Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

     

Visiting Corkscrew Swamp is a calming experience. If you stop and just listen, the first thing you notice is that you don't hear any vehicles. None of that annoying honking of horns or squealing of tires. When you close your eyes and listen you can hear the wind blow through the trees and the sounds of the birds, insects and animals. Corkscrew Swamp is 13,000 acres of untouched natural Florida habitat. It provides a habitat for many of the State and Federal listed species. Being in Corkscrew Swamp gives you a snapshot of what biodiversity really is, and it makes you more aware of the impact that some issues in our everyday life reduce our biodiversity. For example, the use of fertilizer and pesticides. These pesticides run-off into our ground water supply and effect the quality of our soil. They can deplete the nutrients in the soil making it harder to grow plants and produce food. Even the depletion of our smallest organism will have an impact on the largest organisms.

FGCU Food Forest

 

 



On March 30, 2016 our Colloquium class took a field trip to the Florida Gulf Coast University Food Forest. It is amazing to think that this abundant garden, less than 5 years ago, was a dirt parking lot. The thought that in that short period of time sapling plants can grow into the lush vegetation that is in the Food Forest today is pretty incredible. The Forest contains over 27 different types of fruit plants and many more plants native to our area. Students can go to the Food Forest and pick anything from lychee nuts to star fruit or mangos to jackfruit. The student run facility promotes permaculture, which is the "ecological design system for sustainability in all aspects of humans endeavor", which teaches growing our own food, restoring diminished landscapes and ecosystems, to catching rainwater. The Food Forest is a perfect fit with FGCU's mission of sustainability, and provides a hand on volunteer experience for students to help them appreciate the cultivating process.