Ridge Rangers May 2019 Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Ridge Rangers are volunteers restoring wildlife habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge and nearby areas in Central Florida.

May 2019 Ridge Rangers 25th Anniversary Celebration Great Survival Rate on Last Summer's Restoration Planting Ridge Rangers May 2019 Events Transitions

Ridge Rangers 25th Anniversary Celebration 2019 is the 25th Anniversary of the Ridge Rangers! The Ridge Rangers program was started by the Nature Conservancy in 1994 to engage citizens to help restore newly acquired conservation sites on the Lake Wales Ridge in Central Florida, and the program continued with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2004. Ridge Rangers have contributed over 68,000 hours of effort since 1994, or over a million dollars in conservation value! On April 6, 2019, Ridge Rangers and Conservation Managers celebrated the anniversary of this very successful volunteer program at Lake Kissimmee State Park. The theme was “Looking back, Looking forward” and besides activities we heard from speakers about how the program was originally started as well as future program directions and future concerns for the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem. Ridge Rangers, Conservation Managers, and Program Founders/Leaders at the 25th Anniversary Celebration on April 6, 2019 at Lake Kissimmee State Park. Six Ridge Rangers Coordinators at the 25th Anniversary Celebration! From the left: Bill Parken, Tessie Offner, Jim Reed, Carol Taylor, Tricia Martin, and Lynne Flannery. Four Ridge Rangers were specially recognized at the celebration for starting with the program in 1994 and are still very active today. From the left: Tom Palmer, Jerry Burns, Marilyn Blair, and Roger Bergere. Great Survival Rate on Last Summer's Restoration Planting Last August and September 2018, Ridge Rangers planted 750 native plants over three workdays in the FWC Royce Scrub Restoration area, which is a former citrus grove. The intent of this planting was to understand if restoration would be possible in this area, and what methods would work best. A simple irrigation system was installed with the plantings, and the plants have been watered weekly since last summer. On April 17, 2019, Ridge Rangers and FWC staff surveyed over half of the 750 plants and found that 88% were rated as healthy and growing! Much more data was also collected, and we have a better understanding of which plants do best in that area. We also believe that irrigation made a huge difference in the survival rate. Future plans include expanding the restoration area and continuing the approach of irrigating plants for their first year. Ridge Rangers May 2019 Events Saturday, May 4, 2019. From 8 AM to Noon. Restore Habitat by Removing Coral Ardesia Before it Spreads Highlands Hammock State Park, near Sebring, FL.  We will be removing young coral ardesia trees to prevent their spread outside of the park to other natural areas by pulling them out of the ground by hand and placing in garbage bags.  It is crucial to remove coral ardesia fruits and fruit bearing trees before the rainy season arrives. Fruits are easily distributed along the watershed to new locations where they are not currently established. Learn more and register at https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/HHSPmay2019  Saturday, May 11, 2019. From 9 AM to a little after noon.  Help preserve the Nature Conservancy's Tiger Creek Site by installing fencing Near Babson Park, FL.  Maintaining good boundaries helps conservation preserves by reducing damaging intrusions and poaching. We’ll be helping TNC staff construct a new fence along the eastern boarder of Tiger Creek. Learn more and register at https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/TigerCreekFenceMay2019 Saturday, May 18, 2019 Remove Balsam Apple for Habitat Restoration FWC Carter Creek, near Sebring, FL Balsam apple is also known as bitter melon and is a vine native to Asia. It is used medicinally and it's cucumber-like fruit is used in regional cuisine. Balsam Apple is invasive in Florida and can form dense thickets, crowding out native plats and competing with them for groundwater resources. We'll be removing them by hand and placing in garbage bags.  Learn more and register at https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/CarterCreekBalsam5-18-2019 Saturday, May 25, 2019 Memorial Day Weekend - No Ridge Rangers Workday Have a safe and happy holiday! Transitions I am retiring at the end of April 2019! Working for FWC and with the Ridge Rangers and other agency land managers has been an amazing and very rewarding experience, and I’m extremely appreciative to all of you. The new Ridge Rangers Coordinator – FWC’s Tessie Offner – has been in place for almost a month and the program will continue without interruption as I leave. Tessie comes from Missouri and has been an environmental educator at The Florida Aquarium. She obtained a Bachelor of the Arts in Biology and worked for FWC removing Argentine black and white tegus from Hillsborough county. She left FWC in 2015 to complete a Master of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. Tessie is excited to be back with FWC and coordinating the Ridge Rangers Program, and is looking forward to continuing the work that protects and preserves Florida’s scrub! You can contact Tessie at tessie.offner@myfwc.com .  Last Saturday at FWC Silver Lake: New Ridge Rangers Coordinator Tessie Offner pulls embedded wire out of vegetation on a Ridge Rangers’ Barb Wire Fence Removal Workday. Editor: 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. Know of someone who would like to receive this newsletter?  Send them to the Ridge Rangers Newsletter GovDelivery webpage.

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