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Florida residents enjoy half-price admission in September, while admission for Corkscrew members is always free! We recommend reserving tickets online.
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary eNewsletter
Collage of photos (clockwise): People standing on a clean carpet in the nature store, people smiling with a hedge trimmer on the boardwalk, people with equipment to shine the wood floor, and a man with hoses and buckets on the boardwalk.
Eleven-day Closure Puts a Shine on Our Floor and More
During our August temporary closure, staff, volunteers, and contractors worked hard to improve our visitor experience. Many thanks to HK Floor Recoating for doing a fabulous job on the wood floor in our Blair Visitor Center; All-in-One Cleaning who cleaned carpets, windows, and walls; and F&L Fencing for washing algae off several shady portions of the boardwalk. How did they do it?

Under the careful guidance of Gio D’Achiardi, facilities manager, F&L used a suction pump hose (to pull water from the swamp) connected to a pressure washer—no soap or chemicals were used in this process!

We also had a team trimming vines and branches that were taking over our boardwalk—many thanks to volunteers Harry, Lynn, and Charlie for assisting land stewardship team members Tyler Fuller and Allyson Webb with this hard work.
Staff, volunteers, and contractors worked hard to improve the visitor experience while we were closed in late August.
Photo of a dirt road with a large cat looking back at the camera
Staff Encountered a Florida Panther on Campus
Early in the morning on September 3, Randy Shaffer on our facilities team was driving his cart on an access road between our administrative buildings when he saw something moving up ahead - it was a Florida panther! He was able to snap a quick photo before it moved out of his sight.

Florida panther sightings are unusual but no longer rare at the Sanctuary as staff, volunteer, and visitor sightings have become more frequent in recent years. The Florida panther is an umbrella species. That means that as we protect it, we protect many other animals. Protecting land where these cats roam also means protecting our watersheds and human communities.
Senior Facilities Coordinator Randy Shaffer saw a Florida panther earlier this week and took this photo with his cell phone!
Photo of a large tree
September Brings Half-Price Admission for Florida Residents and a FREE Day
Florida residents can enjoy half-price admission every day in September, and everyone can enjoy free admission in honor of Latino Conservation Week on Saturday, September 21!

As part of our free event, guests are invited to connect with nature through the eyes of artist-in-residence Lisette Morales McCabe for a walking meditation on how nature photography can be a recipe for self-care. This tour, offered in English and Spanish, takes place at 8:30 a.m. and includes a 90-minute walk around the short loop of the boardwalk highlighting a few of Lisette’s favorite spots to take photos. Participants may bring their own cameras to take photos along the way. (Lisette will not be teaching the mechanics of how to use the camera, instead, she will be focusing on the artistry of photo taking.)

Register for our Latino Conservation Week event today! After choosing your arrival time, you will see a 100% discount applied at checkout.
A giant cypress tree. Photo: Lisette Morales McCabe

Scroll past the news for more information and events!

in the news graphic
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in the News - August
Seven Decades: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Celebrates a Major Milestone
https://bonitasprings.floridaweekly.com/articles/seven-decades-corkscrew-swamp-sanctuary-celebrates-a-major-milestone/


What makes Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary so special? It could be the 500-year-old bald cypress trees within the largest expanse of old-growth bald cypress forest remaining in the world, or it could be the biggest ghost orchid ever discovered.

Corkscrew SIGHTINGS: Fall Migration is Underway
https://www.swspotlight.com/articles/community/corkscrew-sightings-fall-migration-is-underway/


Because of its geography, South Florida and especially locations like Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary serve as critical jumping-off points for birds heading to the Caribbean or Central or South America to spend the winter. Swallow-tailed Kites, American Redstarts, and Ovenbirds are just a few of the species that rely on this habitat for the fuel they need to sustain them as they complete their long flights.
View of the boardwalk with trees and dark water
A Really Rainy Summer Raises Water Levels in the Swamp
With 11.38 inches of rain recorded at the Sanctuary in August, we received slightly above the 10.8-inch average rainfall for the month. Combined with 9.5 inches in July and a whopping 17.72 inches in June brought on by several heavy, punctuated rain events, above-average rainfall this summer has kept our water levels high, enabling fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic prey to spread out across the landscape. September also started very wet with 4.34 inches recorded in the first three days, putting water over Sanctuary Road and temporarily closing some backcountry roads.
Water levels are high along the boardwalk. Photo: Renee Wilson/Audubon Florida
A map showing North and South America with lines showing flight path next to a photo of a bird in a wetland.
Tagged Lesser Yellowlegs Tracked by Motus Wildlife Tracking Station
In early August, a tagged Lesser Yellowlegs migrating south after the breeding season in the Boreal Forest of northern North America was recorded by the Motus wildlife tracking station in the Sanctuary backcountry. We were excited to learn that it was tagged in Colombia in April!

