CORKSCREW SWAMP SANCTUARY

AN AUDUBON FLORIDA SPECIAL PLACE

By Allyson Webb

The term "sanctuary" was originally used to reference buildings set apart for worship, but through time, the word has come to encompass places of safety, protection, and peace.

It is this third word, peace, that springs to mind when I think of Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. A sense of calm infused me the first time I walked around the 2.25- mile long boardwalk through the wondrous variety of habitats.

But it was when I reached the magnificent old growth bald cypress that I felt... FOUND. It was then that I knew I would strive to maintain this wondrous place, first as a volunteer and now as a resource manager.

During the 1940s into the 1950s, old growth bald cypress forests were being logged at an alarming rate, largely to help Europe rebuild after World War II. These behemoth trees, relatives of the famous redwoods, can grow to heights of 100'-150' and gain diameters of 6 feet!

Some of the trees that can be seen from the boardwalk are 500 years old. National Audubon was already protecting birds that roosted in Corkscrew Swamp including wood storks, great egrets, and other wading birds.

Locals afraid of losing this natural heritage started a campaign to save the swamp. Working with National Audubon Society and other organizations, the swamp was saved. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary became a reality in 1954.

Initially, this treasure spanned over 5,680 acres, including the largest stand of virgin bald cypress forest at about 700 acres. Today, Corkscrew has grown to include approximately 13,000 acres at the heart of the Corkscrew Watershed.

Wetlands are the lifeblood of southwest Florida, and the protection Corkscrew gives allows our aquifers to recharge for clean drinking water, offers surrounding areas natural flood protection, and purifies the waters. All of these things are essential to people and animals in the area.

The neighborhood around the swamp has seen many changes through the years. Roads have been built; wetlands were drained and turned into developments. Human encroachment on our natural areas continues.

But Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary stands amidst this development as an island oasis not only for native plants and animals but for the people of our community. It does not, however, stand apart.

Aldo Leopold once wrote: “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land. By land is meant all of the things on, over, or in the earth. Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. That is to say, you cannot love game and hate predators; you cannot conserve the waters and waste the ranges; you cannot build the forest and mine the farm. The land is one organism. Its parts, like our own parts, compete with each other and co-operate with each other. The competitions are as much a part of the inner workings as the co-operations. You can regulate them—cautiously—but not abolish them.”

Through community interaction and education Corkscrew works with people to conserve our natural heritage for all. Initially, I sought a place to bury my sorrows and grief as my mother fought cancer, but instead I found a place of renewal, healing, peace, and the daily celebration of life…a true sanctuary.

This column is one of a series from AUDUBON FLORIDA. Allyson L. Webb is a resource manager for Audubon Florida. For more information about the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary please visit corkscrew.audubon.org. For more about AUDUBON FLORIDA and its “Special Places” program visit www.FloridasSpecialPlaces.org .All rights reserved by Florida Audubon Society Inc.

Big Cypress Fox Squirrel

Barred Owl Chick

Sunrise over Corkscrew’s Panther Island

Alligator in the middle of foraging Wood Storks