new location via spot locator

Although the Conservation Corp is now in an area without a strong enough connection for Internet and full blog posting, the trusty GPS Spot Locator does work and a new location was recently posted. Follow their journey via the locator link:

http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=6k-8f

(Posted by contributor M. Linkevich)

Out of Touch for the next Six Days

Greetings HMCC Everglades Expedition Followers!

I just want to let all know that the team will be heading into the remote region of the park and completely out of contact until January 3rd.  But please check on the BLOG and our progress by our SPOT locations as we navigate around Cape Sable Island of the famed Everglades wilderness.   Team is excited for this component of the adventure and camp preparation is underway.  It will be an early morning with about ten miles of open water to paddle to first camp.

This team has already overcome many work and logistical challenges and the best is yet to come!

Please,
Share this Journey!!

Todd Bauman

Finishing at Bear Lake and Feeling the Call of the Wilderness by Lucas Wessner

Day 3 12/18/11 Part 2

After lunch we came upon an obstacle in the canal. A red mangrove blocked any canoes or kayaks from getting through. We spent a good time sawing and clipping away at it until it was no longer an obstacle. Afterwards we tied up our canoes to shore and walked to Bear Lake, where we were finally exposed to sunlight after spending several hours in the dense forest.

The lake was very large and did not smell nearly as bad as the canal. In the distance a few of us spotted a fairly large splash. I can’t wait to get onto to our canoes tomorrow to see some of this wildlife up close. After heading back to our canoes and paddling back to the cars, we split up. Some of us went with Tom and others went with Todd since we can’t all fit in one car. I happen to go with Tom. He decided to drive us to where the destination of our trek will be. He told us all types of stories and filled us with lots of life lessons. He seems to have experienced a lot in his life, and for this reason he does not fear death from the dangers of his job. What I get out of his stories is, if you don’t try you’ll never know. For example, some people stand at the edge and try to experience things from a distance. There may be some dangers, but unless you really put the fear behind, you’ll never know. I like to think of our trek that way. I don’t feel I’m truly experiencing the Everglades at this point. I can’t wait to depart for our trek tomorrow where I know I will experience the Everglades.

-Lucas Wessner

The Calusa Natives by Ben Gangaware

Day 3 12/28/11

HMCC on a gumbo-limbo tree

            When I woke up this morning I did not want to leave my tent. I had an excellent night’s sleep. After eating breakfast we got ready to meet Tom at 9 o’clock and head back out into the swamp. Today Tom showed us a Calusa mound. A Calusa mounds are built of earth and shells and is where the Calusa Natives buried their dead. They also lived on these mounds as they were high and dry. You can tell it’s a Calusa mound because the Everglades are flat and in the middle of the woods is a large dirt mound that is fairly narrow but long.  The one we explored was about two soccer fields long. 

Tom with a Calusa tool from a conch shell

These people controlled the Southwest region of Florida and were encountered first by the Spanish in the 1500's.  The Calusa fed on the rich diversity of the region, but were known for their diet of shellfish of which they built their mounds.  By the 1700's this culture had been decimated by slavery of other tribes and disease introduced by the Spanish and French explorers.   

We ate our lunches on top of the mound. For lunch we had summer sausage and Colby jack cheese on a tortilla, along with gorp and carrots. We all sat on a gumbo-limbo tree and listened to Tom talk as we ate our lunch. I learned a great amount of information from Tom. One thing Tom said was “ No matter what talent you possess whether it’s doing backflips or being able to balance things on your nose or thumbs, don’t ever sell your self short”. 

-Ben Gangaware

First Encounter with the original, "Swamp Ape." by David Welsh

Day 2 (part 2)- 12.27.11

            After our awesome bird watch, we went into a nearby shop at the visitors center and grabbed a cold refreshing drink after the hot 2 hour walk.  We walked back to our camp site and had a delicious lunch consisting of cheese pepperoni, and tortillas. We filled our stomachs, and enjoyed the view of the Florida Bay. After lunch, we went back to the shop where we bought our drinks, and met Tom Rahill, a “swamp ape”. 

