Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a National Audubon Society
sanctuary located in southwest Florida
, north of Naples, Florida
and east of Bonita Springs
, in the United States
. The sanctuary was established to protect one of the largest remaining stands of Bald Cypress
(Taxodium distichum) and Pond Cypress
(T. ascendens) in North America
from extensive logging of the tree that was ongoing throughout the 1940s and 50's. The Corkscrew Cypress Rookery Association was formed in 1954 to protect the area. The National Audubon Society accepted responsibility for management and started constructing the first boardwalk
through the swamp in 1955. In all, nearly 45 square kilometres (17.4 sq mi) of wetland was purchased or donated (most from or by the owners, Lee Tidewater Cypress Center Co. and Collier Enterprises).
Today, a boardwalk of a little over 3 km (1.9 mi) length provides walking access through (actually 'over') pine flatwoods, wet prairie, Pond cypress, Bald cypress, and marsh ecosystems within the sanctuary.
The sanctuary visitor center is a Living Machine demonstration site.
The sanctuary is an important breeding area for the endangered Wood Stork
, and other wetland birds, and has good numbers of wintering passerines, including the Painted Bunting
. Numerous wading bird species can be found in the wetlands of the sanctuary, including the Yellow-crowned Night Heron
, Black-crowned Night Heron
, Tricolored Heron
, Great Egret
, and Snowy Egret
. Specialist birds include Limpkin
, Barred Owl
and, in summer, Swallow-tailed Kite
. As such, it has been designated as a 'gateway site' for the Great Florida Birding Trail
.
American Alligator
s and Cottonmouth
snakes, are also prevalent here.
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
sanctuary located in southwest Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, north of Naples, Florida
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
and east of Bonita Springs
Bonita Springs, Florida
Bonita Springs is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 43,914 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located on the southwest coast of the state....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The sanctuary was established to protect one of the largest remaining stands of Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
Taxodium distichum is a species of conifer native to the southeastern United States.-Characteristics:...
(Taxodium distichum) and Pond Cypress
Taxodium
Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae...
(T. ascendens) in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from extensive logging of the tree that was ongoing throughout the 1940s and 50's. The Corkscrew Cypress Rookery Association was formed in 1954 to protect the area. The National Audubon Society accepted responsibility for management and started constructing the first boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
through the swamp in 1955. In all, nearly 45 square kilometres (17.4 sq mi) of wetland was purchased or donated (most from or by the owners, Lee Tidewater Cypress Center Co. and Collier Enterprises).
Today, a boardwalk of a little over 3 km (1.9 mi) length provides walking access through (actually 'over') pine flatwoods, wet prairie, Pond cypress, Bald cypress, and marsh ecosystems within the sanctuary.
The sanctuary visitor center is a Living Machine demonstration site.
The sanctuary is an important breeding area for the endangered Wood Stork
Wood Stork
The Wood Stork is a large American wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was formerly called the "Wood Ibis", though it is not really an ibis.-Appearance:...
, and other wetland birds, and has good numbers of wintering passerines, including the Painted Bunting
Painted Bunting
The Painted Bunting is a species of bird in the Cardinal family, Cardinalidae, that is native to North America.-Taxonomy:...
. Numerous wading bird species can be found in the wetlands of the sanctuary, including the Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
The Yellow-crowned Night Heron , also called the American Night Heron or squawk, is a fairly small heron, similar in appearance to the Black-crowned Night Heron...
, Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
, Tricolored Heron
Tricolored Heron
The Tricolored Heron formerly known in North America as the Louisiana Heron, is a small heron. It is a resident breeder from the Gulf states of the USA and northern Mexico south through Central America and the Caribbean to central Brazil and Peru...
, Great Egret
Great Egret
The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
, and Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret
The Snowy Egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas....
. Specialist birds include Limpkin
Limpkin
The Limpkin , Aramus guarauna, is a bird that looks like a large rail but is skeletally closer to cranes. It is the only extant species in the genus Aramus and the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina...
, Barred Owl
Barred Owl
The Barred Owl is a large typical owl. It goes by many other names, including eight hooter, rain owl, wood owl, and striped owl, but is probably best known as the hoot owl.-Description:...
and, in summer, Swallow-tailed Kite
Swallow-tailed Kite
The Swallow-tailed Kite is an elanid kite which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. Most North and Central American breeders winter in South America where the species is resident year round...
. As such, it has been designated as a 'gateway site' for the Great Florida Birding Trail
Great Florida Birding Trail
The 2000 mile long Great Florida Birding Trail is a collection of more than 400 locations in the U.S. state of Florida...
.
American Alligator
Alligatoridae
Alligatoridae is a family of crocodylians that includes alligators and caimans.- True alligators :Alligators proper occur in the fluvial deposits of the age of the Upper Chalk in Europe, where they did not die out until the Pliocene age. The true alligators are now restricted to two species, A...
s and Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs...
snakes, are also prevalent here.