One of the most pleasant and peaceful ways to experience "Old Florida" is to stroll along the board walk in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Geographically, Corkscrew Swamp lies in the northern part of Collier County, in that area known as "Big Cypress". The name derives from a crooked creek feeding a marsh at the northern end of the swamp, and an adjacent village which bears the name, Corkscrew. The Sanctuary has the country's largest remaining stand of virgin bald cypress, and some of the oldest trees in eastern North America.
The Sanctuary became the vision of concerned citizens in the mid 1950's, when they learned that the Corkscrew Swamp was next on the list to be cut by its owners, the Lee Tidewater Cypress Company. It was the last remnant of the original Corkscrew Strand, greatly reduced by timbering. Garden Clubs, organizations, and individuals raised funds to purchase land and corporations donated money and additional land to create this important sanctuary which now encompass 6,080 acres. In late 1955, a boardwalk was started and about a thousand feet were completed into what is known as First Lettuce Lake, in December of that year. Later it was continued into the heart of the big tree section and now there are 3,555 feet of this walk through a botanical fairyland. Many of the cypress trees in the Corkscrew are 200, 400, and 600 years old. There is a gigantic specimen surrounded by the boardwalk that is very nearly 700 years old, thus putting its "birth" some 232 years before Columbus came to America. Although they are overshadowed by the cypress, other trees are plentiful in the swamp including red bay, swamp maple, pop-ash and custard apple.
The bird life of the Corkscrew is abundant with wood storks, or wood ibises, which nest in mid-winter in one part of the swamp or another. Pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers can be seen and heard tapping, also listen and you will hear resident barred owls which often call by mid-afternoon. Small resident birds are the tufted titmouse, Carolina wren, cardinal, towhee, and blue-gray gnatcatcher. Red-shouldered hawks remain the year around. Small migrants are sometimes abundant, sometimes scarce, depending on weather conditions and the season. These are warblers, thrushes, vireos, and tanagers, with many others. In winter the yellow-throated, black-and-white, prairie, and palm warblers are in the swamp. In the spring of 2009 two chicks were seen in the eagles nest. The eagles are the first of the "snowbirds" to return to Southwest Florida and were already seen in Corkscrew the first week of September.
In July the
readers of the Naples Daily News identified Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary as one the top ten places that they would like to stand. If you haven't been there don't miss this jewel among wildlife sanctuaries.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is Open Every Day of the Year- visit their website for hours of operation and more information.
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=yml7d4cab.0.0.5xi9qpcab.0&ts=S0413&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.corkscrew.audubon.org%2F&id=previewCONTACT ME: KEN TIBBLES Direct Line (239) 269-3535 Toll Free 1-800-488-3811 Ext. 612 Email: Ken@TibblesGroup.com VISIT MY WEBSITE: www.KenTibbles.com
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