Location: Collier County Map
Area: 17 sq mi (45 km2)
The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a nature reserve
in the Western Everglades near the city of Naples and Bonita Springs
in Collier County. The nature reserve was established in 1954 to
protect the cypresses and is home to the largest stock of 400 to 700
year old cypresses in the US. Overall, the Corkscrew Swamp Nature
Reserve has an area of approximately 52.6 km² with a variety of
animal species. This area is managed by the National Audubon
Society.
A boardwalk of a little over 3 km (1.9 mi) length
provides walking access through pine flatwoods, wet prairie, stands
of pond cypress and bald cypress, and marsh ecosystems within the
sanctuary. Getting off the walkway is dangerous. In 2017, some parts
of the boardwalk were damaged by bald cypress trees knocked over by
Hurricane Irma. Most of the damage was repaired, but several small
sections have been permanently closed.
The sanctuary is a
gateway site for the Great Florida Birding Trail. It is an important
breeding area for the endangered wood stork and other wetland birds.
It also has 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. The nature reserve shows various landscape areas,
the pine highlands, wet meadows, the cypress forest, the wetland and
the lettuce lake.
Hares, snakes, lizards and various species
of birds live in the Corkscrew Swamp Nature Reserve. Even endangered
bird species such as the wood stork have their habitat there.
In 1954, the Corkscrew Cypress Rookery Association was formed to
protect the area. The National Audubon Society assumed management
responsibility and began construction of the first boardwalk through the
swamp in 1955. Most of it was purchased or donated by or from the
owners, Lee Tidewater Cypress Center, Inc. and Collier Enterprises, Inc.
A portion of the funds used to protect the wetlands were donated by
Theodore Miller Edison, the youngest son of inventor Thomas Edison.
In 2018, sanctuary researchers found that the amount of groundwater
in the park began to decline around 2000. Water levels had been recorded
since 1957, and analysis showed that previous landscape changes, such as
the construction of Immokalee Road, use of the canal for real estate
development, increased agriculture in the area, installation of power
and telephone lines, and paving of nearby wetlands, had not changed the
water level as measured at Lettuce Lake, the deepest standing water in
the park The analysis showed that the previous landscape changes, such
as the paving of the neighborhood wetlands, did not change the water
level measured at Lettuce Lake, the deepest standing water in the park.
However, since 2000 or 2001, despite the same annual precipitation
during the wet season, the water began to recede quickly during the dry
season, instead of slowly receding as before. The cause of this change
is unknown. Although there were no significant changes in the topography
at the time, the cause of the dry season's effects on the Sanctuary and
surrounding Collier County is currently under investigation.
A boardwalk just over 2 miles (3 km) long provides walking access
through flat pine woods, wet meadows, stands of pond cypress and bald
cypress, and marsh ecosystems within the sanctuary. In 2017, parts of
the boardwalk were damaged by bald cypress trees toppled by Hurricane
Irma. Most of the damage has been repaired, but several small sections
have been permanently closed.
The sanctuary is a gateway for the
Great Florida Birding Trail. It is an important breeding area for the
endangered wood stork and other wetland birds. There are also wintering
passerines, such as the Painted Sparrow. Many species of wading birds
can be found in the sanctuary wetlands, including the yellow-crowned
night heron, black-crowned night heron, tricolored heron, great egret,
and snowy egret. Specialty birds include the brown curlew, barred owl
and, in summer, the swallow-tailed waterfowl.
American alligators
and water moccasin snakes are also inhabitants of the sanctuary.
The Sanctuary Visitor Center is a Living Machine demo site.