Anne here. Yes, that Anne – the one that answers the Facebook messages at all hours of the day and night, the one that chats you up on the phone when you call to ask me if BRS is open. I want to tell you that it’s open – I do. It breaks my heart to know I’m breaking your heart. And when you are mad- and a lot of you are – I want to give you a cookie and tell you it will be okay. Because it will. We’re all just in Bird Rookery Swamp Withdrawal – all of us, even the staff and volunteers.
Of course you can still call me at the office, or Facebook message me – some of you are becoming quite good friends of mine – but in the meantime, here are a few answers to our Frequently Asked Questions about the closure of Bird Rookery Swamp.
WHY is Bird Rookery Swamp Closed?
This is an important question, and one we have to address right away. It’s come to our attention thanks to some of the fence-hoppers (we’ll chat about y’all in a hot minute) that the public perception is that the boardwalk is barricaded and big NO ENTRY signs are up because the trails are wet, like they always are this time of year, and we don’t want you to get wet feet.
We love wet feet. And we know our die-hard Bird Rookery Swamp friends do as well.
The trails are wet, just as they always are this time of year – okay, maybe a BIT more wet than usual. But the reason the trail is shut down at the end of the boardwalk is hazardous conditions due to contractors working on the trail to fix washouts.
Working with BIG LOUD DANGEROUS machinery and they can’t see anything around them, so the trail was closed for the safety of all involved.
Why are there so many washouts, and what is a washout?
The trail at Bird Rookery Swamp should not be there.
Bird Rookery Swamp is at the very bottom of the 60,000-acre watershed. And when the area was logged for cypress, the tram was built to hold the railroad, blocking the natural flow of water. Every single year when the water flows south, we have blow-outs on the trail, and we slap a band-aid on (a gravel band-aid) and fill it in, then wait for the next rainy season to blow out different areas.
Add in a hurricane and we’ve got a lot more washouts than usual and some of the old ones became dangerous deep-water crossings. The one by Ida’s pond was waist deep on me (Anne) two weeks after the hurricane and the water was flowing pretty hard as I stood there and tried to trim back part of a tree that fell.
So. We have washouts. We will continue to have washouts. We just had a lot more than normal this rainy season. And all the washouts need to be repaired so you can hike, bike and enjoy the entire loop.
Why is this taking so LONNNNNNNGGGGG?
Water. The trails are wet. The big, heavy machinery will do a lot of damage to the really wet sections, or get stuck. So wet trail conditions are delaying the project. But every week the contractor is checking on the trails, and it is drying up – so we keep our fingers crossed.
You OTTER be fixing these trails!
Why can’t you just open up the first part? It looks fixed.
Remember how I talked about the heavy machinery? Well, it made deep ruts in that first section, and those need to be smoothed out for the safety of our guests and visitors. And, to get that machinery in, the trails need to dry up.
Also – I, or we, the CREW Trust – cannot open or close trails. The South Florida Water Management District manages the lands within the CREW Project, and most of those are public lands (which is why there is no charge to park or visit the trail). We – the CREW Trust- are the non-profit that provides environmental education for all ages on the trails. We also do our best to raise awareness about the watershed by telling people about the trail systems through Facebook and this website. WE cannot open or close the trails – only the District, our partner agency, can do that.
If I can’t go to Bird Rookery Swamp to ride my bike/hike/walk my dog/take photos of awesome wildlife, where can I go?
There are two trail systems off of Corkscrew Road, just a quick fifteen minute drive east of I-75. The CREW Marsh Trails is the only trail system within the CREW Project that is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, and the Cypress Dome Trails is our least-visited trails BUT has the most active wildlife according to sightings by hikers.
I saw a bear there about two months ago – my first sighting of a bear on one of the CREW Trails.
You can hike, go birding, walk your dog and/or take photos at either trail system. Bikers, head to the Cypress Dome Trails. 100% of the Marsh Trails are clear, thanks to Jessi and a lot of FGCU student volunteers. The Cypress Dome Trails are mostly clear, except for the Wild Coffee Trail, which is the back part of the white trail. CREW Trust staff and volunteers are slowly clearing that by hand and waiting for it to dry up to continue working.
Can I volunteer and help clean up Bird Rookery Swamp so it gets open sooner?
I wish you could. I wish I could. But the District is in charge of this project, so we respect their closure and try to wait patiently.
If you do like to clear trails, please volunteer! We will have trail clean-ups in preparation for the opening of Flint Pen Strand for the public. We also have a great group of volunteers – please fill out an application if you are interested.
What happens if I just hop the fence?
Well, that’s a bad idea. We’ve already been told of one rescue by Collier County deputies of a hiker who hopped the fence and then needed assistance in the back part of the trails. The District also has signs posted that say the trail is closed; FWC Law Enforcement says it is a $50 fine if/when you are caught.
From a purely personal standpoint – we, your friendly staff at the CREW Trust, worry about your safety. Please respect the closure and try to wait patiently for it to re-open so we can see you soon at our guided walks and programs.
14 Responses to "Why isn’t Bird Rookery Swamp Open? – and other FAQ’s"
Cypress Dome Trails. What is the address and what days and hours it is open??
You can find more information on the Cypress Dome Trails HERE. Hours are the same for all trails – open sunrise to sunset every day.
Hi, If the trails blow out due to water movement why not put culverts in when fixing them so the water can run next time and not blow out the trail?
Great question! That is up to the discretion of SFWMD and their engineers.
I can say as a frequent visiter who lives close to the trail, nobody is obeying the closure signs. Sunday I observed a overflow parking lot of visitors happily jumping (or ducking ) the blocks at the end of the boardwalk many with very small children. I would inform the SFWMD to make a blockage that is a bit more serious. Eventually something will happen that could potentially have legal implications if someone is hurt going beyond the boardwalk. You need to make a more serious statement to visitors like totally blocking the end of the boardwalk would be a simple and necessary step.
Hi Karen, I will pass this information on to our District manager.
No-one is even remotely paying attention to your closure signs. Block the end of the boardwalk and post you will be fined and a mandatory court appearance if caught.
As of now It makes it look like your not too concerned about trespassing. CREW you can easily do this, Its for the safety of the visitors.
Thank you for your concern! The District updated signage recently; FWC is patrolling the trails and writing tickets. The CREW Trust provides programming and environmental education opportunities on the trails but the District owns the trails and all signage must be approved of and installed by them.
Is there a chance that the Rookery will never reopen?
We have no indication that it would not re-open. This is simply a case of wet ground versus contractor. The area is drying up, but it is slow.
Anne, I hiked the CREW Cypress Dome trails Friday and couldn’t follow the white trail past point 9 (near the closed Coffee Trail). Why is the white trail closed beyond 9? Also when will the contractor start work on the Bird Rookery Swamp? What is the projected date for reopening?
Past marker 9 the trail was heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma. Frequent hikers that take the Wild Coffee Trail know that it very rarely dries out in the middle. It is now dry and work has begun by our volunteers to clear and re-route the trail. We have heard nothing on a re-opening of Bird Rookery Swamp; it is a project through South Florida Water Management District and they do not have any updates.
Who can I contact at S FL Water District Management?
Please visit the South Florida Water Management website for contact information : https://www.sfwmd.gov/ The contact number listed on their website is 561-686-8800. Contractors resumed work this week on the trail; we will update the public on our website and on social media when the South Florida Water Management District re-opens the trail.