Everglades conservation taught to the next generation of Broward high school students

Every year, “Alligator” Ron Bergeron and his wife, Ali, host Youth Leadership Broward for an Environmental Day at Green Glades West, their ranch in the wilderness north of the Big Cypress National Preserve.

For most of the three dozen Broward County high school juniors who visited the ranch last week, it was the first time they were exposed to a part of Florida that is home to panthers, bobcats, black bears, white-tailed deer, Osceola turkeys and wild hogs.

A member of the South Florida Water Management District governing board, where he is the point man on issues affecting the water level and water quality in the Everglades, Bergeron was first introduced to the River of Grass when he was 3 years old by his grandfather. He told the young women and men that the future of South Florida depends on them to protect the Everglades, which is a source of drinking water for nearly 10 million people and also home to numerous threatened and endangered species.

Then he had a special treat for them, introducing Jeff Corwin, the host of several acclaimed wildlife television documentaries on networks like Animal Planet and ABC for the past 25 years. He currently is developing a show for NBC entitled “Journeys to the Southern Wild” that focuses on conserving Florida’s diverse wildlife, from alligators and manatees to sea turtles and sharks, as well as its unique habitats such as the Everglades and coral reefs.

“I’m very blessed because I get to travel around the world with my passion, which is connecting to nature and sharing the stories of nature with the people who watch my shows, and it’s been an incredible journey,” Corwin said. “Nature for us is a gateway opportunity to discover and grow. Although I get to travel around and be in incredibly beautiful places like this and tell the stories of amazing critters, my life didn’t begin that way.”

Corwin told his attentive audience that he grew up near the city of Boston and first became enchanted by wildlife when he found a snake under a log in his grandparents’ backyard in Worcester.

“Just as it began to creep off, I reached out and grabbed onto it,” he said. “And then it reached back and grabbed onto me.”

His father pried the snake off his arm and they released it in the backyard. Corwin said that was the day he became a naturalist, and he knew that for the rest of his life, he’d be working with and telling the stories of creatures.

Corwin observed the snake, which he named Gladys, for two years, until his grandparents’ neighbor killed Gladys with a spade.

“That was the day that I realized that good people make bad decisions when they lack information,” Corwin said. “My passion for snakes really has been the fuel that’s allowed me to travel around the world and have the job that I have.

“So today, we’re in this beautiful place called Florida. ‘Alligator’ Ron touched on this rather eloquently about the challenges we face in Florida. To me, the most important stories to be told are right here in Florida. Florida, for many Americans, will be their gateway to nature.”

Years ago, Corwin said he gave a speech to hundreds of teachers from around the country and one of them said that her kids enjoyed watching Corwin’s shows in class, but her kids were never going to radio-collar a lion in the Serengeti.

“But they can go to Florida, and have that incredible moment where they connect to nature that will build and exercise those inner muscles of their environmental stewardship,” Corwin said. “And that’s the magic of Florida today. Florida is the greatest natural wonder in the United States. There are creatures that live in Florida that are found nowhere else in the world. Biologically and ecologically, it is the richest and most important place in North America. And it’s accessible to all of us.

“But we’re also very close to losing wild Florida. Florida faces incredible environmental challenges. And in the spirit of stewardship, I’ve always believed that you can’t protect what you do not love. And you’ll never love it unless you get an introduction.”

Thanks to the folks at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, which rescues and rehabilitates injured wildlife, Corwin was able to introduce the youth leaders to several of Florida’s most underappreciated animals. They included a king snake, a gopher tortoise, a black-headed vulture, a Cooper’s hawk nicknamed Bradley, and an opossum.

Corwin shared facts and insights about each animal. The gopher tortoise digs holes that can extend 25-30 feet deep That makes it a keystone species because other animals live in gopher tortoise holes, such as gopher frogs and indigo snakes.

“There’s a whole kaleidoscope of critters that rely on tortoises for survival,” Corwin said, adding that the reptiles are well-protected by the state. “So they’re actually doing better today than they have done historically.”

Corwin said vultures play a critical role in the environment because they are scavengers. “This is a creature that makes its living off the unlucky. Off the dead,” he said, pointing out that vultures have no feathers on their heads because they reach head first into the bodies of dead animals.

The biggest threat to hawks and other birds of prey is rat poison. As Corwin explained, the birds will snag and eat disoriented rodents that have ingested poison and become poisoned themselves. Along with the other animals, “they’re a part of this amazing place that’s your backyard. But it won’t stay your wild backyard unless you exercise your muscles of stewardship.”