Corkscrew swamp

The welcoming sign at Corkscrew Swamp

Corkscrew swamp covers around 13,000 acres of the Corkscrew Watershed in South west Florida which is part of the western part of the Everglades. The swamp is mainly constructed with wetlands but it does have the largest virgin bald cypress forest in the world, which takes up around 700 acres. In the forest hold the largest colony of nesting federally endangered wood storks in America. The swamp also holds many other animals which are on the federally and state species list;  the Florida Panther, American Alligator, Gopher Tortoise, Florida Sandhill Crane, Limpkin, Roseate Spoonbill, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Big Cypress Fox Squirrel and the Florida Black Bear. Several rare plants are also found here, mostly the Ghost Orchid.

Exposed roots

The swamp is a vital link between the wildlife, water and the coastal ecosystem of the Estero Bay aquatic preserve and Delnor- Wiggins State park which are parts of the Estero, Imperial and Cocohatchee rivers. This part of the Everglades are crucial habitat for the Florida Panther and he Cypress trees.  The swamp is an excellent place for the restoration of the estuaries, aquifers and river which in turn leads to great recreation activities, clean water for agriculture and drinking.  

Corkscrew Swamp is a little, living part of Florida's history. The battle for space has destroyed vast areas of natural wetlands but the swamp is a small reminder of what was. The swamp is home to some of the rarest animals for example the panther and bears. 

History of Corkscrew Swamp

Plume Hunting

Until the start of the 1900s very few people knew about the swamp, this was the time when egret and heron plumes were in huge demand for the fashion industry. The hunters would make a lot of money over a couple of days hunting, this was having a negative effect on the populations. Rhett Green was employed to by the National Audubon Society to patrol and protect the rookeries at the swamp.  In 1913, Mr Green was taking people around the swamp to observe and document the wildlife, but in particular the bird life. The protection of rookeries and the endless campaigning to stop killing birds for their plumes was successful. 

Logging

Cypress trees

The logging of cypress trees began in Fakahatchee, south of Corkscrew in 1944. The wood was sent to Europe after World War two to help in the rebuilding effort. By the time the 50s came around all of Fakahatchee cypress had been destroyed, so the Lee-Tidewater Cypress company had moved to north of Corkscrew. Roads had been built, 500 year old trees were building forced out of the ground. The locals had started to become concerned about the prospect of the destruction of the great forests, so the campaign to save the trees had begun. The National Audubon Society and many other organizations worked hard to raise the money to buy the last virgin bald cypress land in the world. In 1954 5,680 acres of which 640 acres where given by Lee-Tidewater Cypress Company as a gift. Corkscrew swamp was created. 

The Early Sanctuary

February 1953, saw John H. Baker the president of the National Audubon Society, published in the Miami Herald the value of the swamp, he also persuaded the Florida Governor Dan McCarty to get the state to acquire 'the great Corkscrew rookery of wood ibis (storks) and American egrets in the beautiful strand of virgin cypress between Immokalee and Bonita Springs'. (Corkscrew.audubon.org,2015). This quote tries to explain the great scientific importance and aesthetic value of the swamp. He also put forward the idea of employing staff to protect the swamp

On the boardwalk

 and the history. Two years later, nobody was managing Corkscrew, so Audubon took it upon himself to become the owner of the swamp. The swamp grew from 5,680 acres to 11,000 acres. The added land came for the Panther Island Mitigation Bank. The swamp was only accessible by car via a long dirt track, Henry P. Bennett was the warden and he was employed to carry out tours, the tours involved Henry pushing the visitors in canoes through the lettuce lakes. Over the next year a lot of construction took place: the first section of the boardwalk was built, this allowed the visitors to walk around the swamp instead being pushed in canoes. The welcoming hut (chickee) was built, the dirt road disappeared and became pavement, electricity and phone lines arrived. The neighbourhood to the east of the swamp had been developed, so the need to be extra careful to spot invasive plants. 

Our Changing Neighbourhood

The road network increased and so did the canals and ditches. The wetlands were drained to make way for the demand for more homes and agriculture. The water was diverted. In the 1970s, South-west Florida hydrology had drastically transformed the environment. The extensive construction had damaged the shallow wetlands more than the deeper ones because the shallow wetlands are easier and cheaper to drain and fill.  This was a huge hit on all the wildlife but in particular the panthers and woodstorks.

Corkscrew.audubon.org, (2015). The Sanctuary | Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. [online] Available at: http://corkscrew.audubon.org/sanctuary-0 [Accessed 4 Apr. 2015].