Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary remains closed to protect the health and well-being of our staff, volunteers, and visitors and to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Although the Blair Audubon Visitor Center and boardwalk are closed, Audubon staff continue to protect natural resources and maintain the security of the Sanctuary. When the spread of COVID-19 decreases in Florida, we plan to open again to the public. Thank you so much for your patience.

Celebrating a Restoration Milestone Thanks to the generosity of several donors, the land management team exceeded its summer goal for the ongoing marsh and prairie restoration project. A variety of challenges, including a global pandemic, were overcome to reach this milestone of removing woody vegetation from 670 acres, taking us ever-closer to our goal of restoring 1,000 acres by 2023.  Learn more about the project and donors who recognized the importance of this restoration work and have chosen to invest in its success. Read more

Restored wet prairie at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

The First Ghost Orchid Flowers of the Season Have Been Spotted Discovered in July 2007, the Corkscrew "Super" Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) remains in the spotlight each summer. In 2019, the orchid bloomed from June 27 through September 27, with a maximum number of eight flowers at one time. While the Sanctuary remains closed, staff are working hard to re-open, allowing visitors and volunteers plenty of time to see the famous flower. Read more

The "Super" Ghost Orchid's first flowers of the season

Lunch and Learn: Conservation Campaigning November 3 will bring many choices at the ballot box, but most notably for all conservationists (which is ALL of us!) will be a referendum on restarting the Conservation Collier Program since it ceased land purchases in 2011. Join our Lunch and Learn audience for a free webinar on July 29 to hear what the future could hold for conservation in Collier County on November 3. This webinar will be presented by Brad Cornell, Southwest Florida Policy Associate with Audubon Florida/Audubon of the Western Everglades.  Register for the webinar

Sunflowers in the marsh

#HalfMyDAF Challenge – Attention Donor-Advised Fund Holders! Are you looking for a way for your financial support to have a bigger impact? That is possible through the #HalfMyDAF matching grant challenge. More than $120 billion is sitting in Donor-Advised Funds (DAF) and community foundations – money that could be used to support many struggling nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This challenge aims to put these charitable dollars to work now, when it is needed most. Donors who commit to granting half of the money from their DAF before September 30 to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (and/or other nonprofit organizations) give us the chance to be one of the 150 non-profits that could win a matching grant of up to $25,000. The more donors who nominate the Sanctuary, the better the chances. Learn more by visiting halfmydaf.com. For more information or assistance with gifting to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, please contact development manager Sarah Lathrop or call 317-372-9016. Read more

Buttonbush.

Sanctuary Staff Conducts Summer Burn On Thursday, July 16, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s Prescribed Fire Team conducted a summer, growing-season prescribed fire between the entrance and exit boardwalks. The goal was to reduce some of the hardwoods and fine fuels that have built up over the years since its last burn. Heavy rains the day before, lower than predicted wind speeds, and inconsistent wind direction combined to inhibit the movement of the fire in some areas. However, we did get some fire along the perimeter and the wet prairie carried fire well in the afternoon which will lead to killing younger hardwoods, pruning Coastal Plain Willow along the cypress fringe, and improving this wildlife habitat. With fuels reduced, we will aim to get a more complete burn next spring in this unit. Learn more about the Prescribed Fire program at the Sanctuary

Marshall Olson, director of conservation, helped ignite the fire.

Sanctuary Receives Grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County Audubon Florida is pleased to announce that it has received a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County. These funds will provide needed support to maintain operations at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary due to the financial impacts from the COVID-19 shutdown.   Read more

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in the News Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s director of research Shawn Clem, Ph.D. was interviewed for two news articles about the plight of the Wood Stork. The Palm Beach Post story, Scores of wood stork nestlings starve to death, are eaten by vultures after heavy rains published on June 19. A similar story appeared on July 3 in the Ft. Myers News-Press: Wood stork nesting in Florida a bust after less-than-optimal wet winter (subscription required). Read more about the local Wood Stork nesting season here.  Coastal Breeze News highlighted that, in 2019, the research paper about Ghost Orchid pollination at the Sanctuary was one of the “Top 100” ecology papers downloaded from the prestigious Scientific Reports publication.  And to finish things off, enjoy the beauty of “Primitive Florida” as shared in the News-Journal Online, which includes an amazing image by Mac Stone of River Otters at the Sanctuary.

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