Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is located northeast of Naples, Florida. It is owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. The Sanctuary’s 11,000 acres are within the Big Cypress Swamp and they contain the country’s largest remaining stand of 400 to 700 year-old virgin bald cypresses. I visited Corkscrew Swamp over twenty years ago and fell in live with its beauty. It is a lush, pristine, unique speck of Florida. Unfortunately on my recent trip on July 27, 2102, it was dry - no observable water. According to the staff, rain has been light this year; however, the first time I visited, the facility was in the middle no-where. Now it is surround by big agriculture and instant sub-divisions. It seems Corkscrew is not getting its fair share of the ground water.
A two-mile long boardwalk passes through the sanctuary and through distinct environmental areas including pinelands, freshwater marshes and wet prairie, cypress swamps and hardwood hammocks.