If Edward Vose Babcock didn’t enjoy fishing and hunting, