Bill Sadowski Park and Nature
Center offers three distinct habitats within thirty acres;
pineland, tropical hardwood hammock, and a drained Everglades
slough. A nature trail leads visitors through various plant
communities, solution holes, and Karst limestone formations.
Encompassed within the park grounds are also a native tree
arboretum, and a bird watching area. The park is free and is open
9:00am to 5:00pm from Wednesday to Sunday, and is closed on Monday
and Tuesday. Please stay on the trails and be respectful of
nature.
The Park:
This Park is located on a portion of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge,
known locally as the Miami Rock Ridge which is a limestone rock
outcropping that extends south and west from North Miami Beach to
Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park. Over 225 types of native
plants occur in pine rocklands and more than 20% of the plant
species are found in pine rocklands and nowhere else in the world.
Five of these plant species are federally listed as threatened or
endangered.
The
Karst:
Karst is a common feature
of Florida's landscape. There are many types of Karst landforms,
including caves, disappearing streams, springs, and underground
drainage systems, all of which occur in Florida. Karst is a generic
term which refers to the characteristic terrain produced by
erosional processes associated with the chemical weathering and
dissolution of limestone (calcium carbonate) or dolomite (calcium
magnesium carbonate) the most common carbonate rocks in Florida.
Dissolution of carbonate rocks begins when they are exposed to
acidic water (Carbonic Acid). Most rainwater is slightly acidic and
usually becomes more acidic as it moves through decaying plant
debris. Over many, many years, this persistent erosional process
has created extensive underground voids and drainage systems in
much of the carbonate rocks at this Park. Collapse of overlying
sediments into the underground cavities produces solution holes,
sinkholes, and caves. Dry Caves are a part of Karst drainage
systems that are above the watertable and are air-filled with
little or no water in them. Wet Caves are caves that developed
below the watertable and are usually filled with water. These are
found in greater numbers in central and north
Florida.
Photo 1: Solution holes
with vegetation
The
Trail:
After viewing the specific
features highlighted by this Earthcache, you may wish to consider
hiking the trail. If you took a quick cell phone photo of the trail
map at the trailhead sign, you can use it for navigation purposes
and will find the trail to be an easy hike. You can observe many
more examples of the Karst limestone features of this park and will
likely see numerous butterflies and birds. Information signs along
the trail provide additional geological and ecological lessons. We
hope you enjoy your visit.
Photo 2 – Another
small cave along the trail
The
Cave:
The posted coordinates will
take you to a small cave along the formal walking trail to the east
behind the Visitor Centre. Please use the provided trailhead
coordinates (N 25 36.490, W 080 19.147) to start your adventure
(please STAY ON the trail). The cave and other solution hole
features are only 100 feet or so east along the trail and just past
the old wooden amphitheatre. Wooden railings identify the cave area
and the solution hole overlook, which is just beyond the cave to
the right on the trail about 30 feet.
To get credit for completing
this Earthcache, please send to our Profile Email, your best
answers to the following questions:
1. What is the name of the
cave at the posted coordinates?
2. What is your estimated diameter of the actual entrance to the
cave?
3. Is this cave a Dry Cave? Yes/No.
4. What kind of water or rainwater can dissolve carbonate
(limestone) rocks?
"When one tugs at a
single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the
world."
- John Muir
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FTF - paflal & jeffgamer
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