The above coordinates will take you to the parking area of The Crooked Lake Sandhill. You will have to find the nature trail. Use listed waypoints on this page to answer the questions to claim credit for the Crooked Lake Sandhill is located on the Lake Wales Ridge, one of the most distinctive natural regions in the United States. Crooked Lake Sandhill is one of the best remaining examples of the sandhill ecosystem in Polk County.
The site is open from dawn to dusk. Because this is an environmentally sensitive area please show respect by remaining on established trails, avoid littering, and observe, but do not disturb or collect natural features. Please sign in at the information board in the parking lot near the trailhead, and note that you're there to geocache. Polk County's Environmental Lands Program is receptive to caching. Signing in shows that you appreciate this.
The Lake Wales Ridge is a north-south oriented sandy uplands at the center of the Florida peninsula. In simple terms, it is an enormous sand dune, or island left behind as the sea level receded. The Ridge rises to a mere 325 ft above sea level. It is a series of relict dunes, reflecting its origins 2 million years ago as a shoreline feature during pre-Pleistocene sea level rises, and at times it was an archipelago. During this period, all that remained above sea level of the Florida peninsula was a series of islands, similar to the way the Bahamas appear today.
Isolated from other populations, the plants and animals on these isolated archipelagoes evolved in response to their environmental conditions. This isolation contributed to the evolution of the numerous endemic plants and animals of the Ridge. Today, the seas have receded and the sandy hilltops along the central Florida ridge are home to 23 of the nation's rarest plants, four rare animal species, and four globally rare plant communities. In addition, scientists estimate that fully one-third of the species in the region, including a variety of insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others have evolved only here. Approximately 40 species of plant and vertebrates survive within these remnants, of which 17 species are federally listed, and 13 additional species are proposed for federal listing. These species and fragmented natural areas are all that remain of an ancient flora and fauna once widespread in North America.
The Lake Wales Ridge, located primarily in Polk and Highlands Counties, includes remnant ecosystems that are highly unique at the global level. The most famous natural community characterizing the ridge is Florida's ancient interior scrub. The deep sands and variable topography also couch numerous sandhill upland lakes, marsh lakes, and sinkhole lakes interspersed between areas of pine flatwoods. Remnants of biodiversity are distributed throughout the ridge, with significant scrub communities existing in numerous distinct fragments. The natural ecosystem is maintained by fire common to the Peninsula, one of the highest lightning strike zones in the world. One might say "the Ridge is a landscape sculpted by the sea and maintained by fire."
The Lake Wales Ridge is the primary divide between the Kissimmee River and Peace River basins. It also provides headwater drainage for the Withlacoochoee River to the north and Fisheating Creek to the south. Rapid seepage of precipitation into the ridge provides important recharge for the Floridan Aquifer.
Early settlers discovered that the sand hills were excellent locations for citrus production and cattle ranching. Today the pressure comes from residential and commercial development. Approximately 85% of dry uplands have been converted from native habitat for development and the remaining is stressed by habitat fragmentation. The Lake Wales Ridge area is a model of the struggle facing Florida as a whole. Many perspectives influence decisions regarding the future of the Ridge. The citrus grower and rancher want to maintain a disappearing way of life. Developers see economic opportunity in accommodating population growth in Florida. Naturalists and ecologists see the land as the home of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth.
To claim credit for this earthcache email your answers to questions 2 and 3 to the email address on my profile. Please DO NOT post your answers in your log, even if encrypted.
1. Post a photo of you and your GPSr at station number 3 on the nature trail with Crooked Lake in the background. (Optional)
2. What is the unique feature you walk through on the nature trail from station number 3 to station number 4
3. What is the change in elevation from the parking lot to this unique feature.