Learn more about this bird's travels and how the Sanctuary plays an important role in connecting important habitats across the Americas.
Left: Lines showing the bird's migratory path from Colombia toward breeding areas and part of the bird's return trip south. Map: Valentina Grisales. Right: A Lesser Yellowlegs at the Sanctuary. Photo: Allyson Webb
The boardwalk at night with moon rising and people in the distance
Join Us for Moonlight on the Boardwalk on Oct. 17
Join us for a fantastic evening on the boardwalk as dusk turns to night during the full moon. Because it is a supermoon, the moon will appear larger and brighter.  From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., guests will enjoy a variety of activities, including a children's nighttime sound identification activity, mini-boardwalk tour, touch table, children’s story time about nocturnal animals, a moth station, and spotting scopes in the wet prairie for wildlife and night sky viewing.

Discounted admissions are $8/adult, $3 for children, and free for Corkscrew members and children ages 5 and under. Plus: Say “moonlight” at the register to get a 10% discount on all t-shirt purchases.

Register here

October 17 is also the new date for our members-only Summer Swamp Social from 5 to 6 p.m. Members will enjoy upbeat music, yummy food, and complimentary drinks in the Cypress Café. They will also receive a free copy of Audubon Florida's State of the Everglades Report, hear from Sanctuary Director Keith Laakkonen, and mix and mingle with other like-minded folks who move our conservation mission forward. Members who registered for the August 4 event and want to attend on October 17 will need to make a new reservation.

Members: register here
Events and Other News
A group of students wearing goggles standing outdoors with their teacher.
Sign Up for Youth Education Programs
Did you know? We offer exciting 2nd-grade Insect Adventure, 5th-grade Wild Florida Adventure, and 7th-grade Ecosystems and Web of Life school programs, developed in coordination with the Collier County School Board and in alignment with the Florida Sunshine State Standards. These programs include interactive, engaging, and educational field trips to the Sanctuary along with follow-up classroom lessons.

Teachers and parents are encouraged to email Heather Gienapp, education manager, for information or to book an existing or custom program for your group from November to March.
Second-grade students participating in the Insect Adventure program.
A man adjusting a scope on a boardwalk under a small roof
New Scope Set-up for Ghost Orchid Viewing
Although there remains only one blossom on the “Super” ghost orchid, we are excited to announce we have a new spotting scope and mounting apparatus to secure it to the boardwalk handrail and a small shelter to protect it from rain.

If you haven’t seen the orchid yet this year, next week might be your last opportunity until it blooms again. See the plant’s complete bloom history here.
Senior Facilities Assistant Will Braybrooks makes the final adjustments to the new scope.
A brick wall with photographs of Florida nature.
Celebrating 70 Years of Conservation in the Community
Visitors at the Naples Regional Library's West Wing Art Gallery can enjoy a photography exhibit highlighting our 70th anniversary and works by our three photographers in residence: R J Wiley, Zeida Cecilia-Mendez, and Lisette Morales McCabe.

The library, at 650 Central Avenue in Naples, is open Monday - Saturday. Our exhibit will be on display through October.
Photos by Zeida Cecilia-Mendez, photographer in residence, are part of the exhibit on display.
People participating in a bike tour.
Upcoming Programs
Early Birding Tour | Sept. 24, Oct. 8
Family Sunset Stroll | Oct. 15
Corkscrew Night Tour | Sept. 16, 30; Oct. 9
Sunset Stroll | Sept. 23
Butterfly Identification Workshop and Field Excursion | Sept. 25
BYO Backcountry Bike Tour | Oct. 5, 10
Ancient Forest Tour | Oct. 7

Pre-registration for guided programs is required. See the full calendar and register for programs and events here.

Florida Master Naturalist Program – Freshwater Wetlands Core Module (a 40-hour certification course) | Oct. 28, 30; Nov. 1, 4, 8, 13, 21
Space is limited. Find all details and registration at the University of Florida FMNP website.
Our BYO Backcountry Bike Tours are back!
DONATE
Donations and memberships provide crucial support for conservation work at the Sanctuary.

We are open daily at 8 a.m. From May 1 through Dec. 15, we close at 3 p.m. with the last admission at 1 p.m. From Dec. 16 through April 30, we're open until 5 p.m. (last admission at 3 p.m.)

Online tickets are recommended at www.corkscrew.audubon.org/visit.
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Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
375 Sanctuary Rd., Naples, FL 34120 USA
(239) 348-9151 | corkscrew.audubon.org

© 2024 National Audubon Society, Inc.

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