Corkscrew Sanctuary

Sorry for the delay in postings. Life,  massive amounts of assignments, and one amazing 10 day trip to Peru got in the way over the past couple of weeks. But, I'm back! 


On January 24th, my class ventured out to Corkscrew Sanctuary in Naples. I had heard of the place many times but had never ventured out to visit it. Let me just say that this is somewhere I will be going again. Some of the "girly girl's" were out in full force again this day. I'm sorry, but who wears heels to a place like this?

First off...this really awesome image! Along the path I found this cut log. As a Forensic student and someone who LOVES Human Osteology, this made my day! This log is a perfect representation of a cross section of a human fibula! Crazyness! Check this out for comparison...look specifically at the mid to distal shaft image.
 

In the sanctuary are 3 ecosystems. High pine, grass prairie, and the cypress swamp (by far the coolest of the three). 

 High pine provides habitat for birds and other flighted creatures as well as areas of thick vegetation which are enjoyed by snakes as well as large cat species. One of the great things about high pine is that it will burn periodically in order to resupply the system with important nutrients. It also "cleans out" the dead brush that has built up on the ground to allow for seedlings to take hold. 

 The grass prairie is exactly as its name states. It is a large open space completely covered by saw grass. This is a wonderful location for underbrush highways for critters and essential food for deer and other larger species found in the sanctuary. 

 The cypress swamp, just like the prairie, is exactly that, a swamp. It is a much cooler environment than the other two and serves as a home to a multitude of species of animals who would be unable to survive in the hotter and dryer locations. Thousands of cypress trees grow in this location.

Something very interesting was located at the sanctuary as well. Something called a living machine. According to the sanctuary "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." (http://www.corkscrewsanctuary.org/Information/LivingMachine.html).

This amazing piece of land needs to be protected. It it home to thousands of creatures and provides a safe environment for them. It also is a space for humans to come to enjoy, learn, and appreciate what wild Florida looks like since much of our area is developed. This area should NEVER be developed as far as I am concerned. 

With that, I leave you with some images from the trip.