THE GREAT FLORIDA BIRDING AND WILDLIFE TRAIL
AN AUDUBON FLORIDA SPECIAL PLACE
By Neil Lamb
Florida shines at the top of the list of tourist destinations. Florida also leads in the nature-based tourism industry, and The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (GFBWT) is one of its great attractions. Inaugurated in 1997, this 2,000 mile highway trail sponsored by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission promotes birdwatching, conservation education and economic opportunity. Florida ranks second after California in the number of people participating in wildlife-viewing recreation, so this is a major economic engine for the state. A report cited on the GFBWT website placed the value of this wildlife-viewing at $5.2 billion for Florida in 2006.
When I travel within Florida, an essential companion is one of the fourfree GFBWT regional handbooks for the area I plan to visit. To explore the hundreds of identified sites marked by one of the 1,500+ unique directional signs is an adventure of discovery for anyone with even the slightest curiosity about the wild birds, animals, and plants that inhabit this incredibly diverse state. The signs bearing the swallow-tailed kite logo designate special places to view birds and wildlife. Tourists and families who follow these signs will experience ecologically significant habitats on federal, state, local, and private lands with known access and dependable wildlife quality.
My very favorite place is the Viera Wetlands [East Section, V141,Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera] because my grandkids live in Melbourne and we have enjoyed so many trips to view the crested caracaras, least bitterns, and so much more. Both kids have started their own bird life list thanks in part to this accommodating site. Our trips to Viera have included walking, bicycling, and driving the dike roads, but the kids’ favorite was riding in the open bed of a pick-up as we inched along spotting least bitterns, anhingas, limpkins, and the family of otters cavorting in the pond. Besides all the regular birds, they have also added rarities like the masked duck and great cormorant from this site. The youngest likes dinosaurs, but he is thrilled when we find all the alligators, turtles, and the occasional snake.
One winter while driving US98 in the Big Bend area near Perry, I saw a swallow-tailed kite directional marker and on a whim turned down the road. The booklet [West Section, E22] informed this was the Hickory Mound Impoundment with a loop road around apond with good vantages of wintering ducks and shorebirds. To my delight, I found four Vermillion flycatchers perched along the dike road in their brilliant red feathers like Christmas tree ornaments. Of course there were ducks and shorebirds plus abundant Nelson’s sparrows and flycatchers, making the detour a refreshing plus for the drive.
The 2012 GFBWT Initiative adds new sites from nineteen rural counties of Florida and increases the opportunities to plan a highway driving vacation or adventure that encompasses the entire breadth of the state. If you need help in planning, use the Trip-Planning Wizard on the GFBWT website or download the free mobile application “Nature Viewing Along the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail” at iTunes.com or Play.Google.com.
In addition to being a significant educational and recreational resource, the GFBWT is a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration. AUDUBON FLORIDA Director of Wildlife Conservation and previous FWC Birding Trail Coordinator, Julie Wraithmell, observes that the program is supported by manyFlorida Fish and Wildlife Commission partners including the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Park Service, the Wildlife Foundation of Florida, AUDUBON FLORIDA and Visit Florida. She adds: “Strong partners and many dedicated volunteers have been key to the success of the Trail.”
This column is one of a series from AUDUBON FLORIDA. Neil Lamb, PhD, is a member of the GFBWT Steering Committee and Conservation Chair for Bay County Audubon Society, Panama City, FL. For additional information see . For more about AUDUBON FLORIDA and its “Special Places” program visit . All rights reserved by Florida Audubon Society, Inc.