A few weekends back I spent the weekend with family at Boca Grande. On Saturday we spent the day kayaking and swimming in the clear coastal waters. It was a pleasant Florida get-away.
Sunset
Kayaks
Sea Oats
A Perfect Florida Day
•May 26, 2009 • Leave a Comment“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness”
-John Muir
Today was one of those perfect Florida days. Hot, humid, and simple.
My girlfriend and I made the short trip to Brooker Creek Preserve this morning. After days of rain the skies were blue and the warm sun and its UV rays were inviting. As we arrived at the preserve the temperature felt fairly mild but the air was heavy with humidity. Driving in on the entrance road to Brooker Creek is always an adventure. It is quite common to run across wildlife and I would advise visitors to the preserve to be cautious. Gopher tortoises munching on grass and herbacious plants are common. Occasionally a snake or a deer will cross your path. Today we encountered no such animals entering the park.
In the parking lot we discussed our plans for the day. We decided to do a loop trail. We started out near the visitor center. Walking on the boardwalk we encountered a few birders. They were admiring a red shouldered hawk who was perched on top of a snag. The bottomland hardwood forest on both sides of the boardwalk reminded us of the importance of hydrology in Florida’s landscape. Signs along the boardwalk informed us of the presence of apple snails and the occassional bear. With the exception of a few standing pools, water levels are still relatively low, but the wet season is still a work in progress. Recent rains though have saturated these dark earthy soils.
On the trail we encounter a few other hikers. One old man reminds me of an old Muir-like character. Most of the other hikers are out with their dogs. As for wildlife the pickings were fairly slim today. Flora was plentiful and a number of wild flowers were making their presence known with their showy flowers, boldly displaying shades of pink, purple, and yellow. Today was a good flower hunting day.
As we made our way back to the truck the sun was still blazing in the sky. The rain would come later in the day, but for the time being it was nice feeling the sun for a change. Leaving the park we did manage to encounter a gopher tortoise hanging out in front of his burrow. He seemed content taking in the sun.
After grilling out in the rain and eating some great food we decided to ride on the Pinellas Trail. Burning off some calories from lunch was beneficial but the underlying goal was to take in some unfamiliar trail scenery. Today we were riding along a new stretch from Seminole in the southerly direction of St. Pete. We managed to see some playful dolphins as we passed over a bridge. The dolphins seemed to be having a feeding frenzy in the shallow water, the mullets were jumping for survival, a few simply jumping for the fun of it. In addition to the wildlife the sights and smells of a Florida summer afternoon were all too evident. The smell of a man cutting his grass reminded me of my youth growing up in DeBary. I always seem to associate summer with the smell of fresh cut grass after a summer rain shower. Kids splashing around in backyards, while their parents grilled and drank beers seemed to be a common practice on this Memorial Day.
All in all it was a perfect Florida day.
Save Brooker Creek Preserve Stickers
•May 25, 2009 • Leave a Commenthttp://www.zazzle.com/sheila108
Get them while they are hot!
Brooker Creek Preserve
•May 8, 2009 • 3 Comments“That anyone would try to destroy such a place seems incredible; but sad experience shows that there are people good enough and bad enough for anything.”
-John Muir
Brooker Creek, Friends Trail
Today I took a quick trip to Brooker Creek Preserve. The preserve sits in northern Pinellas County. The head waters, a series of cypress domes, are said to be found in local Hillsborough County. I typically find myself at Brooker Creek on my day off. It is one of the only places in Pinellas County that affords a hiker great hiking opportunities. No mountains are found here, nor are there rushing streams, instead there are dark cypress domes and xeric uplands that remind you of desert landscapes out west. The preserve is one of the last remaining tracts of upland habitat left in Pinellas County. This place for me has been a refuge, a wilderness playground so to speak. I moved to Pinellas County so that I could be with a special someone. I am greatful to be here with that person, but I love Florida and what I see happening in this county saddens me. Brooker Creek is an island of green amongst a sea of concrete and angry commuters. Sense of place does not seem to take root here in my experiences, yet there is still some finite hope that it will be found. At a little over 8,000 acres Brooker Creek is by no means a National Park. It is like many local preserves tiny in its relative size, but immensely grand in the ecological role that it plays in recharging this areas local water supply.
Black Gum Swamp
Brooker Creek is by no means a true wilderness. A number of roads pass through it, as do power line easements. The humming of distant traffic can always be heard. Is there anywhere in the lower 48 where you can visit without seeing discarded rubbish or other signs of *Slobvious americanus ( *Edward Abbery )? I hope pristine places are still hiding out there. Though Brooker Creek is not a true wilderness it is a fine representation of a Florida long gone. The preserve does a great job of keeping the trees, plants, and animals from being gobbled up by local progress. There is plentiful wildlife here. Gopher tortoises dominate the sandy landscapes, while Pileated Woodpeckers make a thumping music amongst the snags found in the pine flatwoods. The place is peaceful. The creatures here big and small all seem content with their existence and completely unaware of the fate of their home. Little do they know that county commissioners have successfully put through a measure that will develop 2,000 acres of their out -of-doors neighborhood. This measure will forever alter the county’s last wild place.
The plans so far are to develop 2,000 acres of the preserve. Not all will be lost, but just a significant chunk. Progress will bring a number of multi-story buildings. The buildings will be accompanied by reservoirs, pipes, and chemical storage units. I can only assume that they will have to build roads to access this infrastructure.
I became aware of the story after reading an article from the local paper. A few individuals have tried to take this measure to court. Unfortunately the measure has passed and it is full speed ahead for the county at this point. Bad news for the animals and plants who are clinging to survival on what little acreage remains in Florida’s densest populated county.
