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Featuring the Land
. . . What's a Watershed? A watershed is an area of land that collects water and channels it to a particular watercourse or body of water. The CREW Land & Water Trust protects the largest undisturbed watershed in Southwest Florida. Water from the surrounding area flows into the 5,000-acre freshwater Corkscrew Marsh, which contains sawgrass and wetland plants similar to the Everglades. This marsh forms the headwaters of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW). These headwaters are the beginning of a natural flow way (or drainage) which eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The CREW land is comprised of upland and wetland habitats. Wetlands are areas covered by water a lot of the year. A marsh is a fairly flat wetland with grassy plants, which help filter out pollution. (Swamps are another type of wetland, but they aren't as flat as a marsh, and they have a lot of trees.) Marshes help keep our streams and lakes clean. Plus, healthy marshes provide abundant food for birds! Cypress trees are typically located in low wetland areas. Nicknamed the "wood eternal" because of their resistance to decay, these lovely trees tend to thrive in areas with fluctuating water levels. In South Florida, Cypress systems are typically dryer in winter and spring, but are surrounded by above-ground water for much of the rainy season in summer and fall. The water is usually clear and the color of tea, due to the release of tannic acid as leaves and other matter decompose. Cypress areas help filter out pollutants from the water--one of Mother Nature's "water treatment systems!" Cypress systems also provide a home to many species, including the endangered Florida panther and the wood stork. The CREW lands also include lovely hammocks, areas at a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding marsh. The saturated soil provides a moist climate for live oaks, cabbage palms, maples, and ferns--including the resurrection fern which turns brown and shrivels during a dry period, but which "resurrects" into a lush, green fern after a good rain. Another large portion of CREW lands are pine flatwoods, uplands which provide habitat for black bear, panther, deer, and turkey. These pine flatwoods are usually the highest (and driest!) area in the CREW Project, although they may stay wet for short periods after heavy rainfall. Flatwoods are typically considered uplands, but there's a range of wetness versus dryness. The flatwoods at the CREW trail system are officially termed "hydric pine flatwoods," which is the wetter type. ("Hydric" means a habitat characterized by an abundance of moisture.) Pine flatwoods cover more area than any other natural community in South Florida. Wildflowers are abundant at CREW all year...Photographs of CREW Wildflowers
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