National Audubon Society

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary eNewsletter

We were so excited to kick off the winter season with a festive Holiday Market and 70th Anniversary Celebration! Attendees enjoyed a great selection of merchandise and gifts from local vendors including Rubee’s Honey and Taste of Immokalee as well as onsite activities, crafts, boardwalk tours, and “sleigh rides” through the backcountry.

Through April 30, we’re open until 5 p.m. with the last admission at 3 p.m. and the Cypress Café is open for breakfast, lunch, and snacks from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. New items on the menu include avocado toast and vegetable soup! Check out the menu here.
Get tickets to visit the Sanctuary.

Scenes from our festive Holiday Market and 70th Anniversary Celebration on Dec. 8.

Photo of a green forest with the sun's rays coming through.

The Gift of Giving Back

This holiday season, we would be grateful for your consideration of a gift to support the Sanctuary. Donations provide for more than half of our annual budget and support immersive, educational nature experiences within Corkscrew Swamp for our visitors and field trip students, stewardship of our 13,000 acres for wildlife and the watershed, and critical research that guides our work to protect this special place. Making a gift online is quick and easy, and can be made in honor or memory of a loved one. For assistance with gifting stock, IRA distributions, Donor Advised Funds, or others, contact Sarah Sauerland.

Donate today.

Bald cypress canopy. Photo: Sydney Walsh/Audubon Florida

Photo of a brown songbird perched on a branch with orange leaves in the background.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Motus Station Provides Clues to Thrush Migration

During the week of October 9, 2024, the week Hurricane Milton made its Florida landfall roughly 100 miles northwest of the Sanctuary, the Corkscrew station detected eight birds. According to Motus network data, four of those birds were thrushes that researchers tagged at their breeding locations in northern North America.

Two Swainson’s Thrush were tagged in Vancouver, British Colombia – one later recorded by a Motus station in Guatemala. Another Swainson’s Thrush, tagged by scientists with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) as part of their Mansfield Songbird Research Project, was detected in Belize the day after it passed by the Corkscrew station.

Read the entire story.

Swainson's Thrush. Photo: James Monfils/Audubon Photography Awards

A group of people standing in a line outdoors

Community Foundation Grant Will Support Strategic Planning

Audubon has received a $5,000 grant from the Collier Community Foundation to support strategic planning efforts of our Corkscrew Sustainability Board. This cadre of dedicated volunteers is charged with increasing support for programs and engaging the people and businesses of Southwest Florida in wetland conservation.

Corkscrew Sustainability board members in February 2024 included (left to right) Deb Carrier, Sharon Stilwell, Bruce McEver, Mike Rohovsky, Board Chair Steve Nellis, Gerry Manning, and Sanctuary Director Keith Laakkonen.

Events and Other News

An educator holds artifacts for children to see

Member Corner

Members have so much to look forward to at the Sanctuary this season!

We’ve already shared the Sanctuary Striders Walking Club and Early Morning Access Days. We’re also excited to announce this year’s Member Lecture Series, which will cover topics from shorebirds to orchids.

PLUS! Member families with children between 6 and 12 are invited to participate in our new Animal Adaptations Program! This is a free and exclusive Corkscrew member-only program on the CLASS loop. Registration is required and space is limited. Not a member? Join today!

NEW Animal Adaptations Programs for Members

Upcoming Events

BYO Backcountry Bike Tour: Dec. 20, Jan. 11
Early Birding Tour: Jan 7, 21, 28
Early Morning Admission for Members: Dec. 18, Jan. 4
Corkscrew Night Tour: Jan. 8, 13
Guided Forest Meditation: Jan. 3
Member Lecture | Wings Along the Water: Jan. 3
Guided Swamp Walk: Jan. 4; Feb. 1, 8
Ancient Forest Tour: Jan. 23
World Wetlands Day: Feb. 2
Find our entire programs and events listing here.

Guided swamp walk.

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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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