As part of our commitment to teaching people of all ages about our mission to protect the watershed and wildlife of the 60,000 acre CREW Project, the CREW Land & Water Trust will host its first annual Family Fun Day on Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Cypress Dome Trails, located just 15 minutes east of I-75 at 3980 Corkscrew Road, Immokalee FL 34142.
So, what exactly is going on, and why?
We are passionate about helping families connect with nature. So many students come to the trails on school field trips, and our hope is that they will return with their families. At the same time, we know from leading walks that many people need a guiding hand to help them reach the comfort level they need to walk the trails with family and friends.
On Saturday, when families arrive, children will receive a Nature Passport and travel to 10 different stations. They’ll measure their wingspan to see if they can reach as wide as an eagle, they’ll check out a camping demonstration in our primitive and private camping site, they’ll learn about the birds that might see on the CREW Trails and head out on a guided walk with one of our volunteer naturalists. On the walk, families will learn about the flora and fauna around them and hopefully become more comfortable on the trails and more interested in the ecosystems around them.
This event is free for members and $5 per family for non-members. You can register on eventbrite or at the event. Please wear appropriate footwear for sandy trails and bring water and snacks.
It’s almost March and we are nearing the end of our seasonal program schedule. If you haven’t reserved a spot on one of our guided walks or were waiting to purchase a ticket for a Strolling Science Seminar, check out our final program offerings and sign up today!
Join Dr. David Cooper, Florida Certified Master Naturalist, for a guided walk along the marsh trails. You’ll learn about wildflowers, dragonflies, the importance of the sawgrass marsh and the history of the 60,000 acre CREW Project. Reservations required; visit eventbrite.com.
Zebra longwings at CREW Marsh Trails
CREW Bird Rookery Swamp Guided Walks
Dates: February 25, 28; March 1, 2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30; April 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 19, 22, 25, 26.
You don’t have to walk very far to see wildlife on this trail! Join one of four volunteer naturalists for a guided walk down our boardwalk and onto a wide grassy trail offering views of the swamp on both sides. You’ll learn about the swamp, the CREW Project, the importance of water and all of the wildlife along the trails, including alligators and wading birds. Reservations required; visit eventbrite.com.
photo by volunteer Bill Zaino
Birding with the Master – Bernie Master
Date: March 11
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket eventbrite.com. Cost is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
This hike is for the birds! Learn about winter residents and CREW nesters as well as what birds are using this valuable habitat and why.
An internationally recognized conservationist, Dr. Bernie Master has a Birding Life List that includes over three-quarters of the world’s bird species, in excess of 7,700 birds. He is the first American to see a representative of every bird family in the world. He was honored by HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands for his contribution to conservation. A previously unrecorded songbird in Colombia, Vireo masteri, the Choco Vireo, is named for his family and the discovery published in IBIS, October 1996.
Ovenbird, photographed by Dr. Bernie Master
SSS: Murder, Mutualism and Medicine
Date: March 18
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Join the CREW Trust and Dr. Maureen Bonness for a stroll along the CREW trails, where Dr. Bonness will use local plants to discuss the topic of plant natural products – a plant “language” generally inaudible to humans, yet with profound effects on interactions between plants and their swamp co-inhabitants. The primary focus is the role of plant natural products in swamp ecology, with an undertone of how people use these chemicals, sometimes nefariously.
Spring Wildflower Walk
Date: April 1
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $5 for members, $10 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Join FGCU instructor and wildflower expert Brenda Thomas for this fabulous walk to identify wildflowers and grasses along the trails. The spring flowers are always spectacular after the dry winter season. This is your chance to learn from someone whose passion for plants is unsurpassed!
Nature Walk for Families
Date: April 8
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $5 per family for members, $10 per family for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Come join CREW for a fun family walk in the woods with activities that will get you dirty, inspire you and engage all your senses. This is a great opportunity for families new to the CREW trails to learn from a naturalist and become familiar with the family-friendly trails. You’ll learn about the CREW project and why it is important along with learning about the flora and fauna that call the trail systems home.
SSS: Making Wildlife Observations Count
Date: April 29
For information on place and time, please reserve your spot and purchase a ticket at eventbrite.com. Cost is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Registration is limited and walk-ins will not be accepted.
Join Dr. John Herman for this hands-on strolling science seminar where you will learn how to turn your love of hiking into something more. On this hike, you’ll see how your every day observations can be turned into scientific data and used to help conserve wildlife.
Join The Unusual Suspects – our local geocaching heroes—Milla Voellinger, Pete Corradino and others for a great day of geocaching at the CREW Cypress Dome Trails. They will give introductory lessons to newbies, send experienced cachers out with new cachers, or simply get you started and send you out on your own if you’d like. Whatever your pleasure, these geocaching heroes can help you learn to love this high-tech treasure hunting the woods.
Bring your own GPS unit and cables or your smartphone with the geocaching app loaded and be ready for some fun. We have a limited number of GPS units to loan out.
If you have experience, be sure to go to http://www.geocaching.com and download the CREW caches before you arrive to save some time.
Bring your lunch and stay for a picnic and to visit with other geocachers afterwards.
geocaching heroes—Milla Voellinger, Pete Corradino and others for a great day of geocaching at the CREW Cypress Dome Trails. They will give introductory lessons to newbies, send experienced cachers out with new cachers, or simply get you started and send you out on your own if you’d like. Whatever your pleasure, these geocaching heroes can help you learn to love this high-tech treasure hunting the woods.