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Bonita & Estero Magazine

Bird Rookery Swamp Reopens, Flint Pen Strand Still Pending Due to Restoration Delays

Mar 12, 2018 10:00AM ● By Kevin
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has completed repair work to the Bird Rookery Swamp Trail, according to a report by CREW Land & Water Trust. As of 11 a.m. on March 6, the barricades are down and the trail is open.

The trail was swamp was closed at the end of the boardwalk since Nov. 6, 2017, as SFWMD worked to repair damage done by Hurricane Irma. It remained closed until March 6. In celebration of the reopening, a guided walk was held on March 7.

CREW reported that the grass has yet to be mowed, but will be taken care of by the district soon.

In other news, CREW Flint Pen Strand Guided Walks were canceled this season due to delays in SFWMD's restoration project to the trails.

"It is near completion and then the trails will open," said CREW communications strategist Anne Reed.

On the tours, CREW Trust's volunteer naturalists guide an interpretive walk at the newest trail system. Flint Pen Strand is a unique part of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed and the new trail takes guests along the Kehl Canal and through the remnants of old homesteads. Wildlife sightings include deer, swallow-tailed kites and wading birds.

The CREW Land & Water Trust is a private, nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of the water resources and natural communities in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.

The organization coordinates the land acquisition, land management, and public use of this 60,000-acre watershed in partnership with the SFWMD, which owns and manages the land, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, which monitors wildlife and hunting and provides law enforcement.

For current trail conditions across the watershed, visit crewtrust.org/2016/06/15/current-trail-conditions.