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23998 Corkscrew Road Estero, FL 33928

(239) 657-2253 crewtrust@crewtrust.org

www.crewtrust.org

2016 Annual Report

OUR MISSION The CREW Land & Water Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the water resources and natural com-munities in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW). The CREW Trust was established in 1989 to coordinate the land acquisition, land management, and public use of the 60,000-acre CREW Project. The CREW Project spans Lee and Collier Counties and contains the largest undisturbed watershed in Southwest Florida. CREW lands provide aquifer re-charge, water storage, natural flood control, wildlife protection, and public recreation.

From the Chairman Looking back at 2016, water quality was a major issue for most Florid-ians. Headlines focused on how water runoff was polluting our bays, rivers and beaches. News outlets reported the potential affects of the runoff on the safety and welfare of residents and visitors. Because of the importance of this issue, there has never been a time to be more proud of the CREW Trust’s work and the people and or-ganizations who make it possible.

This year we owe a special thanks to our partner, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), for funding and beginning work on the Flint Pen Restoration Project east of Bonita Springs. We also appreciate the additional funding SFWMD provided so that our staff and volunteers can keep pace with the increased demands of managing this increasingly popular and critically important area. Many of the old berms and ditches east of Bonita Springs are being levelled off in an effort to re-establish the natural flow of the watershed. This project will continue through 2017 and will not only have a positive effect on our most important resource but also allow the land to heal itself by providing the op-portunity for native flora and fauna to re-inhabit the area. Once hydrologic restoration is complete, con-struction will start on the Flint Pen hiking trails with a trailhead and parking area off of Bonita Beach Road. With increased public access and recreational use comes an increased responsibility to manage and maintain, so CREW Trust has hired an additional staff member. Anne Reed has stepped into the position of Communication Strategist and joins Executive Director Brenda Brooks and Education Coordinator Jessi Drummond. If you want to help preserve and protect our piece of paradise in South-west Florida, encourage those you know to visit the trails, participate in one our programs, or become a member of the CREW Trust. I hope to see you on the trails! Ben Nelson

The Honorable Ben Nelson

The Honorable Ben Nelson and Lori Nelson

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TRUSTEES John Cassani CREW Trust member Terrey Dolan Lennar Corp. Desmond Duke EcoResolve Dennis Gilkey Gilkey Organization Kevin Godsea Florida Panther NWR Billy Gunnels FGCU Cullum Hasty CREW Trust member Jennifer Hecker Conservancy of South-west Florida John Herman FGCU

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Ben Nelson—Chairman City of Bonita Springs Brian Farrar—Vice Chairman BCF Management Group Rick Barber—Secretary Agnoli, Barber, and Brundage Doug Machesney—Treasurer CREW Trust member Ed Carlson Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Bill Hammond Natural Context Commissioner Donna Fiala Collier County Commission Ellen Lindblad Lee County Port Authority Ken Passerella Passerella and Associates, Inc.

Larry Kiker Lee County Commissioner Steven Kissinger Immokalee Coalition for Children John Mathes Mathes Realty, Inc. Jerry McPherson Gerald McPerson LLC Ray March Collier Enterprises Ricky Pires FGCU Wings of Hope Program Bob Rosier Rosier Insurance Laurel Smith Gravina, Smith, Matte & Arnold Tom Taylor Hole, Montes, Inc.

Prescribed Fire The South Florida Water Management District along with its partners Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), CREW Land & Water Trust, Florida Forest Service and Col-lier County were able to prescribe burn 679 acres within CREW during the last fiscal year. Burning was focused in areas of the Corkscrew Marsh and Bird Rookery Units. Exotic Plant Control Treatments to control exotic plants continued throughout CREW with contract applicators treat-ing 4,671 acres during the last fiscal year. The increased treated acreage was largely due to grant funding from the FWC Invasive Plant Management Section. Applicators spent most of their resources on Lygodium (1230 acres treated), and Brazilian pepper (2160 acres treated) in the Bird Rookery Swamp unit. The Florida Gulf Coast University mitigation site, Critical CREW (southern Flint Pen Strand) and the Corkscrew Marsh trails also received treatment. Efforts continue to devise management strategies to reduce willow, cattail, and primrose willow cover-age in Corkscrew Marsh. Recreation Facilities Volunteers and staff continued maintenance on boardwalks including the Bird Rookery Swamp boardwalk. Signs notify-ing the public of the location of the Bird Rookery Swamp trail system were installed on CR 846. The CREW office and

FWC law enforcement residence both received new roofs. A staff gauge that monitors water level and rainfall was installed in Bird Rookery Swamp. It is online and began collecting data in October. Work began on the Southern Critical CREW restoration project in Flint Pen Strand in

February and is scheduled for completion in October 2017.

