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Etonia Creek/Cross Florida Greenway) James Valentine, Ocala-Osceola (Etonia Creek/Cross Florida Greenway) About Etonia Creek/Cross Florida Greenway: The southernmost landscape-connecting unit in the Ocala to Osceola (O2O) corridor is a Florida Forever BOT project known as the Etoniah/Cross Florida Greenway. The Etoniah/Cross Florida Greenway project consists of a large tract that extends north from the existing Cross Florida Greenway to Clay County, and four smaller tracts designed to fill in gaps in state ownership along the Greenway. Though partially logged and planted in pine, the large expanse of flatwoods, sandhills and scrub in central Putnam County is important for the survival of many kinds of wildlife and plants. The Greenway is a unique strip of land for recreation and conservation that makes a cross-section of the peninsula from the Withlacoochee River to the St. Johns River. The Etoniah/Cross Florida Greenway project is important to the survival of rare species clinging to the rare habitat found on the site. There is high-quality sandhill habitat, and a unique white-cedar swamp along Deep Creek. Near Etoniah Creek there are patches of very high quality scrub, harboring at least a dozen rare species including fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, indigo and pine snake, rare crayfish, and seven rare plants. This is the only known site for the federally-listed Etoniah rosemary. In addition, completing this connector between Ocala National Forest and Camp Blanding Joint Military Training Center to the north is very important to the survival of the black bear in northeast Florida. The smaller tracts include high-quality floodplain swamps along the Ocklawaha River; mixed forest land near U.S. 441 south of Ocala; and Inglis Island, disturbed pinelands between the old Cross Florida Barge Canal and the Withlacoochee River. In total, the project area is 93,259 acres, of which 26,957 acres are currently protected. It includes many acres of pine plantation and cut-over flatwoods, but these habitats will generate revenue through timber sales, and can gradually be restored to native habitat. The large size, restorable pine plantations, and diversity of the Etoniah Creek portion of the project make it highly desirable for management as a state forest. The second phase, the Cross Florida Greenway State Recreation and Conservation Area, includes scenic portions of rivers, lakes, wetlands and uplands. It is also near or contiguous with many other state-owned lands. The Etoniah/ Cross Florida Greenway project will conserve land in Putnam County as well as fill in gaps in the Greenway, providing an expanded recreational map through both phases. Currently protected areas within the project include the SJRWMD-managed Rice Creek Conservation Area, a rich bottomland forest with cypress trees among the largest in the state. Hikers in Rice Creek make use of a well-built elevated walkway put in place by trail managers on the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST). The FNST crosses State Road 100 and eventually runs through Etoniah Creek State Forest, the other piece of existing conservation land within this project. So the completion of the Putnam County portion will be of benefit to FNST hikers in the future. It will ensure that wildlife such as the Florida black bear and scrub jays and plants such as the Etoniah rosemary will have areas in which to live. And it will provide recreation for the public ranging from long-distance hiking trails to fishing, camping and hunting. About the Missing Links Photographer: “In 1971, there was a void to fill; ecology was just becoming a common term. It was imperative that we put together the Quest Foundation to support photographic arts ​ ​ and educate the public. There wasn’t much attention given to environmental preservation through the arts, especially in the southeast. The Foundation represented a groundbreaking organization that was devoted to the preservation of wild places through the arts and sciences.” Critical Linkages Photographer James Valentine founded the Quest Foundation, the first organization of its kind, and one that laid the groundwork for future conservation communications organizations. James is a Florida native, who spent his childhood in Fort Myers Beach. His father was a “world-class entomologist” and a photographer who imparted both artistic and scientific passion to his son. Photography was an early part of James’ life, and followed him through college and his first career path, working in advertising on campaigns such as Coca-Cola. Eventually his ties to art and conservation led him to the path he continues to this day. “I try to show the sacredness of landscapes, wherever they are. All of life is dependent upon them; when you look at a landscape you are not just looking at stagnant, biological forms. When you look at each ecosystem you have to look at what it is, where it is, and the local and planetary connections. Without