Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

The trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was an enlightening and pleasurable experience. I took notes today. Which helped me to be able to remember certain plants that we saw and also help me better understand the reason for this Swamp Sanctuary’s being. There are 2 ecosystems that I distinctly remember from this trip, those are—the Cypress Dome which consisted of pond cypress more towards the outer rim of the dome and bald cypress more towards the core of the dome and the Pine Flat Wood. I have to say that I enjoyed walking through the Cypress Dome the most because, not only was it much more shady, it also seemed to have most of the biodiversity. In the Cypress Dome we saw a number of different bird species, insects and of course alligators! We also saw a variety of unique plant life. Some of my favorite plants to learn about were the Alligator Flag, a plant that has nice big leaves and is supposed to be an indicator of where alligators hang out. I also learned about the Lazarus Fern which appeared to be dying. What was interesting about these little plants is that they are a good indicator of when it has last rained! Though they look dried up and dead now, they will usually spring back to life for up to 8 hours after a rain fall.

But it was not only actually getting to walk through this sanctuary where I learned a great deal about these two ecosystems, I also got to see and learn about what they call the “living machine.” The living machine is a system that was put in place at the facility to purify and clean the water after we use it in the restrooms. “The Living Machine mimics nature because it is a natural water restoration system instead of an artificial water treatment plant. Its innovative aquatic treatment system restores waste water to near-drinkable quality using native, nutrient-absorbing wetland plants and animals. The water that passes through the system is typically more pure than water that comes from municipal water treatment plants. The key to accomplishing this is combining living organisms chosen specifically to perform certain functions and placing them in a contained environment -- a Living Machine.” Now if that doesn’t scream SUSTAINABLE I don’t know what does!

When hearing the words “Conservation” and “Stewardship” I think about the mission of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in their efforts to encourage landowners to take on the responsibility of our natural heritage for future generations by protecting the plants, animals and natural communities through management of the lands and waters they need to survive.

And since the Florida Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a privately owned entity I believe that they have more passion and more control over what they are doing, than would say a federal owned and operated entity. It is important to consider what Dr. Durham said about “like minded people being able to affect change.” To me this simply means that if we as two or three individuals feel the same about a particular problem, we can put all of our passion together and be a strong force that will in turn bring about good change. But to find out that you may share the same views and passions as someone you must be engaged with them first. By this I mean aware of what is going on in our communities and being educated about the proper ways to vote, and the proper ways to become involved.