, the aerobic bacteria tank, then the water went through their mini estuary (the water believe it or not coming out of the estuary is 90-95% clean), the last stage the chlorinate it and then de chlorinate the water and it is safe to drink. The machine was very interesting to learn about.

Back in the day feathers were high in popular demand. Everyone wanted feathers in their hats (Especially white ones). People raped and pillaged all of the white wading birds in order to cash in their feather profits. At one point an ounce of feathers was equal to an ounce of gold! That’s statistic is insane. Some of the bird species went endangered and even extinct!

As we were walking though the amazing forest we talked about how magnificent the trees were. Our naturalist stopped and gave us a short talk on the trees. They are called bald cypress trees. This tree was sought out and leveled all over Florida for its lumber purposes. It is an extremely hard wood and in the 1940s and 50s everyone wanted to build their homes with it not only because it was sturdy but the insects like termites for example don’t eat it! Another cool fact on these magnificent trees is inorder to tell th age of a tree you usually measure the rings. In order to get these rings most people cut the tree down but this is not the case for the bald cypress. They take a core sample of the tree. A core sample is kind of like sticking a straw into the tree and when you pull it out you are left with a cylinder of wood that you are able to count the rings from. But here comes the cool part! You can stick the core sample back into the tree and it will heal!!! How cool is that!?

Walking on the boardwalk we were able to learn about many different ecosystems and different natural elements that aid them. My two favorites are the pine flat wood and the cypress forest. Fire is a crucial item in a pine flatwood.  Rain is a major component in the cypress forest.

Well I could talk forever on this field trip but I will save some of the amazing discoveries for you when you go to visit the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

But one more thing!... When you get there and you are in the middle of the bald cypress trees just stop and listen… It is the most amazing thing you will experience. I hope you enjoy!

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