NEW Ways to Give to CREW this Holiday Season

Looking for a way to give back to your local community this holiday season?

The CREW Trust is preparing for the annual end-of-year giving by providing new ways to participate. Below are 2 ways you can get involved online this year to help make a difference in your community:

Give to CREW every time you shop on Amazon. Through this program Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your purchases to a charitable organization of your choice. So if you are online shopping this season make sure to go to http://smile.amazon.com/ before you buy and add CREWtrust (Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Trust Inc.) as your Amazon Smile. After that just make sure your url has smile before amazon and you are good to go.

2. Forget Black Friday and Cyber Monday put your money towards an international day of giving to non-profits. The CREW Trust is start off their end-of-year giving with #GivingTuesday December 1st, 2015. All proceeds go to our education fund. Participate by visiting our website: https://crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com/donate/

Your gift is an investment in the future of southwest Florida – helping us to provide more high quality environmental education experiences for people of all ages – cradle to grave!

Help us make a difference. Give big. Give small. But give today.

Thank You

September 29, 2015September 28, 2015

Wildfile Q & A: What left that scat?

Q: What left that scat?

A: The six larger mammals plus the alligators that inhabit CREW lands may not always be seen, but evidence of their presence is common. Distinguishing the scat (excrement, droppings) of those animals is relatively easy based on shape and size.

Three of the mammals consume plant material and leave scat that usually contains seeds or berries: raccoons, black bears, and white-tailed deer.

The three other mammals are carnivores, so their scat will contain fur, bones, and/or bits of shell, but no seeds.

Alligators are primarily carnivores, too, but their digestive systems are so strong that there is rarely any recognizable material in their scat.

Below are identifying characteristics for each of the seven animals, first by shape and then by size.

1. PILE

small– Raccoon

Scat can either be a small pile or small and tubular. If tubular, both ends are rounded; usually full of seeds; color will vary depending on what was recently eaten. For example, purple-tinted scat can come from a diet of elderberries, beautyberries, or cabbage palm fruit.

large– Black Bear

Scat is a humongous pile, usually full of seeds which the bears don’t digest. Color can vary depending on what the bear has recently eaten. Oval, almond-size seeds are from saw palmetto.

2. TUBULAR

small– Bobcat

Frequently segmented; can be up to 3 inches in length and around 3/4 inch in diameter; one end rounded while the other usually tapers to a point; contains visible fur and possibly bones

large– Panther

Frequently segmented; can be up to 5 inches in length and over 1 inch in diameter; one end rounded while the other end tapers to a point; contains bits of fur and bone. Panthers, like many cats, often scratch dirt or leaves over their scat. The bare patch where they scratched is called a “scrape.”

gigantic– Alligator

Can be up to 5 or 6 inches in length and over 2 inches in diameter; rounded at both ends; light gray when fresh and drying to almost white. Scat really stinks, even after drying up.

3. MUSHY BLOB

River Otter

Found near water; scat may have no recognizable shape but contains fish bones and scales and pieces of shell; oily, tar-like appearance. Otters mark their territories by leaving scented scat on the highest ground they can find, which is usually a trail. Fresh scat really stinks.

4. PELLETS

White-tailed Deer

Small, round, individual scat shows deer has been browsing on things such as leaves twigs, and acorns. Lumpy scat is more indicative of a meal of easier to digest grasses, clover, and other forbs.

By Dick Brewer

http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html

September 25, 2015October 30, 2015

Golf October 23, 2015

2015 CREW Stanley Hole Golf Tournament

Register today and help us bring another class to CREW:

CREW Stanley Hole Golf Tournament Registration Flyer 2015

Our annual CREW – Stanley Hole Golf Tournament is always fun, ever entertaining, and a great way to network, meet new people, and help to support CREW’s ongoing Environmental Education programs.

CREW Benefit Golf Tournament 2015
WHEN: October 23, 2015
WHERE: Old Corkscrew Golf Club, 17320 Corkscrew Rd., Estero 33928
TIME: Shotgun Start at 8:30 AM (Registration 7:30 – 8:15 AM)
Entry Fee: $100/player or $400/foursome
Hole Sponsorship: $500

Download the hole sponsor and player registration form below, and please be sure to share it with friends….