CREW Trust 2016 Board of Trustees

Land Management

Clarence Tears CREW Trust member Steve Walker Lewis, Longman & Walker, PA Mimi Wolok CREW Trust member Margaret Wuerstle SWFL Regional Planning Council HONORARY TRUSTEES Wayne Daltry John Fitch Mary Ellen Hawkins Syd Kitson Neena Lurvey

A prescribed burn at CREW Marsh Trails

Flint Pen Strand

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Environmental Education and Public Outreach Trail Use and Education During fiscal year 2016 (FY16), we hosted 212 trail-based events. Our environmental education program participants increased by 518 people over last year.

The popularity of CREW trails is due in part to the free ed-ucational programs we provide to people of all ages. In FY16 we led environmental education programs for Lee and Collier County schools, FGCU, private and home-school students, summer camp programs, business groups and others.

An extra Strolling Science Seminar was added in response to an increase in demand from adults. We also expanded our Nature’s Peace program to include Lighthouse of Colli-er and now offer guided walks for visually impaired guests at Bird Rookery Swamp.

For a second year in a row, Bird Rookery Swamp was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor. In FY16, nearly 40,000 people visited Bird Rookery Swamp, continuing its trend of being CREW’s most popular trail system.

We attended or helped lead 52 outreach events, reaching over 11,000 people.

Volunteers In FY16, our core group of 30 volunteers donated 5,731 hours of their time, an increase in 7% over last year and equivalent to $132,215 donated to the CREW Trust. Volunteers maintained trails and equipment, led guided walks, assisted with field trips, treated and removed exotic plants, cleaned roadsides, designed programs, created a volunteer newsletter and helped with our special events. We would not be able to provide such wonderful education programs and opportunities at CREW without the support of our members, volunteers and Trustees. Thank you for your continued support. - Jessi Drummond, CREW Trust Education Coordinator

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Funding & Land Acquisition CREW Financial Overview

Fiscal Year October 1, 2015–September 30, 2016

Operating Account

Revenue:

Contract (SFWMD) ........................................................................ 109,272

Contributions ................................................................................... 75,295

Interest .............................................................................................. 6,256

Membership Dues ........................................................................... 42,736

TOTAL REVENUE ......................................................................$233,559

Expenses:

Professional Fees/Development ....................................................... 4,485

Office Expenditures (utilities, supplies, postage)............................. 15,878

Public Awareness (ads, displays, brochures) ................................... 17,715

Employment .................................................................................. 130,674

Taxes, Insurance, Fees ...................................................................... 7,962

Other expenses ................................................................................. 5,829

Total Expenses ............................................................. $182,543

NET INCOME ............................................................................. $51,016

UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS .....................................................$254,994

TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS ...................................$432,902

PERMANENTLY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS ..................................$628,698

TOTAL NET ASSETS ................................................................ $1,316,594

CREW Lands Purchased October 1, 1990–September 30, 2016

Lee County Lands

Funding Source Acres

Lee County owned ......................................................... 895

Lee County (transferred/sold to SFWMD) .................. 8,510

Mitigation (Youngquist) ................................................. 237

Southern Critical CREW Area ..................................... 4,021

District .................................................................. 2,444

Non-District ........................................................... 1,577

Conservation 20/20 (S29 T47 R26) ................................. 35

CREW Land & Water Trust owned .................................. 50

Lee County Total ............................... 17,769 Collier County Lands

Owned by SFWMD

Funding Source Acres

P2000/Florida Forever

Corkscrew Marsh ............................................... 6,780

Fisch (S32,33 T47 R27, & S4,5 T48 R27) .............. 3,207

Musca (S7 T48 R27) ............................................... 638

Gargiulo ................................................................. 627

SFWMD

Starnes (S30 T46 R28) ............................................ 280

BRS/Collier Reed (w/BCB)(S4,19,30,31,T47,R27) ..... 2,343

Popejoy (S2 T47 R28) ............................................... 51

Audubon Donation .................................................. 70

Mitigation

Livingston Road ..................................................... 436

WCI (east half of Section 12 T48 R26)………. .......... 320

Wiseman (S13 T47 R27 & S8,9 T47 R27E) .............. 237

Brynwood Reserve ................................................. 150

Owned/Held by CREW Trust

S8 T48 R27 ......................................................................... 8

S14 T47 R28 ................................................................... 101

Conservation Easements (S13, 14 T48 R27) .................. 530

STARNES/in partnership with Collier County ..........................367

Collier County Total ........................................... 16,145

TOTAL ACRES ACQUIRED/DONATED ..................... 33,914

Other Lands in Preservation

Department of Education (Leased)

(S34 T47 R27 & S3 T48 R27)... ............................... 640

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (CSS)........................... 10,737

(CSS is National Audubon Society Owned/Managed)

