This series of ecotours is designed to explore the plants and animals that make Florida’s Big Bend region a biodiversity hotspot.
Upcoming Tours
Big Bend Biodiversity Tour – February 18 (8:30 am – 6 pm)
Join CPI President Ryan Means on a lovely winter day exploring every corner of our very own Apalachicola Lowlands Preserve. The property is located smack in the middle of the western Apalachicola National Forest inside one of the world’s finest and largest remaining intact longleaf pine savannah ecosystems. We’ll walk gently along discovering plants, animals, and discussing the delicate ecological relationships that make the Longleaf Pine savannah so biologically diverse. We’ll also learn about the many management techniques that CPI uses to restore our property back to a healthy, diverse longleaf pine ecosystem and maintain it in that state forever. We’ll probably get wet in a few creeks, slog in a bit of muck, and handle a few creatures while we are at it…Don’t forget your cameras!
We’ll spend some time photographing breathlessly beautiful landscapes or creatures. Meet at CPI headquarters in Wakulla at 8:30 a.m. and we’ll shuttle you out to our property near Sumatra, FL.
If you are interested in booking a private tour, please contact us with possible dates and general interests (wildflowers, restoration, photography, amphibians, birds, etc.) and we can design a tour specifically for your group.
Past Tours
Secrets of the Savanna
Secrets of the Savanna
This all day tour was focused on exploring every corner of our Rowlett’s Creek Preserve. The property is located smack in the middle of the western Apalachicola National Forest inside one of the world’s finest and largest remaining intact longleaf pine savannah ecosystems. We talked about the many management techniques that CPI uses to restore our property back to a healthy, diverse longleaf pine ecosystem and maintain it in that state forever, got wet in a few creeks, slogged in a bit of muck, and spent time photographing flowers, pollinators, and breathlessly beautiful landscapes.
Fire in the Forest
This all-day foray to Rowlett’s Creek Preserve, occurred just less than a month after a prescribed burn. The goal was to see the ecological impacts of a fire conducted during the natural fire season. We searched for the many flowered-grass pink, a state-threatened orchid, Chapman’s crownbeard, and other endemic/rare species that require summer burns to survive. Participants saw first-hand why we make such an effort to mimic the natural fire regime.
Apalachicola Lowlands
This first in our series of tours was an intimate driving and walking tour of the Apalachicola Lowlands. We traveled to our own Rowlett’s Creek Preserve, an 80-acre inholding within the western Apalachicola National Forest. While the longleaf pine ecosystem was our overall focus, we also zoomed in on unique habitats such as pitcher plant bogs, ephemeral wetlands, and blackwater streams. Participants got up close and personal with amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, and wildflowers galore!
