Summer 1998

Editors: Bill Belleville and John Parker

That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology,
but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics.

• State Set to Approve West Orange Trail through the Park
• Upcoming Events
• Late "Spring Migrations": FOWR Hosts High School Students in the Park
• Report from the Field: a Kayak Trip
• A Doorway in Time: Indian Mounds along the River
• Learning Golden Swamp Warbler Etiquette
• Members and Guests Learn of Flying Furry Mammals
• Doing the Flamingo Fling

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Despite growing evidence the West Orange Trail will have serious impact on wildlife and a threatened ecosystem within the Wekiwa Springs State Park, Orange County Commissioners have led a fast track to place the trail right-of-way within the boundary of the Park.

All this has been driven through, in spite of strong opposition from the Friends of the Wekiva River, The Audubon Society, homeowners' associations, professional environmentalists and other knowledgeable citizens. It should be pointed out that FOWR is not opposing the concept of the West Orange Trail. We say it is a good idea in the wrong place.

As of this writing, the West Orange Trail has been approved by the Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Dept. of Environmental Protection. The Orange County legislative delegation has been outspoken and insistent that the route will go along the park boundary. This route is not a nature trail, but a 4.5 mile paved swath along the border of Wekiwa Springs State Park with a 50-foot wide easement. This paved "People Expressway" is for skate-boarders, in-line skaters, bicyclists, hikers, horseback riders, et. al., and will be fenced. This paved, fenced road will not only destroy threatened habitat, such as longleaf pine flatwoods and rare sandhills; the noise of users and maintenance (e.g., leaf blowers) will force wildlife to seek dwindling habitat elsewhere. At this point, Park personnel appear to be under strict pressure not to speak out or suggest opposition to this misuse of environmentally sensitive habitat. High density use, such as this "trail," in this type of habitat, is in no way compatible with the Park Service's long term land use policy.

This paved pathway is a direct assault on the decade old Wekiva River Protection Act in that it degrades the quality of the environment that citizens and legislators sought to protect. We ask you to step forward now and write, call or email Gov. Chiles and the entire Florida cabinet and express your outrage and opposition. This issue is scheduled to come before the Governor and the Cabinet on Sept. 23, 1998 in Tallahassee. This will be our last chance to relocate this "paved people mover" to a more compatible site. Write or call: Hon. Lawton Chiles, Governor, State of Florida, The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001. Tel. 904-488-4441

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by Steve Phelan

FOWR Board Member 

On April 24, a flock of about 185 homo sapiens highschool-ensis were spotted in the Wekiwa State Park. Arriving in buses from four local schools, they spread out across the five different habitats between the spring head and Sand Lake. They all seemed to be late juveniles or early dults. Although they had every size, color, shape, and voice imaginable, it was clear to me they all belong to the same species and seemed to be largely happy and curious fellows.

They were joined in their ventures about the park by some of central Florida's finest environmentalists: folks from DEP, park staff, Rollins faculty, and FOWR leaders. Through the morning, the groups identified flora and fauna, investigated the ecology, and discussed issues of preservation. I couldn't keep up with all the groups, but I did see Phares Heindl go off to the scrub with pictures of some of his black bear friends. Marsha Butler (DEP) was also out there with a bear skull under arm and wonderful booklets for everyone on Florida wetlands.

No one reported seeing any live bears out at the scrub, but groups boardwalking the hydric hammock saw a family of deer with a fawn that was probably born that week. As Jim Hulbert's group circled one way and Joe Siry's the other, the conversation when they met was all, "Did you see the deer?" and "The baby's so cute." It was indeed small enough to fit in a grocery bag with spots big as owl eyes.

Down at the spring I saw Dave Murray (DEP) explaining about aquatic plants and the dangers of exotics while Bill Belleville had groups looking into the spring pool at the wildlife under water through a long fat scope. Out on the sandhills we had lots of groups hiking the trails, identifying the wild-flowers, and especially seeing first hand, from experts like Fred Harden and Bruce Stephenson, the effects of the recent burns the park rangers had been able to do during that heavenly rainy spell. Several groups explored out by the lake, and this hobbit was happy to see that none got lost.

