·Discuss the historical trends leading to
preservation of habitat and species at Corkscrew.
Corkscrew Sanctuary has been threaten since the 1900's. An array of battles over birds, lumber, water and land spanning more than a
century has transformed Southwest Florida. In the early 50's Lee-Tidewater
Cypress Company had moved north to Corkscrew where they pulled out many great cypress trees and sent them off to
Europe. Corkscrew locals became worried about the idea of losing all the great
cypress forests to logging and began a campaign to save the sanctuary. The
National Audubon Society, individuals and organizations worked hand in hand to
raise enough funds to purchase the 700 acres of old growth forest. In 1955 Audubon took ownership of great
Corkscrew. The Audubon Society build a board walk in 1956 for individual to
enjoy the beauty of an unspoiled forest.
· Describe the value of wetlands in protecting water quality , maintaining biodiversity, and preserving the watershed.
Wetlands at
Corkscrew Sanctuary plays an important role in supplying water for Southwest
Florida, water sanitization, natural flood protection, safeguarding of wildlife
habitat and recreation. The Corkscrew
Swamp is part of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. Rain water flows
from Lake Trafford, through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and then south and west
to Gulf of Mexico via Cocohatchee River
·
Describe the role and value of fire, water,
elevation, and other climatic events and how they impact the habitats of
Corkscrew.
The rainy season typically runs from May through
October. During this time water flows across the Everglades and Big Cypress.
Fish, amphibians and insect numbers explode which create a productive food web.
When the rain stops the elevation of the land create receding pools which trap
fish thus creating an abundant food source for wood storks and wading birds
during nesting season. Periodic fires naturally maintain the pine flatwoods and
wet prairie habitats, these areas are home to an array of large mammals such as
panthers, dear, bears and bobcats. There is also a small animal population such
as snakes, raccoons and a vast number of birds like hawks, woodpeckers and
cardinals. During the drier winter months deeper lakes are found in the heart
of the cypress swamp. These lakes attract gators, turtles, otters and wading
birds. During this time the cypress trees lose their needles which allow more
sunlight to filter to the forest floor, creating an abundance of plant life and
also a microhabitat for insects, reptiles and small mammals.
·
Identify the main species from each habitat at
Corkscrew.
The pine flatwoods habitat main species are
large mammals such as panthers, bobcats, white-tailed deer and black bears. The
wet prairie main species is the various types of herbaceous vegetation such as
sand cord grass, sedges and rushes. The pond cypress habitats main species are
plants such as ferns, sawgrass, air plants and a variety of flowering plants.
The bald cypress forest is home to the
largest population of wood storks in North America thus making it the main
species in this habitat. The aquatic habitat found in the heart of the cypress
swamp which consists of deep water lakes has a main species that consists of
mammals such as gators, turtles and otters.
· Identify sustainable and environmental
initiatives at Corkscrew
Corkscrew’s Boardwalk made from IPE has twice
the strength and is five times as hard as pine, fire resistant, termite proof,
and does not rot. The boardwalk opened in 1996 and it protects our natural
resources from visitation. When constructed the path it took left the 3” in
diameter trees untouched. The same example of using sustainable resources was
used in the construction of the energy efficient Blair Center. The Living
Machine also represents environmental and sustainable initiatives by treating
and cleaning wastewater which is recycled back into the toilets. It converts
harmful gasses in nitrites which plants then release as harmless nitrogen gas. The
living machine uses 3 stages to complete the process the water is filtered
through a series of tanks, at the completion approximately 90% of the water is
recycled and the other 10% is lost in evaporation.