that, we as a species would not be here.” James is a Florida native, who spent his childhood in Fort Myers Beach. His father was a “world-class entomologist” and a photographer who imparted both artistic and scientific passion to his son. Photography was an early part of James’ life, and followed him through college and his first career path, working in advertising on campaigns such as Coca-Cola. Eventually his ties to art and conservation led him to the path he continues to this day. “I try to show the sacredness of landscapes, wherever they are. All of life is dependent upon them; when you look at a landscape you are not just looking at stagnant, biological forms. When you look at each ecosystem you have to look at what it is, where it is, and the local and planetary connections. Without that, we as a species would not be here.” James primarily uses large format photography to capture the stunning landscapes that become the focus of his work. Always, he works to convey the feeling of the area. Just as important as the photograph itself is the background work behind the setting and subject. “I always make it a point, when I photograph an area, to talk to the management, if there is any, and discuss their personal experiences with the landscape: why are they there, what about the area is inspiring, what are some of their favorite animal stories? You really have to showcase what’s important to people.” His work in the Etoniah/ Cross Florida Greenway is no exception to this rule. James describes the area as “upland-type habitat, with a few scattered hammocks,” all of which rely upon Etoniah Creek. Through speaking with the management for the Etoniah Creek State Forest, James learned of the magnificent Loblolly Bay, a pride and joy of the park. Looking straight up at the foliage, we see the dynamics of the crown. “I take the time to really compose each image and understand its relationship with the plants and animals. As soon as we start overlaying what we think a creature should do, it becomes Walt Disney.” A loblolly bay, the pride and joy of the Etoniah Creek State Forest, a section of the Etoniah/ Cross Florida Greenway. Etonia Creek “All of life, regardless of how threatening you personally might think it is to you, is beautiful. We have to create an understanding of the beauty that each creature has, whether it be a rattlesnake, alligator, or swallow-tailed kite. There’s a great deal of respect involved. People have so much fear about different types of wildlife. Respect and fear are two different things. It’s good to have respect. It’s a matter of building that mutual respect for species on earth.” -James Valentine John J. Lopinot, Caloosahatchee-Kissimmee (Fisheating Creek Ecosystem) About the Fisheating Creek Ecosystem: Fisheating Creek is one of the largest fairly natural areas on the Florida peninsula. Today it is the only undammed tributary to Lake Okeechobee, gathering in the prairies and flatwoods of Highlands County and flowing lazily east, through soaring cypress domes and vast marshes. The land around Fisheating Creek is primarily owned by Tampa-based agricultural conglomerate Lykes Brothers, Inc. The Fisheating Creek Ecosystem Florida Forever BOT project encompasses 177,000 acres of the creek, 68,000 of which is currently under conservation. This a key landscape for connecting several major hubs of conservation land, tying together almost the entire southern peninsula. It is the key component of a corridor from Lake Okeechobee west to Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area, which is a 73,000-acre Florida Forever BOT project north of Ft. Myers. Due to the largely natural landscape of Glades County – most of which is owned by Lykes Brothers – there is good connectivity from Fisheating Creek south to the Caloosahatchee River. At the Caloosahatchee River and east of LaBelle, several additional Florida Forever projects constitute the best remaining hope for a wildlife corridor connecting through Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest to the Fakahatchee Strand and the Big Cypress Region to the south. Fisheating Creek and the surrounding landscape is the next frontier for the endangered Florida panther. Though wide-ranging males have been documented in the landscape for many years, there are no female panthers known to be north of Hendry County. Males that make it north of the Caloosahatchee enter a landscape lacking mates, essentially removing themselves from the population. If a female cat were to establish a home range north of the river, she would most likely include portions of the Fisheating Creek drainage. The subpopulation of black bears of south-central Florida finds refuge in the dense forested habitat associated with the creek. The threats to survival for the regions’ black bear mirror those faced by the panther; the Caloosahatchee forms a barrier to bears moving south to exchange genes with the subpopulation of southwest Florida and the Big Cypress.
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