The above coordinates will take you to an information board off Highway 471 in the Green Swamp. Park your car at the trailhead and use the walk through to access the area. The walk to the information board and back is about .25 miles. There is no physical cache at this location, you must complete the requirements listed below.
The Green Swamp lies in the remaining backcountry between the Tampa metropolitan area, with its three and a half million residents, and Orlando, possibly the world's biggest tourist destination with an insatiable appetite for suburban sprawl. Right in the middle of this concrete and asphalt straitjacket is a little-known oasis that remains both a haven for wildlife and the source of much of the region's water supplies. Encompassing 870 square miles, the Green Swamp is the state’s second-largest wetlands system after the Everglades and covers portions of Polk, Lake, Sumter, Pasco, and Hernando counties. This unique and fragile ecosystem is a mosaic of pine flatwoods, hardwood forests, cypress swamps, prairies and sandhills. The 560,000 acre swamp is geologically distinct. Just underneath the soil’s surface, and sometimes at its surface, rests a large raised plateau of limestone which is the top of the Floridan Aquifer. The highest point of the aquifer, known as the Green Swamp High or Central Florida High, is located in the vicinity of Interstate 4 and U.S. 27. The Green Swamp High rises up to 132 feet above mean sea level and, like an underground water tower, provides pressure for a multitude of springs, the base flow of four major rivers, and hydrologic support for countless lakes, ponds, seeps, and wetlands. The Floridan Aquifer and pressure of the Green Swamp High supply fresh water to the majority of Florida’s population, and curb salt-water intrusion to the aquifer along the heavily populated coastline. Its river systems provide habitat connections that cross Florida from Ft. Lauderdale to Yankeetown and from Jacksonville to Port Charlotte.
The Green Swamp is home to the headwaters of four major rivers. Flatter than a pool table, the incredibly gradual slope of its plateau retains annual rains, reduces the flood peaks in rivers, and allows underlying aquifer layers to recharge over an extended period of time. Water that flows from the swamp is generally of higher quality than other watersheds due to the lengthy surface water detention time in the sparsely populated rural center of Florida. The Green Swamp is highly valued for its ecological diversity, supporting an estimated 330 species of wildlife. Designated as an “Important Bird Area” by the National Audubon Society, the swamp is home to more than 30 threatened or endangered species of animals, including the Florida scrub jay, wood stork, and black bear. Even Florida panthers have been sighted in this premier wildlife corridor of the state.
To claim credit for this Earthcache you must post two pictures (Optional) in your “found” log and email your answers to questions 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the email address on my profile page, post the optional pictures when logging your find. Please DO NOT post your answers in your log, even if encrypted.
1. Post a photo of your GPSr at the information board.
2. Post a photo of your GPSr at one of the four rivers with the river name in the photograph. Post your coordinates of this location in your log.
3. The Green Swamp is home to the headwaters of four rivers. What are their names and do they flow to the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean?
4. Using this website, tell me what the discharge rate and the gage height in feet were on the day you visited the river.
5. As the Green Swamp is one of the highest points of the aquifer in Central Florida, how high above sea level are you while standing at the posted coordinates?
Green Swamp West is closed to recreational users during the special opportunity hunting seasons.
Hunt dates can be found here.
To learn more about the Green Swamp check out this interactive web site.
Information for this Earthcache was obtained from The Tampa Tribune, Marian Ryan and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.