CREW Stanley Hole Golf Tournament Registration Flyer 2015

A big THANK YOU to our 2015 Sponsors:

September 24, 2015

Take A Child Outside Week

Take a Child Outside Week-

September 24—September 30 Annually

” Take A Child Outside is a program designed to encourage children and adults to spend time together outdoors. By giving parents, grandparents and teachers information on outdoor
activities and places to go, our goal is to help children develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment and an enthusiasm for exploring the natural world.”- http://www.takeachildoutside.org/

Get out to CREW :

CREW offers three different trail systems that
you can explore. The CREW Marsh Trails offers a scenic tour around Southwest Florida’s premier watershed. The Cypress Dome Trails provides a peak into the vast world of Cypress Domes, and is a great place for fall wildflowers. Bird Rookery Swamp is a 12-mile loop full of wildlife and wonders. Be prepared to get wet, and have fun. Getting children outdoors helps them not only connect to the natural world, but helps them focus in school and has shown to reduce rates of obesity. So get involved and take a child out doors!

For more information visit: http://leef-florida.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?s=74621.0.0.37432&dateid=8397

September 24, 2015September 23, 2015

ACT NOW- Upcoming CREW Events

CREW kicks off this season with three great Saturday events:

Fungi/Mushroom Hunt with Ben “Mykes logos” Dion- September 26th

This walk will feature an in-depth introduction into the world of fungi, a discussion about fungi and their roles at CREW, and hands-on mushroom hunting and field identification. It takes place at the CREW Marsh Trails off Corkscrew Road. Benjamin Dion is the founder of the Southwest Florida Mycological Society. Known as “Mykes logos” in the mushroom world, Dion is a local expert on the identification, use, and ecological role of various fungi in the Southwest Florida area.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fungimushroom-hunt-with-ben-mykes-logos-dion-

registration-17801231964

Fall Wildflower Walk with Brenda Thomas- October 3rd

Join FGCU instructor and wildflower expert Brenda Thomas for this fabulous walk to identify fall-blooming flowers and grasses along the CREW Marsh Trails. The fall flowers are always spectacular after the wet growing season of summer. This is your chance to learn from someone whose passion for plants is unsurpassed!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-wildflower-walk-with-brenda-thomas-registration-18247392442

Florida’s Fabulous Spiders: A CREW Strolling Science Seminar- October 10th

This is CREW’s first Strolling Science Seminar- We are starting off the season with one of the top Spider Specialist, Dr. G.B. Edwards.

Do you know how many types of spiders are in the Florida and in world? Do you know what the role of spiders are in nature? Can you identify the few types of spiders that are medically important? Do you know how to safely catch and release spiders in the home? If the answer to any of these questions is NO, then this program is for you.

We will go on a hike, looking for different kinds of spiders in their natural habitat. In the fall, we should find many large orbweavers, but many other types of spiders as well. Participants are encouraged to take photos, and in some cases, feed the spiders to observe their prey-capture behavior. We will discuss do’s and don’ts of handling spiders! Get all your questions about spiders answered!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/floridas-fabulous-spiders-a-crew-strolling-science-seminar-tickets-18217581276

September 8, 2015

A View of Bird Rookery Swamp- Water on the Trails

Bird Rookery Swamp observations
Saturday, September 5 ~ 7:15 am–1:15 pm

“Below are my observations from today at Bird Rookery Swamp (BRS). Not a bad day for birding, especially with more Barn Swallows over the meadow opposite the start of the boardwalk and a small “flock” of Eastern Kingbirds between markers 6 & 3. Attached is a photo of a Black-and-white Warbler that was prying little insects from bark crevices in a cypress near Ida’s Pond; it has one in its bill. Ida wasn’t visible while either going out or coming back. Several pairs of hikers armed with cameras were on the trails plus two bicyclers; the bikers turned back a little past marker 3 toward marker 6 when the mud got slippery and the water was flowing over the trail. Other than that, a nice day!

BIRDS
Anhinga – 1
Great Blue Heron – 2
Great Egret – 4
Snowy Egret – 9
Little Blue Heron – 11
Tri-colored Heron – 10
Green Heron – 8
White Ibis – 6
Black Vulture – 71
Turkey Vulture – 12
Red-shouldered Hawk – 7
Mourning Dove – 2
Common Ground Dove – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 13
Pileated Woodpecker – 5
Great-crested Flycatcher – 2
Eastern Kingbird – 7
Barn Swallow – 46
Blue Jay – 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 3
Tufted Titmouse – 10
Carolina Wren – 12
Northern Mockingbird – 1
White-eyed Vireo – 13
Prothonotary Warbler – 1
Northern Parula – 1
Black-and-white Warbler – 1
Ovenbird – 1
Louisiana Waterthrush – 1
Northern Cardinal – 12
Common Grackle – 7

