BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE, Fla. (March 22, 2013) – How can one sum up the past week here with SCA alternative spring break? Gathered around a campfire, under a big clear sky, with Orion overhead, a mandolin strums. Bluegrass fills our ears. Songs of the mountains and the stars. Marshmallows are passed around.
Exploring a gator pond in a swampy cypress mound. Knee deep in water. Orchids on the trees.
Clearing a house to return the area to nature, a bat flies out of a cabinet. A bird nest with three eggs sits on the bathroom shelf. A tree frog jumps from the window.
Canoeing through the estuary. A snake on a mangrove root watches us pass before slithering into the water. Egrets fly overhead.
Woodpeckers in the distance. Manatees close by. Gators are closer.
Learning new skills. Meeting new friends. Seeing conservation in action and being part of it. Does that sum up the past week? No, you really have to experience it for yourself.
