Tamiami Trail
Today was a very eventful day! After another chilly breakfast we headed straight out to our designated work sites. We split up into groups so we were all assigned different tasks. While others worked on the RCW site we went down to a couple of existing properties to start some demolition.
In order to restore Big Cypress to its original state, several abandoned houses need to be demolished. In order to level the homes, all metals, wires and anything that can prevent growth or disturb wildlife must be removed. That being said, we put on our hardhats, gloves, and eye pro and got to work. Now, I work for a construction company, so demo work is right up my alley.
After a whole day of demo work, we were taken out to sites that were completed in the past few years to see what the work we began today will eventually become. This part of the day was the most the important for me. Just to see that the work we did today will eventually help nature reclaim the land was an amazing experience.
Tonight after dinner we had a presentation about the history of Big Cypress and I was blown away. The history is rich and full of amazing people that have done great things. Since we had limited time and there is so much history we mainly focused on the creation of the Tamiami Trail, which was built to connect Tampa and Miami. I can guarantee that I will be reading more on the history of this place. I can also definitely say that after only being here for two days I would come back and do more work for this beautiful land.
Well I’m off!! I have an exciting day ahead of me working with the Red Cockaded Woodpeckers. You’ll here about it tomorrow on my next post.