BUTTERFLIES
Palamedes Swallowtail – 11
Spicebush Swallowtail – 4
Ruddy Daggerwing – 8
Zebra Longwing – 1
White Peacock – 15
Gulf Fritillary – 1
Viceroy – 1
Common Buckeye – 1
Pearl Crescent – 1
Cloudless Sulphur – 3
Brazilian Skipper – 7
Silver-spotted Skipper – 1
Tropical Checker – 2

DRAGONFLIES
Eastern Pondhawk – 34
Eastern Amberwing – 2
Blue Dasher – 3

MAMMALS
Raccoon – 2
Cottontail Rabbit – 1

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS
Alligator – 39
Brown Anole – 13
Red-bellied Turtle – 1
Pig Frog – 17
Greenhouse Frog – 2
Green Treefrog – 1
Cuban Treefrog – 1 “

By Dick Brewer

http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html

A View of Bird Rookery Swamp- Belted Kingfishers are Back

August 25, 2015August 24, 2015

A View of Bird Rookery Swamp- Belted Kingfishers are Back

Bird Rookery Swamp observations

Saturday, August 22 ~ 7:15 am-12:35 pm

“It was a good day with 33 species of birds. Nice ones were a dozen Barn Swallows flying over the gravel path on my way out, and a pair of Prothonotary Warblers in the cypress/maples between markers 6 & 3 and a pair of Belted Kingfishers around the parking lot pond. Also had a Marsh Rabbit scurry across the tram.

Attached are some photos from today: a Polystachya orchid in bloom with another on the same branch showing buds; one of two Tillandsia utriculatas with flower stalks that had fallen onto the trail and which I put up into trees, although much lower than they originally
were; and an Eastern Pondhawk eating a Halloween Pennant. I was just getting ready to photograph the pennant when the pondhawk swooped down, grabbed it, and flew to another perch.

Totally absent this week were Common Green Darners after there were 18 last week, and Limpkins when there were a half dozen last week and also the week before.

BIRDS
Anhinga – 3
Great Blue Heron – 1
Great Egret – 1
Snowy Egret – 11
Little Blue Heron – 12
Tri-colored Heron – 11
Green Heron – 5
Black-crowned Night Heron – 2
Yellow-crowned Night Heron – 1
White Ibis – 3
Black Vulture – 37
Turkey Vulture – 9
Red-shouldered Hawk – 11
Mourning Dove – 2
Common Ground Dove – 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 15
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Pileated Woodpecker – 2
Great-crested Flycatcher – 3
Barn Swallow – 12
Blue Jay – 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 3
Tufted Titmouse – 6
Carolina Wren – 9
Northern Mockingbird – 1
White-eyed Vireo – 10
Prothonotary Warbler – 2
Louisiana Waterthrush – 1
Northern Cardinal – 8
Red-winged Blackbird – 10
Common Grackle – 7

BUTTERFLIES
Palamedes Swallowtail – 9
Ruddy Daggerwing – 8
White Peacock – 11
Viceroy – 5
Common Buckeye – 1
Pearl Crescent – 2
Cloudless Sulphur – 1
Brazilian Skipper – 8
Tropical Checker – 8

DRAGONFLIES
Eastern Pondhawk – 43
Needham’s Skimmer – 2
Halloween Pennant – 1
Blue Dasher – 5

MAMMALS
White-tailed Deer – 2

Marsh Rabbit – 1
Gray Squirrel – 1

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS
Alligator – 25
Green Anole – 1
Brown Anole – 23
Pig Frog – 45
Greenhouse Frog – 3
Green Treefrog – 1
Cuban Treefrog – 5 “

By Dick Brewer

Visit http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html if you would like to read his weekly observations.

August 24, 2015August 18, 2015

Wildfile Q & A: Bird Call Vs. Bird Song

A Carolina Wren sings to define and defend its territory.

Q: What are the differences between a bird call and a bird song?

A young Red-bellied Woodpecker calls to its parent for food.

A: A bird call tends to serve a specific function and is primarily
innate rather than learned. A bird song is almost always learned and
is often customized by individual males.

EXAMPLES OF CALLS

Alarm calls alert every bird within hearing range that danger is
present, and all innately understand what the call means and act
accordingly. The alarm call of one species can be recognized by birds
of many other species.

