Our first reactions to the field trip were mostly shock. Not realizing how storied the area of Ft. Myers and the Ft Myers beach in particular, we fell into a trap borne of ignorance. I had no idea about the story of the Koreshan leader's tomb on the island, or the German submarines patrolling the coastlines. The building and rebuilding of the bridge was also a story I had never heard before. They were things that had happened, but they get lost in the wayside when talking about the "modern" Ft. Myers. It doesn't take long for our culture to forget our own history when we live our fast paced and instant gratification lifestyle. It's beneficial to have someone who lived through different times able to keep these pieces of history and show the younger generations the triumphs and mistakes of the past. Maybe if more Southwest Floridians knew the track record of the Army Corp of Engineers in our area, we wouldn't have been so quick to make mistakes with the Caloosahatchee.
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| Pine and Bald Eagle |
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| Red Mangrove |
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| Red Mangrove |
The second part of the trip was an overall good experience. While some of the wildlife, like the blue heron, were too quick for our cameras, the red Mangrove was not as mobile. Learning how they focus the salt into one leaf in order to stay healthy is a great way to identify the species, and also a very interesting biological tactic. It goes to show you how interconnected the nature of SW Florida really is, and how the adaptive species have been able to survive in brackish estuaries.
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