It turns out this was the annual "conference" for Rollins College's FLIC program, an opportunity for local students and teachers to work together with Rollins faculty in courses that provide college credit. The field trip experiences were meant to enhance both the students' and the high school teachers' understanding of the river ecosystem as part of their American literature, environmental science, and chemistry classes.

As I sat waiting for lunch to arrive at the picnic area, I spotted my first summer tanager. It came to me first as a new song, like the experience of these wonderful young people who were discovering all about the community of the river from the people who care the most. I couldn't help but hope that some of these strange migrant juveniles might settle in and become caretakers themselves.

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 Report From the Field: Paddling to Redemption

 by Bill Belleville, FOWR Vice President

By the time Steve Phelan and I put our kayaks in the Wekiva, the high waters fueled by the Winter rains had been dramatically subdued by the Spring drought. As a result, the river-which had overflowed its banks and recharged old creeks and slough-like branches just a few months ago-was again the clear, well-behaved waterway most know it to be.

But well-behaved doesn't always mean tame. And during our weekday paddle downstream to the mouth of the St. Johns from Katie's Landing, we would pass through a riverine environment that was a wild tangles of trees and vines, across waters populated with mullet-joyous leaps into the air like skipping rocks-small bass, redbreasted bream, Florida spotted gar, and at one point, even a small school of saltwater skate. Cypress trunks were scored with water marks three feet above where we now drifted in the current.

Steve knows his avifauna much better than I, but even he couldn't quite identify the call and the answer of two different birds from opposite shores of the river. If this were 500 years ago, perhaps the Timucua would be imitating hose same calls to signal each other. Elsewhere, we both readily spotted a pair of territorial red-shouldered hawks, an osprey, a limpkin, a pronthonotary warbler, and more little green herons than we could count. Once, we mistook stocky snag for a barred owl. Perhaps by night, it would become one.

The gators were here too-with no water back in the woods, they were clearly more visible as we sculled by in our little plastic containers. A few were as long as the kayaks. Although intellectually I know these primitive beasts simply want to avoid us by swimming down into deep holes in the river, my gut replays every nature-gone-berserk flick I have ever seen when I must then paddle atop those same holes. El Legarto, the Spanish once called it, "The Lizard"- making it singular for good reason.

At one river bend bluff, a red-bellied turtle lay motionless on its back, the work of some brain-addled river visitor who-in case we missed the point-left beer cartons and an illegal fire-pit behind as well. I paddled over to the upended reptile, thinking he was dead by now, but when I got closer, he wiggled his head and legs. I reached down and flipped him back over. He scrambled to swim away, but at the last moment paused just under the gunnel of the kayak and looked up. Hmmm. Humans. Just can't figure them out.

We stopped for a break, ate granola bars, talked about the river and its critters, about books and poetry inspired by nature, got ready to paddle back upstream six miles to our put-in. I thought about the Gary Snyder poem "Afloat", a shard of a lyric Steve once tried to pull from memory:

And paddle backwards we did, to a time and place in which the purity of nature still has a chance to lay itself down on the soul. There is some exquisite symmetry in all this: We save the river and in turn, the river saves us.

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Part I ( 7500 b.c. to 1910 )

 By Fred Harden, FOWR President

Did you know Indian Mounds and Kitchen Middens along the Wekiva can talk? They can-through the pottery, tools, arrows, and spear points the earliest residents left behind. But you have to listen closely. Early man used the Wekiva River as far back as 7500 b.c. It is estimated there was permanent occupation of the basin for more than 3000 years. It's interesting we newcomers have only been in this part of Florida for approximately 150 years. In that short time we have done more damage to the environment than all of the previous 9000 years.