Location calls let mates or birds in a flock know where the others
are. For example, when a Barred Owl calls during the day, a mate often
answers, sometimes from a good distance away. Each then knows where
the other is. Location calls can also identify good feeding and
nesting habitats.

A chick’s “feed me” call triggers a parental response to find and
bring food to its offspring. As the chicks get older, begging behavior
complements the call for food.

EXAMPLES OF SONGS

Male birds tend to sing more than females, and unmated males sing more
than mated ones. Males use songs to attract mates and to identify and
defend territory. The song warns other males to stay out of its
territory, and it invites females to come in. Males can recognize the
songs of neighbors and usually don’t pay any attention to them, but
they sing furiously if they hear the song of a stranger who might
enter their territory.

In selecting a mate, females may use the size and complexity of the
song to determine a male’s potential fitness as a partner. More mature
males usually have more elaborate songs which may indicate to the
female that the male is a survivor with more breeding experience and
better health.

A majority of songbirds have at least two different songs. The extreme
singer is the male Brown Thrasher which is estimated to have over
3,000 song types.

==========

By Dick Brewer

http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html

August 19, 2015August 18, 2015

2015-2016 Strolling Science Seminar Series

-SAVE THE DATE-

We have an exciting line up of experts this year. Be sure to sign up in advance on our website by clicking here or selecting the specific event below:

October 10th 2015- Florida’s Fabulous Spiders by Dr. G.B. Edwards

November 13th 2015- Florida Black Bears: The Bear Necessities by Kathleen Smith FWC

December 4th 2015- Dendrochronology (Tree Coring Science) with Dr. Disturbance by Dr. Win Everham

January 16th 2016- Snake in the Grass: Not Always a Bad Guy by Dr.John Herman

February 6th 2016- Birding with the Master by Dr. Bernie Master

March 11th 2016- Adaptation or Extinction: The Live’s of CREW’s Most Interesting Plants by Jack Berninger

To register, select the event above. To become eligible to take advantage of the member discount for the Strolling Science Seminar Series go to https://crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com/donate and clickon the DONATE button or call 239-657-2253.

mosquitos of the marsh — SSS with Neil Wilkinson 2015

July 27, 2015July 16, 2015

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Game Cameras at CREW

Wildlife at CREW

Tom Mortenson, CREW Volunteer

June 30, 2015

I operate five game cameras on trails, roads and edges at Cypress Dome and Caracara Prairie Preserve. You may have seen one or more of them when hiking trails there. They are tied to trees, often cabbage palms, or posts where they get a clear view of whatever walks past.

These cameras photograph anything that walks past them, day or night. Since these cameras were installed, they have photographed raccoons, deer, bobcats, wild hogs, panthers, raccoons, turkeys, sandhills, hikers, their dogs, horses, hawks, cows, raccoons, possums, vultures, and more raccoons. Most of these pictures—at least for animals– were taken at night because that is when wildlife are most active and least likely to encounter humans.

Here are a very few of the many thousands of pictures. I also share these with FWC and Collier County Conservation Collier in effort to help enhance the monitoring program they established years ago. These are mostly daylight pictures to capture colors. Remember that you share the hiking trails of Cypress Dome and Caracara Prairie Preserve with wildlife who call this home.

If you happen to see my game cameras while you are out enjoying the CREW trails please respect the ongoing research by not tampering with them. You can get involved with the CREW volunteer program, or report any suspicious activity by emailing crewtrust@crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com or calling 239-657-2253.

Looking for a way to give back to your local community this holiday season?

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Q: What left that scat?

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Register today and help us bring another class to CREW:

A big THANK YOU to our 2015 Sponsors:

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Take a Child Outside Week-

September 24—September 30 Annually

Get out to CREW :

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Fungi/Mushroom Hunt with Ben “Mykes logos” Dion- September 26th

Fall Wildflower Walk with Brenda Thomas- October 3rd

Florida’s Fabulous Spiders: A CREW Strolling Science Seminar- October 10th

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Q: What are the differences between a bird call and a bird song?

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-SAVE THE DATE-

We have an exciting line up of experts this year. Be sure to sign up in advance on our website by clicking here or selecting the specific event below:

To register, select the event above. To become eligible to take advantage of the member discount for the Strolling Science Seminar Series go to https://crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com/donate and clickon the DONATE button or call 239-657-2253.

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