Sanibel Island & Everglades Restoration EarthCache
Sanibel Island & Everglades Restoration
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At first glance, not many people would connect Sanibel Island and the Everglades. The two, however, are linked through the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee. At this earthcache, you will learn about how Sanibel Island and the Everglades are connected through the link of water.
Please note that there is a small parking fee at the given parking coordinates. Many people visit the park by bicycle as there is a great system of bicycle trails around Sanibel Island.
History
First you must understand that Sanibel Island and the Everglades weren't always connected. Historically, the Caloosahatchee River was not connected to Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. Then, as a part of the effort to drain Florida's great interior "swamp" and create dry land for homes and agriculture, the Caloosahatchee River was connected to Lake Okeechobee through canals and water-control structures as a way to funnel off water. Since then, water that would have flowed south to the Everglades is instead quickly diverted out the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf of Mexico.
Connection Between Sanibel Island and the Everglades
How does this connect to Sanibel Island? Well, the Caloosahatchee River flows into the Gulf of Mexico right near the southeast end of Sanibel Island. This bay where freshwater meets saltwater is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. Unfortunately, the timing and quantity of water flowing out of the Caloosahatchee is dependent upon water controls from Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. When the lake gets too high, more water is funneled off into the river, and when the lake gets too low, less water is directed into the river. These high and low water periods are usually annually cyclical. More water flows to the river during the summer months when most of South Florida's rain falls, and less water flows during the winter when little rain falls.
Effects
The extreme variability of the amount of freshwater flow from the Caloosahatchee River into the Gulf of Mexico effects the salinity of the water in the bay where the two meet. When the freshwater flow is high, the salinity of the bay decreases. When the freshwater flow is low, the salinity of the bay increases. In the bay, the oyster reefs and seagrass meadows provide feeding sites and nursery habitats for many estuarine, marine, and freshwater animals (including fishes, shrimp, crabs, mammals, and birds). Unfortunately, oysters and seagrasses are sensitive to changes in salinity and are often negatively impacted by declining water quality.
Conservation
In order to protect the waters in and around Sanibel Island, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and the City of Sanibel are working with other local, regional, and state groups to bring the waters of the bay into better balance. These efforts include looking at changes throughout the watershed of the Caloosahatchee River, Lake Okeechobee, and the Everglades.
Logging Requirements
Earthcaches are placed in order to give people an educational experience. For this earthcache, you must complete the following in an e-mail to me (not to be included as part of your log).
1. What is the name of the lake that was the historic headwaters of the Caloosahatchee River, and what connection did it have to Lake Okeechobee?
2. What is the average number of inches of rain that South Florida receives annually?
3. Sometimes when the rain comes in deluges, Lake Okeechobee rises very quickly, necessitating funneling lots of water down the Caloosahatchee River. In one six-week period in 2004, lake levels rose how much?
4. What percent of the water release of Lake Okeechobee goes into the Caloosahatchee River?
Thanks for visiting this earthcache, and I hope that you now enjoy and understand this unique area even more!
Congratulations to Meesh&Kleppa on their milestone 2,900th find!
Additional Hints
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Treasures
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