In this issue ...
On December 14, Ridge Rangers went back to the Upper Peace River Conservation Area near Bartow and located, cut down or girdled, and then herbicided over 180 invasive Chinese Tallow Trees! This was the third time back for this effort, but the first time Ridge Rangers saw water in the Peace River!
Ridge Ranger efforts on the Upper Peace River Conservation Area started in April 2012, and to-date have resulted in the elimination of over 650 Chinese Tallow Trees!
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Ridge Ranger Roger Bergere heads to the next spot after using a GPS to mark the location of a Chinese Tallow tree that has been cut down and herbicided.
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At the FWC Royce Unit on December 17: In just two hours nine Ridge Rangers and four staff from FWC and the Forest Service planted over 8,000 acorns!!
This effort was part of Project Acorn, a multi-year effort to restore damaged scrub habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge.
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Ridge Rangers may be interested in participating in FWC’s SW Region Volunteer events, led by FWC’s Necia Godzisz. Events coming up in January include scoping burrows for invasive Tegu Lizards (near Wimauma), and removing invasive plants at FWC’s Osprey Unit (near Haines City). See the SW Region Volunteer Calendar.
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TNC’s Debi Stone is requesting help in January surveying for invasive plants at the Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve, near Poinciana. Debi notes that “you’ll be seeing the most pristine and gorgeous parts of the preserve, areas rarely visited by humans.” Contact: debi.stone@tnc.org
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Thanks to donations, Ridge Rangers T-Shirts are coming! The shirts are tough and durable and intended to protect the wearer from the sun and brush, while still being cool enough to wear in hot temperatures. Ridge Rangers who’ve contributed 25 hours or more to the program in the last year will be eligible.
Funding for this gear comes from the Ridge Rangers 501(c)(3) account, which has raised money by generous and very appreciated donations by Ridge Rangers as well as by recycling old metal dumped on conservation land.
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Ridge Rangers working independently are reminded to get their hours submitted for 2013. See Report Your Hours.
If you’d like a report of your 2013 Ridge Rangers hours, please contact the Ridge Rangers Coordinator. |