CREW Trail Walk

Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (C.R.E.W)

2 hour trail walk on 11 February 2020

This 60,000 acre area was protected in 1989 to preserve the natural filtering capabilities of our Florida landscape to produce clean water. Over time as the water carved through the land, it created different ecosystems that provide habitats to thousands of plants and animals. Each of those organisms then plays an important role in sustaining the area. Our guide has us pause and listen for the frogs in the marsh, the hawk in the air, and the bees in the oak tree. ENVIRONMENT, check The Roberston text had a great quote that has really stuck with me for the past couple days, "the work we do now is for a future we will never see and for an Earth that will not be the same as it was before." I think this perfectly explains the important and urgent work the CREW Land & Water Trust is accomplishing for this region of Florida.

Joel Kuperberg didn’t see the intrinsic value that this land held from an environmental preservation mindset but the monetary value it held from a business mindset. He saw the natural ecosystem processes that take place here for essentially no cost at all far out weighted the cost it would take to filter the equivalent volume of water. Not to mention the flooding protection this area provides because it can hold and store excess water. ECONOMICS, check But as the urgency for clean water progresses and sea levels continue to rise causing saltwater intrusion, we may have to resort to other filtration processes because all of life depends on the water!

You made a great point that you can enjoy being out in nature when you know what you need to avoid. Was it smart that we stuck to the trails and didn’t go “off road?” Yes, because we knew that poison ivy and other things laid off the trail. But does that mean we should be afraid of what may be “off road?” No, because animal wise they are just as afraid of us as we are of them and plant wise if you are wearing protective clothing you can walk through brush safely. But oftentimes this is why people don’t go out exploring anymore. Even when I was growing up I still had the freedom to be outside for hours on end, my parents not knowing where I was, and coming back when the sun started to set and the street lights switched on. And iPhones were just starting to become a thing when I was growing up, but I could have very well done longer without a cell phone or my iPod touch! And even still today, sometimes technology keeps me from being outdoors. DISCONNECT, check

I have always admired the patterns the natural world makes! For instance, this multi colored vine climbing up this tree caught my eye on the side of the trail for how perfectly spaced each cluster of leaves were and its beautiful greens, yellows, and reds. And this huge oak tree covering the path was a feat of itself to see! As you said, THIS is what people are afraid of when they think of the Florida wild and it's really not that bad. Truth be told, no I wouldn't frequent this area of my own accord because I am much more comfortable in the water... hence my major... but that does not mean I can not vouch for the beauty and the need to protect this area! That is why I believe education is the most important tool/skill a person can have! EDUCATION, check

This was a beautiful flower that caught my eye on the side of the trail and to my surprise the rest of its body looked very spiky, resembling a weed. Now... do I have the right as a human because i’m able to remove the flower because it looks ugly or looks like it might harm me? No! Does this flower (if it’s native and not invasive) have a right to exist just as much as I do or the bees that depend on it for pollen? Absolutely! This idea is why the preservation of CREW is so vitally important because thousands of people in Florida get their water from the aquifer and if we taint that water or destroy the watershed that feeds the aquifers, are we to say they no longer have a right to clean water? EQUITY, check This is what Joel understood when he founded the CREW Land & Water trust and what other businessmen, the farming industry, and the oil industry need to understand about Florida is that nature provides a plethora of ecosystem services that we take for granted! And unfortunately, we oftentimes don’t realize the importance of them until they’re gone.