Meeting "Swamp Ape" Tom Rahill

This is true HMCC Teamwork

We split into two cars to drive to the canals to start work. We split up into aluminum small boats. We took out unwanted branches and cut off low trees logs that stuck out over the canal. We paddled back, and drove back to camp, and took showers.

 We feasted on rice and curry. Then, We all sat scattered across the camp site reading “A River of Grass”, tired, ready for work the next day.

            -David

First Everglades Morning by Sam Summer

Day 2 (part 1)– 12.27.11

Osprey on a snag near its nest

My first impression of the Everglades is that it seems to be at odds with the rest of the continental United States. Some areas, including our campsite, almost resemble the African savannah, with huge expanses ocean-like grassland interrupted by occasional trees. Other areas remind me of equatorial jungle dominated by lush shrubs, mangrove trees hung with Spanish moss, and exotic spiders (and less exotic mosquitos). 

 My first night in the Everglades was surprisingly comfortable. The grass covering most of our campsite is very dense and resilient, and resting on it feels like sleeping on a spring mattress. In the morning, camp soccer mom Ryan supplied us with bagels, peanut butter, and jelly for an elegant breakfast.

Ranger Daniel Blankenship 

pygmy rattlesnake

 Around 9:00 we joined a park ranger who specializes in ornithology for a nature walk. In spite of the rising sun and rising temperature, the walk was a success. Within the first ten minutes, we encountered a huge variety of native birds (including a white ibis, a little blue heron, a yellow-throated warbler, several osprey, and a bald eagle), well-camouflaged anoles, and a pygmy rattlesnake. These snakes only grow to about 1.5 to 2 feet, but they are considered the park’s most dangerous snake. Their small size makes their rattles almost inaudible, and an unsuspecting tourist could easily step right next to one without even noticing it. Also, our guide pointed out an interesting succulent plant called saltwort. This plant is edible (but not particularly tasty) and named for its brackish, pickle-like flavor.

-Sam

Travel Day by Connor Mertz

Day 1 -12.26.11

We all woke up at 3:20 this morning. Nobody slept very well…Our thoughts were filled with the upcoming trip, as well as the thought of Schaumboch waking us up in the middle of the night. After a quick breakfast of Cheerios we packed our gear and headed to the Philly airport. It was a pretty quiet ride because most of us were asleep. At the airport our excitement grew. For some of us it was the first time flying, for others it wasn’t. The flight from Philadelphia to Fort Myers took about 3 hours. We hopped in the rental cars and began the long drive to Flamingo. During the drive down Route 41 we spotted several alligators (not very big) along the side of the road near a canal. We were all a little cramped in the “mom van” but a quick lunch at Subway revived our spirits. The ride lasted about 4 hours.

Camped on Florida Bay at Flamingo

 Driving through the park towards our campsite amped our spirits. The trip had really begun. We set up our up our tents and gulped down dinner. We were all exhausted and fell asleep with dreams of alligators, crocodiles, pythons, and “swamp apes.”

-Connor

Meet the Hawk Mountain Conservation Corps (HMCC)

Hawk Mountain Conservation Corps Everglades Expedition
Ben Gangaware, Connor Mertz, Ryan Beltz, Liam Baldrige, Lucas Wessner, Sam Summer, Andy Crow,
Kneeling: Todd Bauman and David Welsh

This team of explorers will be departing Pennsylvania on December 26th to venture into one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, the Florida Everglades.  Follow this groups adventure while they work and explore the southern portion of the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States.
www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm

HMCC will be working for the first two days out of Flamingo on the Bear Lake Canoe Trail with a wilderness advocacy group called the "Swamp Apes."  The remaining week will find them trekking north by canoe up Whitewater Bay.  Spending a few days exploring this inland water then heading out through Ponce De Leon to the Gulf of Mexico.  The expedition team will then paddle south returning to Flamingo on January 3rd.  Fully circling Cape Sable and documenting all its diversity.

 www.everglades.national-park.com/ever1.htm

Stay tuned for the teams discoveries, reported to you by the expedition's members in their own accounts from their own experiences.  Please let others know about this extraordinary group of young folks and their commitment to conservation by spending their winter break "Making a Difference!"

Share the Journey!