The first European contact for Florida native population in the vicinity of the Wekiva River was in 1539. Conquistadors of the ill-fated expedition of Hernando Desoto purchased corn from a local group of Timucuan Indians called Acuera who occupied that region between Apopka, the Wekiva River, and the Oklawaha River-in the general area of the Wekiva River basin. Later there was some military contract with the Acuera in 1604, but by 1656 they had disappeared, killed by European diseases such as small pox. By 1730, none of the original pre-Columbians were left.

Some of the earliest, most accurate description of Seminole Indians in the region was by William Bartram during his visits near present-day Gainesville-but this was after the last original Indians had vanished. Later military records of the second Seminole Indian War (1835-1842) revealed the famous Seminole Indian Chief Coacoochee and some 200 of his followers used the Wekiva River and its swamp as a hide-out. The land Pat and I own on the Wekiva River, north of the SR 46 bridge, was part of a Spanish land grant with an abstract traced to 1812.

The present day Wekiva River was referred to as "Old English Spring". Following the 3rd Seminole Indian War, due to his military service a James Depree was granted a homestead at Rock Springs in 1852. Later in 1861, William Delk (i.e., Delk Road in Longwood) an old timer whig and unionist from Georgia settled with few slaves at Rock Springs and began to grow cotton and corn. He built a dam to power a grist mill, saw mill, and cotton gin. By 1863, Delk owned 3000 acres and 14 slaves. But the confederate government disliked his union background and Delk felled out of favor. In 1863 just prior to the arrival of confederate forces, he freed his slaves, disappeared into the Wekiva Swamp and made his way back up North.

By 1870, Henry Sanford had established a General Store at Clay Springs. About this time, Clay Springs supported a wharf and warehouse as well as a few residents. By 1884 land speculators were selling lots at Clay Springs. 1885 began to show the major shift in agriculture from cotton to citrus. From 1885 to 1920 the last virgin long leaf pine forests of the Wekiva River were either clear-cut or used for the production of turpentine. The stately forests of bald cypress were also clear -cut until the 1950's.

If you want to see how big these trees were, visit the Senator at Big Tree Park off 17-92 and 427. By the 1880ís Clay Springs had a 3-story 100-room hotel, called Tow-ya-wa-tha (healing waters), an orange winery, and a post office. In 1898 Clay Springs boasted of a bath house, a toboggan slide, picnic facilities, a dance pavilion, this becoming one of the earliest amusement parks in Central Florida.

In 1870 the Wekiva Steamship Co. was formed. By 1875 steamers were using the Wekiva River up to Clay Springs. The steam boat side wheeler May Flower was making two trips per week between Sanford and Clay Springs. The May Flower was a 70-foot double ender with a 14-foot beam and only a 14-inch draft!

By 1890, an 8-mile railroad was built between Apopka and Clay Springs called the Apopka and Clay Springs Railroad Company. In 1905 Orange County had plans to acquire Rock Springs, to begin using the water and remove the over burden soil from narrow Rock Springs. They also had plans to mine the Rock form around Rock Springs Run. Fortunately the deal fell through otherwise Rock Springs today would be a Rock Borrow Pit.

In 1906, Clay Springs finally becomes Wekiva Springs. By 1910, there were cars and caravans taking visitors to Wekiva Springs.

Next in Part 2: 1910 to 1998.

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 By Deborah Green, FOWR member

The prothonotary warbler is a gorgeous little bird with a brilliant gold head and chest and smoky back and wings. It lives along rivers and in swamps, where it eats insects. Dr. A.C. Bent, in his l953 Life histories of the North American wood warblers, recommended a change in name to "golden swamp warbler." He wrote that the name prothonotary is unfortunate. It is a misspelling of the Latin name Protonotaria, which means "first scribe," after the bright orange-yellow gown of court clerks of long ago.

The prothonotary warbler winters in the American tropics and takes a migration route across the Gulf of Mexico. It breeds from Minnesota south to southern Florida, although breeding records south of Volusia and Hillsborough Counties are very rare. A survey on the Wekiva River carried out over a three year period by Wekiva Basin GEOPark biologists and Audubon volunteers yielded 25 pairs but no visible nests.

