Journal Entry #5

           ·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.