Corkscrew Swamp Adventure :)

Planning our swamp adventure we took into consideration the time of day we were going to go. It didn't help anything because the 2 mile trail that we took was still blazing hot in the 10am Florida heat, but in the end it was well worth it.

There were five of us in the group and naturally when anyone sees five young adults they get a little weary and they told us the rules right away. While we were waiting to pay and getting ready for the boardwalk, the three of us girls had to use the restroom (we're girls, its inevitable). The Living Machine, which the name for the waste water disposable system, is how the Sanctuary preserves the area without adding the normal human interference of pipes and harsh chemicals. The Living Machine is a system that uses the waste water and product to enrich the soil and keep the area beautiful.


This beautiful piece of land is protected not only by the state of Florida, but also by the help and support of different donors and private non-profit organizations who make it possible for the volunteers and workers to do what they do everyday with the monetary support they give. The conservation of the land is to help protect the wildlife, the plants and the animals, from the future endeavors of those trying to bulldoze and build in the area. The conservation and stewardship of everyone is important because without any help from outsiders the land would have been gone years ago, and the future generations would never be able to experience the true beauty of the land. With the help of different people on the same path to help this land, nothing can damage what is there (at least in my opinion).

Many people come and go from the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary everyday. The pure natural atmosphere attracts all different ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Civic engagement is, in my opinion, one of the major reasons that people are drawn in to the Sanctuary. Field trips and class assignments allow for students to learn and understand what is going on in the area, and in some cases brings in volunteers and monetary donations. By word of mouth these students pass on what they saw on their trip to Corkscrew Swamp, and this can spark more research into the land, and even pass on the thought of another person making a trip to see what all the fuss is about. The term civic engagement is more of an umbrella term that is used describe activities and different circumstances that bring together a community. I think this term is perfect for explaining what the workers at the Sanctuary are trying to do.

This area is only slightly protected by the government because the state of Florida pretty much always has the final say in what happens with the land. However, the government's true role should be to work towards conservation of the area and the education of the people who live in the state on what they can do to help areas like this. Hopefully the government cane help to maintain the area, and keep it from being bulldozed to build condos for the growing state and particularly the growing area populations. This destruction of this area would not be helpful nor would it be smart. This area is a essential for water flow from other areas of the state to the ocean, if the land were built on then the water flow would be obstructed and would destroy more than one ecosystem.

All in all this little swamp adventure proved to be worth suffering in the heat and the deer fly bites. Especially since we got to see alligators, and they're kind of beautiful :)