Healthy wetlands hold water during big rainfall events. They also protect water quality, recharge aquifers, and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. RENEE WILSON / AUDUBON
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary hosted the Corkscrew Watershed Science Forum on May 12. This annual event, started by Audubon staff in 2015, encourages scientists, engineers, land stewards, and others working in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) to share their work with colleagues, policy staff, decision makers, and volunteers. The CREW Land & Water Trust was established in 1989 as a nonprofit organization to coordinate the land acquisition, land management, and public use of the 60,000-acre Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. The watershed spans portions of Lee and Collier County and includes Corkscrew Marsh, Bird Rookery Swamp, Flint Pen Strand, Camp Keais Strand, and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
Corkscrew Watershed Science Forum — More than 70 environmental professionals attended the 2023 forum, the first since 2019. Along with scientific presentations, the event encouraged participants to share resources and discuss opportunities for future collaboration across the watershed. Topics included nuisance shrub management, mammal monitoring, using drones to answer ecological questions, and more.
Water Restoration: A Forum Focus — The event was kicked off with presentations that provided an update on efforts to restore regional water levels. Prior to the mid-2000s, local wetlands held water throughout the entire winter “dry” season in most years, but development downstream of CREW has led to too much water flowing out of the landscape, threatening wildlife habitat and making the region more vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire.
Addressing this problem began with a modelling study, carried out by Water Science Associates and funded by Audubon and the South Florida Water Management District. Following completion of the model in 2021, Audubon and the District have continued to increase water level monitoring and to collect additional data that will ultimately guide restoration efforts.
Brad Jackson, senior engineer with the District, outlined the history of this collaborative effort, including progress on a new modelling tool that will be completed later this year. This tool will allow water managers to develop a comprehensive plan to balance competing needs for water, and ultimately to restore freshwater flows to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Bird Rookery Swamp.
Wood Storks in the Western Everglades — A presentation by event organizer Shawn Clem, Ph.D., Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s director of research and interim conservation director, illustrated how Wood Stork use of this habitat has declined over time. Historically, tens of thousands of Wood Storks nested in Southwest Florida, arriving in October to begin nesting season. Moving west to east across the landscape as water levels dropped, Wood Storks began their nesting in our region because the shallow wetlands in this area were more accessible in fall months when the majority of the Everglades system was still under water. As dry season sets in, they travelled farther east and down into Everglades National Park.
Over the past 50 years, however, tens of thousands of nests in Southwest Florida decreased to a few hundred birds. Storks feed on small fish that reproduce in shallow, grassy wetlands and need deeper water to survive the dry season. Availability of these fish drives Wood Stork nesting success. As “no nesting” years became more common at the Sanctuary, colonies at Lenore Island (in the Caloosahatchee River) and near Big Cypress Preserve began to form. While the USFWS recovery target for South Florida is 2,500 pairs, we are not there yet. Birds have shifted north outside their historic range and are increasing nesting in every location except the Everglades. However, we do not know if these new nesting outposts will survive long term, and it is risky to rely on them for the health of the entire Wood Stork population.
Why this Matters — An underlying theme throughout the event was the need to conserve and protect the wetland habitats that remain in Southwest Florida, particularly shallow wetlands. We need healthy wetlands to protect water quality, recharge aquifers, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and hold water during big rainfall events. Luckily, the synergies created during the event will continue to grow; ultimately these partnerships work to make our region more resilient. ¦