Panther Island Mitigation Bank .................................. 2,778

Imperial River Flow Way .................................................. 30

Collier County Road Easement .......................................... 8

Pepper Ranch-Collier County ...................................... 2,500

Other Lands Total ......................................... 16,693

TOTAL ACRES IN PRESERVATION .......................... 50,607

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Fish and Wildlife Management Gopher Tortoise Surveys In April of 2016, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission conducted an additional in depth sur-vey in an 82-acre recently burned area of the Corkscrew Marsh unit of CREW. The objective of the survey was to estimate population size, density and distribution of gopher tortoises. A total of 77 gopher tortoise burrows were located and scoped and we found a total of 20 go-pher tortoises – 19 in burrows and one tortoise above ground. The tortoise density estimate was 0.79 tortoise/ha (CI 95% 0.45-1.41) with an abundance estimate of 26 tortoises (CI 95%: 15-47). Adult burrows (>23 cm in width) were predominant (69%), but both juvenile tortois-es and juvenile tortoise burrows (31%) were observed during the surveys. Big Cypress Fox Squirrel Surveys The FWC conducted pre-construction Big Cypress fox squirrel (BCFS) nest surveys on the Southern Critical CREW Restoration project construction alignments from February to May 2016. Trees of varying widths along the con-struction alignments were slated for removal, and the demolition of trees would impact Big Cypress fox squirrel nests. Transects were designed to transverse (on foot) the construction alignments.; a total of 114 BCFS nests were located and flagged along the alignments. Seventy-eight percent of nests were found in bald cypress trees. The remaining nests were found in South Florida slash pine (20%), Sweet Bay (1%), and Myrsine (1%). Swallow-tailed Kite Nest and Roost Surveys The second year of swallow-tailed kite (STKI) nest and roost surveys were conducted on CREW by FWC biologists and CREW Trust/FWC volunteer, Dick Brewer, from Feb.— July 2016. Surveys provide baseline data for STKI presence in and around CREW, as well as assist other STKI researchers throughout the state.

Four observers spent 218 hours searching for STKI nests and roosts. A total of 12 nests were found; 11 on CREW Trust lands and one on the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Mitiga-tion Bank near CREW. We observed 14 chicks, confirmed 8 fledged chicks, and suspected another 6 fledged chicks. The fate of 2 nests was undetermined. The earliest nesting effort observed was on March 15 and the earliest incubation effort was observed on March 26.

-Kathleen Smith and Molly DuVall, FWC

Jessica Reha, Kathleen Smith, Molly DuVall. Photo credit: FWC

Breeding Swallow Tail Kites at CREW Marsh Trails. Photo credit: Kathleen Smith, FWC

Big Cypress fox squirrel . Photo credit: Kathleen Smith, FWC

Dr. David Cooper leads a hike at Marsh Trails.

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Thank you for your financial support

Preserver ($5000+) Bunch, Bruce & Janet GE Foundation Woodstork ($2000—$4999) Malenick, Don Royal Poinciana Golf Club Southern Bald Eagle ($1,000—$1999) Bonita Springs Utilities Brooks, Brenda & Rick Solveson Cooper, Ron Florida Gulf Coast University Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A.; Steve Walker Nelson Marine; Ben & Lori Nelson Pelican Sound Golf & River Club Swallow-tailed Kite ($500—$999) Brookman, Steve & Susan Collier Enterprises Mgmt., Inc.; Raymond March Dorsey, Judy & Jim Ecoresolve, Inc.; Desmond Duke Gilkey Organization LLC; Dennis Gilkey Hamilton, Layne Huether, Virginia & Charles Lennar Corporation; Terrey Dolan Machesney, Doug & Carolyn McDevit, John & Peggy Meath, Thomas Passarella & Associates. Inc.; Ken Passarella Peterson, Myron Shivok, Len & Hanna Ghost Orchid ($100—$499) ABACA Horticultural Arden, LLC; Dan Dannenhauer Agnoli, Barber, & Brundage, Inc.; Rick Barber III BCF Management Group, LLC; Brian Farrar Bachrach, Jan & Grant Hicks Becker, Joslyn & Ed Brewer, Dick Buckhannan, Hank & Maddy City of Bonita Springs Cassani, John & Holly Schwartz Cassani, Mary Kay Clow, Bruce & Elizabeth Clutter, Bill & Mary Stuart Conservancy of Southwest Florida Courtright, John & Beth Davis, Robert Deleacaes, Vicky Driscoll, John Drummond, Fred &Chris Duval, Scott & Wendy Echols, Ron & Mary EcoPlanz Inc.; Kim Ruiz Farmar, Mary Glasson, James Gerald McPherson LLC; Jerry McPherson Grandpre, Paul Hanson, Keith & Deb Haring, Bette

