Posts Tagged With: Arthur Marshall Loxahatchie National Wildlife Refuge

Great blue heron at Arthur Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

West Palm Beach, FL. November 1

“The tram is down” said the voice on the phone. We were halfway between Kissimmee and West Palm Beach, on our way to the Arthur Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge after spending Wednesday at the pool again. At 1 PM we were scheduled for a 1.5-2 hour tram ride through the refuge, located just west of the sprawling suburbs of Palm Beach. The refuge is 145,000 acres and provides habitat and protection for endangered and threatened wildlife. American alligators, snail kites, herons, egrets, ibis, and wood storks call the refuge home. Migratory birds use it as a wintering grounds or a migratory stop-over.

The refuge caller offered us a walking tour instead of the tram tour and we accepted that as a reasonable alternative to the tram ride. (The other people scheduled for the ride declined the offer to hike instead. Possibly the 85 degree temperature had an impact on their decision.) After another lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches eaten at the refuge listening to bird calls, we joined Kathy, a long-time volunteer at the refuge for our hike.

The hike took 90 minutes and while we certainly did not cover as much ground as a tram ride, the hike provided an opportunity to learn about the refuge. The history of the Everglades and the role of the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee in feeding water to the Everglades were covered. Man’s modifications to the Everglades in favor of agriculture and settlement had dramatically reduced the size of the Everglades. Refuges like Loxahatchee attempt to ameliorate those effects by filtering polluted water and providing habitat for wildlife.

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Once again on this trip we did not spot any alligators on the hike although they are numerous here. Birds were the primary wildlife observed, including snail kite (decades ago they were common in Minnesota but not anymore),limpkin, snowy egrets, gallinule, great blue herons, and a variety of ducks. Kathy’s expertise is in plants and she was able to inform us about many of the plants in the refuge and how they were used by Native Americans.

The refuge’s visitor center offered numerous interesting displays including two interactive ones. The first interactive was a mock airboat ride through the refuge complete with an airboat fan mimicking the wind in our faces as we would have experienced in real life. The second was a darkened room with the voices of a dad and his son listening to various calls of wild animals at night. Both were well done and a surprise.

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Ed and Chris. Nov. 1