Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a National Audubon Society sanctuary located in southwest Florida, north of Naples, Florida and east of Bonita Springs. The sanctuary was established to protect the largest remaining stand of Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) and Pond Cypress (T. ascendens) in North America from extensive logging of the tree that was ongoing throughout the 1940's and 50's. The Corkscrew Cypress Rookery Association was formed in 1954 to protect the area. The National Audubon Society accepted responsibility for management and started constructing the first boardwalk through the swamp in 1955. In all, nearly 4,500 ha (11,000 acres or 45 km²) of wetland was purchased or donated (most from or by the owners, Lee Tidewater Cypress Center Co. and Collier Enterprises). The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to nature conservancy. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... Naples is a city located in Collier County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 20,976. ... Bonita Springs is a city located in Lee County, Florida. ... Species Taxodium ascendens - Pond Cypress Conservation status: Secure Taxodium distichum - Bald Cypress Conservation status: Secure Taxodium mucronatum - Montezuma Cypress Conservation status: Data Deficient Taxodium is a genus of one to three species (depending on taxonomic opinion) of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae, one of several genera... Species Taxodium ascendens - Pond Cypress Conservation status: Secure Taxodium distichum - Bald Cypress Conservation status: Secure Taxodium mucronatum - Montezuma Cypress Conservation status: Data Deficient Taxodium is a genus of one to three species (depending on taxonomic opinion) of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae, one of several genera... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west...

Today, a boardwalk of a little over 3 km (2 miles) length provides walking access through (actually 'over') pine flatwoods, wet prairie, Pond cypress, Bald cypress, and marsh ecosystems within the sanctuary.

The sanctuary visitor center is a Living Machine demonstration site.

The sanctuary is an important breeding area for the endangered Wood Stork, and other wetland birds, and has good numbers of wintering passerines, including Painted Bunting. Specialist birds include Limpkin, Barred Owl and, in summer, Swallow-tailed Kite. Binomial name Mycteria americana Linnaeus, 1758 The Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. ... Binomial name Passerina ciris ({{{author}}}, {{{date}}}) Painted Bunting The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) belongs to the Passerina genus of birds in the Cardinal family Cardinalidae. ... Binomial name Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766) The Limpkin, Aramus guarauna, is an odd bird that looks like a large rail, but is skeletally closer to the cranes. ... Binomial name Strix varia Barton, 1799 The barred owl, Strix varia, is a large owl. ... Binomial name Elanus forficatus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanus forficatus) is an elanid kite found in southern North America to northern South America. ...

American Alligators and Cottonmouths are also fairly tame here. Genera Alligator Caiman Melanosuchus Paleosuchus Alligators and caimans are reptiles closely related to the crocodiles and forming the family Alligatoridae (sometimes regarded instead as the subfamily Alligatorinae). ... Binomial name Agkistrodon piscivorous (Lacépède, 1789) The Cottonmouth, or water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorous), is a venomous snake closely related to the copperhead. ...

External links

• National Audubon Society
• Corkscrew Swamp
• Photos of the Corkscrew Swamp - Terra Galleria