Naples' Corkscrew Wildlife Sanctuary provides surprises

Tuesday, January 27, 2015
MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net Firefighters, armed with propane torches and long water hoses, manage a controlled burn near the visitor's center at Corkscrew Sanctuary near Naples, FL.

A January visit to southwest Florida requires a visit to one of this reporter's favorite wildlife preserves, located in the Naples area on 13,000 acres of preserved land, set aside in 1954 as a protected place for nesting wood storks, roseate spoonbills and other endangered water birds.

Corkscrew Sanctuary is an amazing place, where alligators lurk under the green "lettuce lake," and jet black anhingas, "snakebirds," swim under the water's surface to catch fish, surfacing to dry their wings, as if posing for the many photographers and visitors who walk the 2.5 mile boardwalk.

The shrill screech of hawks echoes from the ancient cypress trees, and the raucous cry of the anhinga startles visitors, as the illusive bird pops up from the water to take a breath of air and swivel his head around to get his bearings.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net This enormous blue alligator has become a fixture in her favorite spot, overlooking the "lettuce lake" at the Corkscrew Sanctuary. She watches over her most recent brood of baby gators, protecting them from voracious males.

Delicate, exotic flowers bloom in unexpected places, their color standing out against the dark waters and unbelievably green leaves of bird's nest ferns.

And, there, as she has been for the last four years, is the enormous blue mama alligator, resting in her favorite spot, where she watches over her latest clutch of hatched babies, protecting them from the hungry jaws of the predatory male alligators, who care not one whit for her maternal instinct!

All these sights are an expected part of the yearly January visit to Corkscrew, but this year is different.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net A black-crowned night heron perches above the water in Corkscrew Sanctuary, providing a beautiful sight for the many photographers who stroll the boardwalk.

This year, the smell of smoke meets the visitor's nostrils, and the sight of orange flames and gray smoke leap up from the forest floor.

Taking the shortcut on the boardwalk (walking the wrong way), this reporter rushes to see a controlled burn, conducted by yellow-clad firefighters with rakes and propane burners. The dry saw grass and palm trees ignite into blaze, and the workers control the blaze with fire hoses.

According to the Audubon staff on duty at the visitor's center, these controlled burns are absolutely necessary to prevent the massive fires such as the Big Scrub Fire of 1935, which destroyed 35,000 acres in a period of four hours. In 1954, the Buckhead fire destroyed 100,000 acres in the Osceola National Forest in a single day.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net An anhinga, the "snake bird," dries his wings in the sun, after a morning of fishing beneath the swamp waters.

As if to underscore the fragile condition of the dry vegetation, a portion of the wooded area on the road to the sanctuary was burning, even as this reporter drove by. Shortly thereafter, the sound of fire sirens could be heard, as local fire equipment raced to the scene.

Paradise has its price and must be carefully preserved.

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