Hole Montes, Inc.; Tom Taylor Hrinik, Jerry Inge, Ron & Sherry Kim, Linda Kissinger, Steven Knowles, Jimmy & Maria Juan Kreager, Jack & Diane LeBoeuf, Loralee Maish, Tom & Judy Mathes Realty, Inc.; Mathes, John Montgomery, Jeff & Nancy Morgan, Judy Mortenson, Tom & Mary Ellen Becker Mullins, Gary & Barbara Ludwig Murray, John & Wendy Native Bird Boxes, Inc.; Brian Beckner Orwig, Vickie Peacock, Jay & Sally Peters, Chris & Debra Quaremba, Amy Rehse, Lynda Rohrer, Kathleen & Harry Rosier Insurance; Bob Rosier Santamaria, Vincent & Susie Seef, Michael & Bonnie Michaels Shaw, Jim & Kitty Sheehan, Chantal & Mike Sheets, Gayle Sibbald, Alex Smith, Michael & Laurel Solomon, Dorit Spalletta, Mary Rose & Pat Green Starnes, Hugh & Judy Stonecipher, Robert Tomlinson, Peter Walker, Donna Watson, Janet Weiss, Paul Wolok, Mimi Wood, Jill Worthington Country Club Bobcat ($50) Anderson, Dick & Andrea Bauer, Eric & Rita Berkley, Rob Bittner, Michael Brown, Dottie Buzz Hill Insurance Catrombon, Veronica & George Cola’s Print Shack Cooper, Dr. David Daltry, Wayne & Marti Drummond, Jessica Duever, Mike & Jean McCollom Elting, John & Nancy Evoy, Bill & Jean Exxon-Mobil Foundation Felton, George Ferber, Chuck Fiala, Donna Flynn, Mike, Tara & Family Jacobitti, Ed & Barb JSS Digital; John Slawik Judah, Ray & Kristen Kemper, Ron & Lynne Kline, Larry & Judy Lurvey, Neena McCarley, Winifred

CREW TRUST MEMBERS

McGrath, Kathy McLoughlin, Bobby & Patty Melin, Bob Menk, Al & Lucie Murphey, Carolyn Nissen, Phil Paquin, Bill & Martha Pires, Ricky & Tony Rose, Julie Smith, Adele Stilwell, Richard & Sharon Thomas, Valerie & Frank Umbenhauer, Michelle & Stan Klepaldo Wachendorf, Tom Wyatt, Matt & Barbara Ehrie Family ($35—$49) Andre, Marcia Arcaro, Robert Barclay, Carol & Hugh Barefoot, Myron Berninger, Jack & Elaine Carlton, Caroline Collings, Matt & Virginia Corradino, Pete & Malena Deutsch, Anthony Donaldson, Mary Frazier, Mary Ellen Gregoire, Al Griffith, Pam Griffith, Bill & Linda Grundeman, Camden Gunnels, Dr. Charles & Family Hammond, Bill & Rosemarie Hannah, Dave & Patty Hannah, Lawrence & Family Herman, John & Wendy Brosse Hines, Elizabeth Hubscher, Kim Hughes, Betty Jacobson, Linda Joergens, Hanna Johnson, Cynthia Johnson, Dick & Diane Keeter, Edward Koehler, Lisa Kruhm, Larry & Kathryn Bale Kuntz, Rich Luther, George & Susan McGuan, Terry & Roxie Nagy, Klara & Steve Northup, John O’Grady, Tom & Denise Ordonez, Brenda & Mario Pilver, Elaine & Allan Reilly, John & Elsa Rhodes, Laurel and Dusty Robinson, Henry & Marjorie Satala, Nancy Schmelz, Gary & Bernice Smith, Kathleen & Marc Criffield Strader, Charlie Suden, Steve & Barbara Tanner, David Thomson, Don & Kim Tichy-Smith, Laura Twadell, Lisa Vandenhende, Sabine Voellinger, Richard & Milla

Webster, Mary Ann Zentgraf, Karen & Hank Individual ($25) Anderson, Jo Ann Angel, Leslie Ballog, Christopher Barthel, Monika Bozzo, Joe Brewitt, Tara Broyard, Kathy Cobb, Giena Cowles, Cynthia DuVall, Molly Glendening, William Grossenbacher, Roger Hasty, Cullum Hirt, Patricia Hudson, Kathleen Hulcher, Susie Jarosik, Susan Kandik, Richard Kasperski, Ann Komar, Salle Langan, Tom Magee, George Maya, Emily Mikovits, Beth Monti, Gretchen Perez, Melanie Podolske, Richard Rex, Wendy Schadt, Eric Spikowski, Bill Stockham, Edwin Taylor, Elan Tears, Clarence Thompson, William Towey, Michele White, Erin Woodall, Ruth Young, Shane Zeglin, Mary Ann Student ($10) Nik Kronick Sebastian Weber