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April 2018

• April Ridge Rangers Events
• Ridge Rangers in the News
• Calling All Explorers
• Four Tons of Debris Removed in March 2018 From Henscratch!

April Ridge Rangers Events

Tuesday, April 3, 2018, from 8 AM  to around noon.  Help Restore Prairie Habitat for Rare Species Avon Park Air Force Range, Near Avon Park. This is the rescheduled workday that was postponed in March due to bad weather. We’ll be using brush cutters and loppers to cut down small slash pines and myrtles to help restore the original prairie habitat to help rare and endangered species. Kateri Tonyan of the Avon Park Air Force Range Conservation Office will be leading this workday. Please see http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/AprilXAPAFR2018  for the workday details and to register.

Saturday, April 7, 2018, from 8 AM to around noon Sand Pine Reduction to Help Rare Species Lake McLeod Tract of the Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, near Wahneta.  Help rare and endangered plant species by cutting down intruding sand pines.Sand pines will quickly take over a habitat, and this effort will help rare plant species by giving them more sunlight and open area. Qualified Ridge Rangers can use provided chainsaws, and we'll also have battery-powered sawsalls and hand saws for others to use.  Please see http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/April2018LWR-NWR for the location, full details, and to sign up.

Saturday, April 14, from 9 am to around 2 pm

Ridge Rangers Get-Together

TNC's Disney Wilderness Preserve
Poinciana

This is the annual Get-Together for all Ridge Rangers who've participated in the program in the last year. 

Please contact the Ridge Rangers Coordinator with any questions at bill.parken@myfwc.com 

Saturday, April 21, from 8 am to around noon. Remove Old Debris/Remove Old Barb Wire Fence FWC Carter Creek, near Sebring We'll first gather and remove some old dumped debris, and then move to another area at Carter Creek to remove an old barb wire fence. These efforts will help return the area to a pristine natural site, and will increase safety for workers and wildlife. Please see http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/CarterCreekApril2018 for the meeting location, more details, and to register.

Saturday, April 28, 2018, from 8 AM  to around noon.  Help Restore Prairie Habitat for Rare Species Avon Park Air Force Range, Near Avon Park. This is a continuation of the earlier prairie restoration workdays at the Air Force Range. We’ll be using brush cutters and loppers to cut down small slash pines and myrtles to help restore the original prairie habitat to help rare and endangered species. Please see http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/AprilAPAFR2018  for the workday details and to register.

Ridge Rangers in the News

Ridge Rangers got a great write-up in the Highlands News-Sun in February, focusing on our chainsaw capabilities and habitat restoration efforts at FWC Jack Creek. See Ridge Rangers Helping Scrub-Jays .

Calling All Explorers

Three of our Florida Nature Trackers WMA projects have zero observations from within their boundaries. These projects are:  Box-R WMA (Apalachicola), Lafayette Forest WEA (Branford), and Platt Branch WEA (Lake Placid). These areas, of course, contain a huge diversity of species and each of them offer trails, fire breaks, and even opportunities to bushwhack in order to document plants and animals. If you’re looking for a new adventure, consider visiting one of these areas and uploading your finds via the free iNaturalist app (see https://www.inaturalist.org/ ).

If you have any questions about getting involved or iNaturalist, please contact the following FWC staff:

Box-R:  Emily Hardin, Northwest Region Volunteer Coordinator

Platt Branch:  Bill Parken, Ridge Ranger Volunteer Coordinator

Lafayette Forest:  Peter Kleinhenz, Interpretive Writer and Planner

 See you out there!

Four Tons of Debris Removed in March 2018 From Henscratch!

Ridge Rangers removed four tons of debris over two workdays in March 2018 at the FWC Henscratch site! This previously-neglected area has been recently fenced to protect against further dumping, and habitat restoration via controlled burns has begun. Cleaning out old dumped bottles, cans, tires, appliances, and car parts increases the safety for both the wildlife and the humans working there!

Written by: Bill Parken, Ridge Rangers Coordinator, bill.parken@myfwc.com Ridge Rangers are volunteers helping to restore wildlife habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge and nearby areas in Central Florida.  Learn more

Ridge Rangers website: myfwc.com/ridgerangers

Upcoming schedule at Ridge Rangers Online Calendar.

Want to participate in the Ridge Rangers program? Apply here, or just look on our calendar, sign up for a workday and come on out! There are no dues and no commitments in the Ridge Ranger program.

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