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Kyle Smith Big Cypress

Big Cypress National Preserve is a 720,000 acre protected area spanning three counties in southern Florida. It contains cypress swamps flooded in the summer but navigable in the winter. A typical day trip involves the 24-mile Loop Road Scenic Drive, passing through swamps and seeing landmarks like Monroe Station at mile 0 and remnants of a town owned by Al Capone at mile 16.3. Cypress strands are linear swamp areas with slightly lower elevations, dominated by cypress trees and home to plants like ferns and animals like birds, deer, and reptiles. However, oil and gas drilling proposed in the preserve could harm the environment and wildlife like Florida panthers.

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95 views5 pages

Kyle Smith Big Cypress

Big Cypress National Preserve is a 720,000 acre protected area spanning three counties in southern Florida. It contains cypress swamps flooded in the summer but navigable in the winter. A typical day trip involves the 24-mile Loop Road Scenic Drive, passing through swamps and seeing landmarks like Monroe Station at mile 0 and remnants of a town owned by Al Capone at mile 16.3. Cypress strands are linear swamp areas with slightly lower elevations, dominated by cypress trees and home to plants like ferns and animals like birds, deer, and reptiles. However, oil and gas drilling proposed in the preserve could harm the environment and wildlife like Florida panthers.

Uploaded by

jmck929
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Big Cypress National Reserve: A Floridian

Wonderland
by Kyle Smith

Park Information
Big Cypress National Preserve is a preserve spanning 720,000 acres across
Collier, Monroe, and Miami-Dade counties in southern Florida. To reach the
preserve from Browards campus, one must drive an hour and thirty minutes
west
on
Route
75.
Information
about
the
preserve may be found on
the National Park Service
website at nps.gov/bicy.
The preserve is open 24
hours a day, year-round
and visitors may enter and
exit at any time, but to
stay overnight a free
campground
permit
is
necessary. There is no fee
to enter the preserve or
use the space. However, the use of off-road vehicles requires a paid permit.
Typical Day Visit: The Loop Road Scenic Drive
For a day trip, one might consider taking the Loop Road Scenic Drive. The
drive is 24 miles long and passes through cypress swamps. These swamps

are flooded in the summer wet season (May through October) but may be
easily navigated in the winter dry season. At mile 0 is Monroe Station, a
service station providing food, fuel, and assistance for broken-down vehicles
inside a historic building dating back to 1928. At mile 0.4 is the sportsmans
club, where hunters gather to socialize. At mile 0.9, one can see fields of
sawgrass, a local dominant prairie species.

At mile 3.1, a typical cypress strand is visible. A strand is an area low in


elevation with an excess of nutrients, which allow tall trees to grow. At mile
5.0, the Sweetwater strand is visible. In addition to the typical cypress trees,
one can see Spanish moss and ferns. Here would be a nice area to stop for a
lunch break. At mile 9.7, a very inhospitable swamp is visible. It is so named
because previous attempts at farming the land were largely failures, and the
pattern of plough lines is still visible today. At mile 10.1 is the southernmost
point of the Florida National Scenic Trail, a 1,400 mile hiking trail which spans
the whole state. At mile 15.6, the Tree Snail Hammock Trail is accessible to
the public. The trail is named for the snails which hammock onto the trees
by sticking to the leaves to stay out of the water. At mile 16.3 is the

remnants of PInecrest, a town where gangster Al Capone is said to have


owned a home, hotel, and brothel. This is home to the famous Gator Hook
Lodge, a dance club. At mile 21.9, many members of the Miccousukee tribe
find their homes. It is important to be respectful and vigilant of this fact when
visiting. Finally, at mile 24 is the 40-Mile Bend check station for hunters.
The name is due to the fact that it is located about 40 miles away from
Miami.

Ecosystem In-Depth: The Cypress Strand


A cypress strand is a swamp with many cypress trees. They are called
strands because of their linear shape, which is what differentiates them from
cypress domes. The strands have elevations slightly lower than the
neighboring areas, which has an effect on the nutrients available.
Plant Life
The cypress tree is the main plant species dominating the region. The name
cypress refers to many species in the family Cupressaceae, such as the
bald cypress and pond cypress. It is a large and slow growing conifer
found across the southeastern United States. In addition to cypress, the red
maple tree may be found in these swamp areas. In addition to these trees,
there are ferns such as the buttonbush or wax myrtle. There are also
herbaceous plants such as the cinnamon fern and Spanish moss.

Animal Life
The cypress swamp is not home to many mammals due to the flooded
nature, but there are still some white-tailed deer and raccoons living
there. There are many birds in the area because they are not disturbed by
the extend of the water. These birds include the barred owl, wood duck,
and egret. Finally, the wet habitat is home to several amphibians and
reptiles such as frogs, salamanders, turtles, and water snakes.
Thinking to the Future
My visit to the preserve was really enjoyable. I was able to relax and enjoy
the natural beauty of southern Florida. I saw lots of birds, some deer, and
thousands of beautiful cypress trees. Upon completing the research for this
project, I was saddened to learn that the National Park Service is allowing
Burnett Oil Company to test for the presence of oil and gas in the park. I
understand that our economy runs on oil, that it is an extremely limited
resource and that we will eventually run out, but I do not believe that it is
morally right to search for oil in a nature preserve. The very name suggests
that the area was given special status as a protection from such industrial
activity. Allowing for gas and oil drilling in this sensitive geological area could
be detrimental to the ever-dwindling population of Florida Panthers native to
the area. It is concerning that higher-up officials have been influenced to
allow for this to happen. If legislators truly cared about the fate of the plant
and wildlife of the region, they would not have approved this action. I am
happy to have visited Big Cypress National Reserve in its current state of
beauty, especially given that this is potentially jeopardized for the future. If
this industrial drilling could be stopped, I would do what I could to prevent it,
but unfortunately it has already started.

Note: After visiting the park in November, I lost access to my iCloud account
which is where my selfie was stored. I tried to regain access, but having
forgotten my security answers, Apple does not believe that the account is
mine. I have lost thousands of personal photos in addition to this one photo
worth grade-points. I am asking that you consider not penalizing me for
failing to include this photo. Thank you.

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