We walked the short trails which also include several boardwalks. These trails go right up to the edge of the discharge area, and we saw 5-6 manatees. When Gary rode his bike over here the other day, he said there were maybe 40-50 here (our temperatures were cooler then).
I got a really good photo of a manatee coming up for air. They are such gentle, slow moving creatures. You hardly ever see one without some scar or damage from the propellers of boats that ply the rivers in which they live. But the good news is that apparently the manatee is no longer considered an endangered species. While their numbers are not huge, we saw one statistic that says there are now about 6000 in Florida. There are signs in the rivers and waterways everywhere posting slower boating speed limits in the areas they frequent, to prevent collisions and damage. And many areas are no-boating zones to protect them even further.
Looking toward the power plant at the edge of the water discharge area
Discharge area
Boardwalk
Mangrove tree - they are so picturesque
Manatee coming up for air
Skeleton replica
Then we drove to the Caloosahatchee Regional Park. This lovely property was privately owned in early Florida years, but was purchased by the State of Florida and the South Florida Water Management District in the 1960's. It is leased to Lee County and managed for conservation and public recreation purposes. There is a good walking trail system within the park (and also an extensive horse trail riding system in another part of the park). A good piece of the trail runs right along the edge of the Caloosahatchee River.
The river drains the areas near the Everglades and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It has been extensively dredged over the years to provide part of the navigational waterway from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico, called the Okeechobee Waterway. This waterway is man made. The river is a focus of attention right now because Lake Okeechobee needs to have water releases to protect the properties that have been built in the area following the construction of dikes. I have not read of concerns about the purity of the water releases, but the release water contains sediment and is causing the beaches to have brown water, a cause for much tourism concern. Apparently in other years, the river does not receive enough water from releases and causes other concerns. Humans have definitely "messed" with the waters of Florida!
The river forms a tidal estuary along most of its course. There are a few naturally formed areas called oxbows, indentations along the bank, that allow for the more naturally occurring growth of plant life.
Looking across the river at an unusual boat.
We saw some water birds and a few others on our hike. Did not see any wild pigs, very prevalent in most of the natural areas of central and southwest Florida.
Very pleasant day!
