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. This watershed, the largest intact watershed in south Florida, straddles Lee and Collier Counties and provides aquifer recharge, natural flood protection, water purification, preservation of wildlife habitat, and public recreation.  CREW's majestic 5,000-acre marsh is the headwaters for the entire watershed which includes the National Audubon Society's famous Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary directly to the south.