Ridge Rangers March 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.

March 2019 February Ridge Rangers Photos March Ridge Rangers Events

February Ridge Rangers Photos Early in the morning on February 9 In the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest: Biological Scientist Hanna Rosner-Katz briefs Ridge Rangers and Forestry Staff on the day’s work plan to remove brush to give rare plants sunlight and space to grow. February 26: Ridge Ranger Julie Haviland re-pots scrub oak sprouts from tray cells into one-gallon containers with fertilizer and organic material. The scrub oaks started as acorns at an FWC site, which were gathered by Ridge Rangers and first potted last fall by attendees at the CCC Days Festival at Highlands Hammock State Park. The oaks will grow around 10 inches before summer and then be planted in a scrub restoration area. Kestrel Nest Box Maintenance – Photo 1: A Screech Owl squatting in a Kestrel Nest Box suddenly flies out as Ridge Rangers insert a peeper cam to check box status. February 16 at FWC Silver Lake. Kestrel Nest Box Maintenance – Photo 2: February 23 at FWC Platt Branch -- Ridge Ranger Harry Ressler cleans old debris out of a Kestrel Nest Box prior to adding new nesting material. Harry was part of a team preparing all nest boxes for the upcoming nesting season for the endangered Southeastern American Kestrel. Kestrel Nest Box Surveys Coming The annual nest box surveys on the threatened Southeastern American Kestrel start in April, and we’re looking for help! For details, please see “Kestrel Nest Box Survey Training” in the March Ridge Rangers events below. March Ridge Rangers Events Saturday, March 2, from 8:30 AM to around 12:30 PM Remove Wildlife Barrier to Return Site to Natural State  US FWS Hatchineha, near Haines City  We’ll be removing several hundred feet of plastic barrier screening used in monitoring Gopher Tortoise activity, which will help return the site to a natural state. We'll be moving along the barrier with an off-road vehicle, rolling it up and pulling the small posts, and placing the removed material in the vehicle This is a great chance to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hatchineha site! Please see the full details, location map, and sign up at https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/HatchinehaMar2019. The Hatchineha Unit is part of the US FWS’s  Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge. The unit is publicly accessible and is also a FWC Wildlife Management Unit. Hatchineha consists of 1,460 acres of pine flatwoods, scrub, and marshes adjacent to Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park in Haines City. Saturday, March 9, from 8 AM to around noon Survey for Invasive Plants to help Maintain Natural Habitat FWC Jack Creek, near Lake Placid Highly invasive cogan grass was recently discovered at Jack Creek, and the extent of the problem needs to be quickly understood (FWC will separately eliminate the invasive plant). We’ll be walking through the problem areas with GPS units and recording any additional locations of cogan grass we find. The problem area underwent a wildfire last year and has uneven terrain with downed trees and limbs.You’ll want to wear good footwear, long pants, and of course a shirt and hat for sun protection. For the full details, directions, and to register, please see https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/JackCreekMar2019 The unique habitat found on FWC Jack Creek includes bay swamp, cutthroat grass seeps, sand pine scrub, hardwood hammock and pine flatwoods. These habitats are rich in natural beauty. The bay swamp habitat dominates the property with abundant red bay, sweet bay and red maple trees. The Jack Creek tract is significant because it protects a large stand of Lake Wales Ridge scrub. This rare community provides habitat for one of the densest concentrations of endangered communities in the world. Cutthroat grass seep communities are also endangered and are restricted almost exclusively to Polk and Highlands counties. Help Restore Prairie Habitat for Rare Species at Avon Park Air Force Range Two dates in March: Thursday, March 14, from 8 AM to noon Saturday, March 23, from 8 AM to noon  Avon Park Air Force Range is requesting assistance from the Ridge Rangers to help restore both native wet grasslands, scrub and rare plant habitat on the base. We would like the Ridge Ranger volunteers to assist with the removal of woody encroachment, including slash pines, sand pines and myrtles, that have invaded into some of our otherwise intact wet grassland and scrub habitats. Removal of the young pines and shrubs in rare plant habitat will enhance and ensure the long term viability of some of our rarest orchids and other plants in the region. We’ll be using hand tools to cut down small slash pines and myrtles to help restore the original prairie habitat to help rare and endangered species. For details and to sign up, please see: Thursday, March 14: https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/Mar14APAFR2019  (This workday will be led by APAFR's Kateri Tonyan). Saturday, March 23: https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/2019APAFRMar23 The Avon Park Air Force Range’s extensive natural and cultural resources are managed to maintain their unique ecological characteristics and to ensure the long term sustainability of the Range’s military training mission.  The program is one of the most extensive in the Air Force and encompasses protecting wetland and endangered species habitats as well as utilizing these resources for numerous benefits. Saturday, March 16, from 8 AM to around noon Kestrel Nest Box Survey Training  FWC Royce Unit, near Lake Placid Looking for help for FWC’s annual Kestrel Nest Box Surveys! The surveys are done once per month April through June at six different sites in the Lake Placid/Avon Park area, and are done with another trained person at the team’s convenience. This is the training for the surveys, where you’ll learn about: The threatened Southeastern American Kestrel and how this survey helps Survey Protocol Use of the Peeper Scope Camera System (we don't use ladders). Smart phone app for data recording (optional) This training has both a classroom portion and hands-on section in the field at a nearby kestrel box. See  https://outreach.myfwc.com/event/KestrelSurveyTraining2019 for the details and to sign up! The Southeastern American Kestrel (Falco sparverius paulus) is a non-migratory subspecies of kestrel found in open pine savannahs, sandhills, prairies, and pastures in Florida and the southeastern United States. It is listed as threatened in Florida due to a decline in nesting and foraging habitat. In the training you'll learn how biologists are using nest box programs to increase populations of this rare bird. 2 0 1 9  is  t h e  2 5 t h  A n n i v e r s a r y  o f  t h e  R i d g e  R a n g e r s 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.

http://live.oysterradio.com/