Electric Land Management

                                                          Electric Land Management



I never thought that after getting a degree in Environmental Biology that I would still have so much to learn about working a land management job.  Land management is so much more than invasive plant removal and prescribed burns. Land management is dealing with the circumstances at hand in the best way possible.

Just the other day the well pump at the mitigation bank finally gave out. Rather than calling it a day, due to the lack of water, Allyson and I went down to good 'ole Lowes and got a new pump. I had never replaced an above ground pump before. I had also never done any rewiring of any kind. This particular day I got a crash course in wiring, water pumps, and pvc glue. We managed to get a brand new pump set in place and ready to go.

If anything this malfunctioning equipment speaks to the adaptability of a land management team. If something goes wrong, it does not hurt to know a little bit more than just invasive species.

-Alex

How I Got Into Birding

How I Got Into Birding

I wasn't always someone who would go out of their way to visit natural areas, state parks, or wildlife refuges. Honestly, I wasn't always interested in ecology, environmental science, and biology. In fact, my best subjects back in high school were English and Chemistry. It wasn't until my senior year in high school that I became interested in these natural sciences, and the reason for that was my introduction into birding.

My two best friends had visited Green Cay Wetlands, which was an anthropogenic wetland - AKA -man-made wetland restored from previous farmland. That's how they got into birding; they would try to identify all the species of birds they would see along the boardwalk. One day, they asked if I wanted to go to Marco Island with them for a day trip on the weekend. I said yes, not knowing that birding was going to be on the to do list. When we arrived at Marco Island, they brought out their binoculars and started identifying all of the shorebirds on the beach (one I specifically remember was a Snowy Plover). They were so excited to see the Snowy Plover, and I was still apathetic to the whole thing. They asked if I found any interest in what they were doing, and I told them I was still unconvinced. I just didn't see the big deal about seeing a bird!

In order to win me over, they brought me to Green Cay Wetlands. They started teaching me how to identify birds starting with Herons and Egrets, which were the most prevalent group of birds at the site. I kinda got the hang of it, with mistakes of calling a birds "Great Heron" or "Blue Egret." The one bird I could identify without question was the Roseate Spoonbill. When I was little, my dad would read me these animal books, and one of the animals I remember was the Roseate Spoonbill because it was pink and the bill was the shape of a spoon. My friends and I would visit Green Cay on the weekends pretty regularly, and I found it to be a fun way to spend time with my friends.

What solidified me as a "bird nerd" was when my friends and I took another trip back to Marco Island. On the car ride there, I would read my Smithsonian Bird Guide of North America to study up on the birds we would see at the time. While we were birding the mudflats, I remember seeing a photographer taking pictures of Roseate Spoonbills foraging. The photographer was waste deep in the water with a huge lens on his camera, which was attached to a tripod. That image will always be in my head whenever I think about my first experiences birding because I found it so interesting that someone would think to walk out in the middle of the water  to take photos of birds. As we continued along through the mudflats, we all agreed that we would want to see a cool shorebird, like a Greater Yellowlegs. All of a sudden, we all hear "tututu" flying in right in front of us. Immediately we all see the bright yellow legs on the medium sized shorebird. It was a Greater Yellowlegs! We had confirmed it due to its call and not just by its yellow legs (which is also seen on Lesser Yellowlegs). 

That trip and that moment sharing an experience of a "lifer" with friends is what cemented me in the birding life. I started becoming more interested in environmental sciences, biology, and ecology due me spending most of my free time outdoors watching birds. I encourage anyone who hasn't tried birding to go to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, or their local natural area, with friends and try to identify some birds. Birding is a healthy and productive hobby that everyone can enjoy!

-Brian, Research Intern

The Wolf Reflects in Ripples of the Swamp

I was a 90/10 Resource/Research Conservation Intern here at Corkscrew. My 10% research included trail cam processing and the occasional species survey, otherwise I was always on Resource in the battlefield against invasive species. I learned more species identification such as invasive species and bird species. I learned hands on operational and maintenance skills with chainsaws and 4wd vehicles like our swamp buggies and ATVs. I wrote an operational procedures manual outlining the maintenance and usage of these as well as other tools and equipment. I was also part of two prescribed fires including mop up where I learned about the amount of foresight that has to go into the fire plan and the suppression techniques. 

As my internship comes to a close, I reflect on my time here at corkscrew. It isn’t like me to sugar coat things because I am a very direct person who prefers the straight truth. That being said, this internship was a very tough experience. There were a lot of negative times that I had.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing however, I really grew because of it. 

Resource management is hard work especially in Florida where temperatures feel as hot as 120 degrees in the field. You screw up more often, you dehydrate fast, and you get annoyed with the people you work with even quicker. Heat will do this but you always had to remember that you are still working in a professional setting. I had a hard time getting a firm handle on this concept until about the fifth month of my sixth month internship where I managed to change my mindset and just appreciate everything around me.

The biggest lesson I learned from interning here at corkscrew was professionalism and how to adapt by merely changing my state of mind. I learned how to better work with people and how my wording when I speak can be misconstrued very easily and offend people who are not familiar with me. This is common sense written down but I did not fully gage the extent of it and have experienced blow backs because of it during my internship (I am thankful I learned this during an internship and not a career job). I have learned that complaining with a fellow coworker only puts your mind in a negative state and that it is a poor reflection on you to continue doing it. 

 This is what I obtained from my internship here, personal growth.

During my rebirth I have realized that I want to go back to school to pursue a degree in Sustainability business geared towards Water quality and Ecohydrology. I am passionate about ecology and have always caught myself transfixed with hydrology (water movement and quality). 

From growing up in a swamp, enjoying the currents of the ocean in my kayak, falling in love with Wilson’s Creek at Pisgah National Forest, being enamored with Rainbow Falls at the Great Smoky Mountains, to once again returning to the Florida wetlands- I am excited to move on with what I learned and to open more doors on my way wherever I go.

Panther Island Field Day

Panther Island Field Day

This past week on Panther Island (PI), I went out with Lee Martin, our Research Technician, to conduct the monthly wading bird survey. We didn't see many birds, but what we did find was a ton more invasive apple snail egg clusters than we had seen the month before. At first, it was only a few that we saw attached to some Pickerel Weed and alligator flag, but after going down one of the trails, we saw dozens attached to other aquatic plant bunches all the way down. We had seen one Snail Kite along the way, so we will have to wait and see how this season's snail populations affect the Snail Kite population.

We had also found tons of Florida Panther tracks along the way, some even included kittens as well! Lee made plasters of the tracks as a souvenir. Other tracks included Bobcats, Coyotes, and White-tailed Deer. We also we driving our ATVs down one trail to find that the trail had been dug up and ruined by wild hogs. Maybe the presence of these hogs on PI will assist the growth of the panther population as well. 

Overall, I thought it was crazy to see how much PI's water level had changed from the last time I was there in June. I predict that we will definitely be seeing more Snail Kites out there due to the population growth of the apple snails, whether invasive or native.