The prothonotary is one of only two warblers in North America to make nests in tree cavities, the other being Lucy's warbler. In late May, my friend and I discovered a prothonotary nest cavity on the Wekiva River just 3 feet above the water surface in a tall pop ash. The nest was neatly lined with fibers from cabbage palm fronds. Inside were three sleeping hatchlings, their feathers still wet. They were brown not yellow, for better camouflage. As we sat watching, one of the parents visited the nest every 5 or ten minutes, once with a green insect. The hatch-lings did not have their mouths open enough to feed. Maybe they were storing bugs in the nest until they could eat. Three days later we Visited again and to our great sadness, the nest was empty. Warblers are not known to carry their hatchlings to another nest, so the inevitable conclusion is that a raccoon or other predator ate them.

Park biologist Parks Small told me of studies showing that touching a nesting tree in any way leaves a human scent that is followed by raccoons, since raccoons associate humans with food. The two adults were around and vocalizing their territorial song. According to Parks, they are likely to lay eggs again this season. What a precarious existence for this gorgeous little bird! Fascinating as it would have been to photographically document the development of the baby warblers, I now know to keep my distance. Here's hoping there are more nests of the beautiful warbler on the river in days to come.

Deborah Green is author of Wekiva Springs State Park Habitat Tour and the forth-coming Watching Wildlife in the Wekiva Basin.

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Here's what bats don't do: Suck your blood, get tangled in your hair, commonly transmit rabies, transmute into Michael Keaton. Here's what they do: Eat their weight in insects nightly, keep the cost of farm produce down by consuming pests, love states like Florida which has lots of natural fodder for them. If it weren't for bats, we'd be awash in sketters, and not just bugged by them.

This and more came to us via the June FOWR program, presented lucidly and entertainingly by Laura Seckbach Finn, a biologist who did her masters work on the critters from the order Chiroptera. Laura brought her knowledge to us via slides, lecture and the appearance of a real live bat. Laura, owner of a bat conservation and removal company, Fly By Night, spoke to an enthralled audience of nearly fifty members and visitors. Thanks, Laura for the great talk! bat.

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by Deede Sharpe, FOWR Board

No, it's not the latest dance craze, nor an aerobics class for birders! But plenty of birders were there! And plant lovers, animal behaviorists, concerned citizens and civic leaders-all with one thing in common: They all care about the Wekiva River basin. The Flamingo Fling is a gathering of FOWR members and friends, held at the home of Pat and Fred Harden on the banks of the river-most recently on April 11, 1998.

What was the agenda? There was none. It was a wonderful, laid-back day on the river with others who share the same love for it. Although the ultimate in informality, the Fling always provides a relaxed outdoor forum for the exchange of ideas relating to today's environ-mental challenges. FOWR, the Sierra Club, and Florida Audubon members joined folks associated with a number of public agencies, such as DEP and the SJRWMD, engaging in an ad hoc coalition for the River. Win Adams, candidate for re-election to the Seminole County Commission, expressed his views on the value of natural areas to the economy of Seminole County. Dr. Joe Siry of Rollins College, Environmental Studies, shared concerns about the River. Bill Goode, one of Lake County's most environ-mentally aware commissioners, voiced his commitment to the Basin's protection and played banjo. Pip and Judy Wick, former FOWR president and secretary, surprised friends with a visit from their Maine home.

As for next year's event, keep your membership current, read your FOWR newsletter for the date-and spend the rest of the year searching for the tackiest, pinkest outfit you can find to wear.

• E-mail - FOWR@aol.com
• Fax - (407) 324-8472
• U.S. Mail - Currents, P.O. Box 6196, Longwood, FL 32791-6196
• Phone - (407) 322-8825

If you would like to have every issue of Currents mailed to you, become a member of the Friends of the Wekiva River.

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