Ridge Rangers September 2018 Newsletter

Ridge Rangers are volunteers restoring wildlife habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge and nearby areas in Central Florida.

September 2018 Two Restoration Plantings Completed, One To Go... September 22 is National Public Lands Day September Ridge Rangers Events Two Restoration Plantings Completed, One To Go... August 4, 2018: Ridge Rangers complete the planting of 250 native scrub plants along the first of three irrigation lines. Tank & tower in the background providing plenty of water for the new plants! August 25, 2018: Ridge Rangers work along the second irrigation line, planting another 250 native scrub plants. A fisheye lens shows some of the area planted on August 4, including a Blazing Star (Liatris sp.) that just sprouted a flower stalk and went into bloom! FWC and the Ridge Rangers have begun the habitat restoration of a former citrus grove at the Royce Unit (near Lake Placid), starting with a one-acre site which will have 750 native scrub plants, all under irrigation for one year. The first 500 plants are in the ground and doing great, and to complete the project we’ve got just one more planting of 250 on September 8 ... looking for help!  See https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/RoyceSeptember2018

September 22 is National Public Lands Day Two organizations/sites the Ridge Rangers work with will be having National Public Lands Day events, and the Ridge Rangers will also be doing an event at FWC Platt Branch: Circle B Bar Reserve: Remove Invasive Caesar Weed.  Near Lakeland. Highlands Hammock State Park: Restore Trails, Maintain Trails, Remove Exotics, Clean up Debris . Near Sebring.  FWC Platt Branch: Remove old Ranching Fence to Restore Conservation Area . Near Venus.  More details below in the September Ridge Rangers Events.  You can find a National Public Lands Day event near you at https://www.neefusa.org/npld September Ridge Rangers Events Saturday, September 1 Labor Day Weekend No Ridge Rangers workday Friday, September 7, from 9 am to around 11 am Planting Preparation for Saturday's Restoration Planting FWC Royce Unit, Lake Placid We’ll be loading the native plants for the next day’s planting onto a trailer, moving them out to the restoration area at Royce, and placing them where they’ll be planted on Saturday.  This will allow everyone to start planting much earlier on Saturday's workday Please see https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/RoycePlantPrepSep2018 for the details and to sign up.  Saturday, September 8, from 8 am to around noon. Plant Scrub Oaks and Other Native Plants to Restore Habitat  FWC Royce Unit, Lake Placid We’ll be planting Scrub Hawthorn, Rusty Lyonia, Garberia, Blazing Star, Gopher Apple, Bear Grass, Paw Paw, October Flower, Scrub Oaks, and many types of native scrub plants. We'll also be hooking up a short irrigation line for each plant to help insure its long term survival.  Restoring this former citrus grove to scrub habitat will create homes for endangered species like the Florida Scrub Jay and the Gopher Tortoise.  This is the last planting in 2018 for this restoration project, and to celebrate afterward we'll be having watermelon and a hot dog cookout! See https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/RoyceSeptember2018 for the location, details, and to sign up. Saturday, September 15, from 8 am to around noon. Scout and Gather Scrub Oak Acorns to Grow Sprouts for Habitat Restoration  FWC Carter Creek, Near Sebring We'll be scouting for scrub oak acorns; gathering any that are ripe and noting the locations of others that will be ready soon. The acorns we gather will be potted later in the fall to grow scrub-oak sprouts, and then planted in summer 2019 to help restore a damaged habitat for endangered species like the Florida Scrub-jay. See https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/Sept2018CC for the meeting location, full details, and to register. Saturday, September 22, from 8:30 am to around 11 am Remove Invasive Caesar Weed Circle B Bar Reserve, near Lakeland  Join the Heartland CISMA and help remove Caesar Weed, an invasive weed from Circle B Bar Reserve for National Public Lands Day. Caesar Weed is an aggressive, invasive plant that can grow to 7 ft. tall in a single season, if conditions are right. Help us win the fight against Caesar Weed! Learn more and register for this event on EventBrite at https://ceasarweedpull2018.eventbrite.com Polk County's Candice Knothe is the coordinator for this NPLD event. Contact Candice at CandiceKnothe@Polk-county.net.  Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, from 8:30 am to around 11:30 am Restore Trails, Maintain Trails, Remove Exotics, Clean up Debris Highlands Hammock State Park, near Sebring Highlands Hammock State Park is holding their annual National Public Lands Day activities on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23 in conjunction with the nationwide event which is officially September 22 this year.  Three  service projects are scheduled on Saturday followed by a fourth activity on Sunday morning for those who cannot participate on Saturday. See https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/NPLD2018HHSP for the full details on the service projects.  To register, please email Park Service Specialist Carla Kappmeyer-Sherwin at carla.kappmeyer-sherwin@dep.state.fl.us . Carla is also the event coordinator and may be contacted at 239-560-3665 . Saturday, September 22, from 8 am to around noon.  Remove old Ranching Fence to Restore Conservation Area FWC Platt Branch, near Venus We'll be removing an old ranching fence to return the area to a pristine natural site, and to increase safety for both workers and wildlife. This is a challenging but rewarding volunteer effort. Fence removal typically involves taking out old barbed wire strung on posts in brushy terrain, and participants need to wear long pants, long sleeves, good footwear, work gloves, and bring a hiker’s water bottle or similar.  We’ll have cold drinking water and all the tools needed. Removing old fencing immediately improves the site, and it’s a great chance to see one of Florida’s most beautiful conservation areas!  See the location, full details, and registration at https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/PlattBranchSeptember2018 FWC's Bill Parken will be leading this event, contact Bill at bill.parken@myfwc.com .  Saturday, September 29, from 8 am to around noon Reduce Sand Pines to Enhance Habitat for Endangered Species FWC Crooked Lake, near Frostproof We'll be cutting down sand pines in the scrub habitat in the northeast section of FWC Crooked Lake to create more usable habitat for Florida's endangered species. This type of pine will take over a Scrub Habitat, eliminating homes for endangered species and harboring predators. We’ll be using hand saws, sawsalls, and chainsaws (for qualified Ridge Rangers) See https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/CrookedLakeSept2018 for the location map, details on what to wear and bring, and to sign up.  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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