La Chua Labor of Love

In response to the huge flock of Sandhill Cranes visiting the Preserve this Winter and the many visitors hiking out La Chua Trail to see them, we established an interpretation table out on the Trail.  With the help of many volunteers, including Jeannie Bobroff, Mary Rhodes, Lee Edwards, Rod Irwin, Jan Powell, John Carter, Bill Andrews, Barbara Mollison, JulieAnne Tabone, Dom Martino, Ivor Kinkaide, and Roxie Mashburn, among others (apologies if I left you off the list) we have been staffing this table on weekends since January.

We set up a table with the company of Ollie the Otter and piles of informative literature, not the least important of which was a stack of Friends membership applications.  This was a pretty modest effort, but the reception was enthusiastic.  Lots of interested people stopping to talk, and learn about the Prairie, the cranes, the alligators, and about Friends.

Our little donation can got lots of use from grateful people excited by seeing all those cranes. We have already collected over $1000 in cash donations, plus several new members of Friends. And the Park has installed a permanent donation box on the bridge over the Sweetwater Canal, so the opportunity to give is there even when we are not.

After discussions with David Jowers, we have decided to extend this service to the middle of April, changing the emphasis from cranes to alligators now the air is getting warmer and the alligators will be on the banks catching rays.  A seven-foot stuffed gator has joined Ollie the Otter, and he is a good teaching tool - on a cool sunny day we have children place their hands on his side to feel how much the sun has warmed him.

One recent Sunday afternoon we had the entire bison herd grazing near the Trail, and eight Whooping Cranes visible from the observation tower at the end of the Trail.

Despite the late start this has been a worthwhile effort, because we have made a lot of new Friends, and filled a much-needed interpretive niche for the Park.  My personal thanks to Park Manager David Jowers for his support, and that of many Rangers, to this effort.

Fire on the Prairie, Smoke in the Air

The Prairie is known for its extensive freshwater marsh, unique Florida wilderness, limestone outcrops, sinkholes, and abundant wildlife. Preservation of this natural treasure requires much more than the ancient attraction to the “Alachua Savannah”, it demands the protection of species diversity.  Beyond the bluffs and bison are scrub and pine flatwoods, the upland habitats, which have the ability to host a vast spectrum of rare and diverse species, both plant and animal, but only if we suppress alien plant species.   Prescribed fire is our tool to do this.
 
With the use of mechanical treatment such as mowing and chopping, we are able to create more surface fuels to be safely consumed in prescribed fire, fast-tracking restoration efforts by 10-15 years.  

With the cooperation of agencies throughout the division, we have been able to mow 80 acres of hardwood-encroached uplands in October of ‘08.  The Prairie Burn team is working diligently to do prescribed fire in these management zones, as well as in hundreds of acres of maintenance uplands.

Even with a late start due to unfavorable weather and changes in personnel, we have now burned 20% of this restoration area.  With the right conditions, we will have this restoration in the maintenance phase this growing season, and move forward with other mechanical treatment before fall.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!  
If you see mechanical treatment and prescribe burns underway, please help explain to the public that this active management is crucial to the restoration of species diversity, and ultimately the survival, of this amazing place we know and love as “The Real Florida”.

ACT and Friends Host Awards Dinner

Each year since 2000, Alachua Conservation Trust and supporters have gathered to celebrate the contributions of people in the land conservation movement. Past "Conservation Stewards" have included scientists and activists, environmental educators and philanthropists, all of whom have been an inspiration in our work to save our special places.

The Tenth Annual Dinner and Fundraiser will be at Hickory Ranch at Paynes Prairie. Half the proceeds of the event will benefit the Friends of Paynes Prairie in their mission to provide funding and volunteers to Florida's first state preserve. Learn more »

Volunteer Clean-up Project

Last month a group of University of Florida students, preserve staff and volunteers from Holy Trinity  church got together for another much needed creek clean up on the Sweetwater branch. Also present was journalism student Leslie Bream who not only collected litter with the group but also wrote a terrific article about the experience for the Gainesville Sun. Read article »

Bags and bags of trash were piled up on the dump truck after only a few hours and by lunch time the group was ready to nourish themselves with the healthy and delicious feast provided by Friends and members of Holy Trinity Earth Stewardship Commission. The preserve sends a heart felt thanks to all who participated.

 

The Visitor Center

We are in the planning stages of making major improvements to the Visitor Center. Paynes Prairie has stories to tell...tell us what makes you listen.