Over the past few days I have been trying to digest the news about Brooker Creek. I have always assumed that a preserve was meant to be in place forever. Talking to a friend recently he took the stance that a preserve is simply a preserve because at that moment there is no need for its resources. In summary he was saying that no wilderness is held sacred when there is a hungry economy to feed.
Hiking today I tried to enjoy myself, but forgetting about the imminent threat posed to the preserve remained difficult. I could not stop pondering where I would go to find solitude. Would 6,000 of the original 8,000 acres be enough to meet my hiking needs and the needs of those seeking refuge from an ever increasingly urban world. The answers to such questions do not come easily. It seems likely that a day will come where the county will need to take another incremental piece away from the preserve’s remaining acreage.
As of today the preserve was still functioning as a rare ecological jewel. The gopher tortoises were still roaming free across the sandhills and the turkies were still making use of the hiking trails. As for me I was grateful for its existence.
Flower Hunting 4/26/09
•April 26, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Magnolia grandiflora
“seems silvered over with milk-white flowers… so large, as to be distinctly visible at a distance of a mile or more.”
William Bartram
John Muir Day April 21, 2009
•April 21, 2009 • 3 Comments“…Some of the days I have spent alone in the depths of the wilderness have shown me that immortal life beyond the grave is not essential to perfect happiness…”
John Muir
Today is John Muir Day. John Muir Day is unlike most traditional holidays. It is a peaceful and simple day. John Muir Day has no set rules or traditions like Christmas or Thanksgiving. This day will cost you nothing if you choose to celebrate it by hiking.
I drove this morning to Brooker Creek Preserve to celebrate this day. Muir was a strong advocate for preservation and with out his vision and foresight there would probably be very few wild places left in America. I manage to hike nearly six miles amongst the pine barrens and occasionally a haunted cypress dome.
Today is a lesson in simplicity, a value most of us have long forgotten. Finding simplicity in today’s setting is increasingly harder. We live in a world of instant gratification, where bigger is better, our ties to the natural world are distant. In a world of genetically modified foods and virtual reality it is often hard to stay human. Our senses are often confused by the synthetic world. As I look around I see alot of people who are numb as a result of their senses being overstimulated. I often wonder why we are going in the direction we now find ourselves? Some say that progress brings convience, but I think this logic needs to be questioned. We are told that the economy must grow for us to be happy, yet the majority of people seem burnt out.
John Muir’s writings taught me long ago that life is worth living, in fact, it is quite an adventure if you seek the wilderness as your refuge from society’s ills. I have come to love nature’s simplicity. I have come to admire Muir for his ability to show others the the joy and simplicity that the natural world brings to those who seek it.
J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park…4/3/09
•April 6, 2009 • 1 Comment“I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself had become my amusement and never ceased to be novel.”
-Henry David Thoreau
Salad On the Go
Thoreau was often noted as feeling that a day was wasted if it did not involve a 3 to 4 hour walk. On most days I feel the same way.
Giant Live Oak
Today I drove about 17 miles north into Pasco County in search of a good walk. My destination today was J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park. This wilderness park and the surrounding tracts compose approximately 18,000 acres of land (the Serenova Tract and Anclote River Tract are included in this total). It is my understanding that J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park is a joint management between the water management district and the county. The SW Water Management District describes the preserve in their recreation guide in the following manner…”The Preserve is the culmination of foresight and cooperative spirit. ” If not for this preserve I assume most of the 18,000 acres would have already been converted to single family residences, some of the gated communities may have even displayed names like ‘Cyrpress Tree Preserve ‘or ‘Pine Tree Estates’. I am grateful for both the foresight and cooperative spirit because as I drive down River Crossing Blvd it becomes evident that western Pasco county has seen extensive urban growth in recent years. The neighborhoods flanking the preserve all have signs that warn the driver of potential animal crossings.
Minnow Hunter
I hiked today through a number of natural communities. Pine flatwoods and scrub were the dominant upland communities. In addition the upland communities on display, the park contains around 6,000 acres of wetland habitat.
Florida Land Beaver?
A short nature trail leads down to the Pithachascotee River. Along the trail I am amazed by the redwood-sized Live Oak that borders the trail’s edge. The oak before me has a dominating presence amongst the surrounding wild coffee plants clumped amongst the understory. The trail continues to decrease in elevation as I near the river. When the trail started I was amongst slash pines and saw palmettos. After leaving the giant oak I walk a few hundred yards to what is left of the Pithlachascotee River. A few shallow pools of water remain in this river’s floodplain. Towards the end of this trail there is a giant tree that has fallen over the river bed. I climb onto the tree with little effort, as I do so I gain a new vantage point of activity taking place in the pool of water below me. A small snake is splashing around in pursuit of about a dozen minnows who are held captive by the drying pools of water. I stand on the log for what feels like a brief eternity. At this moment I hear the silence that comes with solitude. Silence is sometimes the only healing factor that remains in our hurried society. Silence as it often happens in my current setting is interrupted by a passing plane making an aerial ruckus. Sometimes it feels as if there is not 10 minutes that passes in the wilderness where you have the luxury of not hearing a combustion engine or a honking horn. I spend the rest of the day exploring other segments of the park.
Pithlachascotee River
Before returning home I make one last stop at Key Vista Park. I was rewarded with picture perfect views of the gulf (minus the smoke stack to the south).
Key Vista Park
Wall Springs Then…Wall Springs Now
•March 30, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Wall Springs Then...
Wall Springs Now...
These photos were taken a few weeks back. Wall Springs is located in Pinellas County.
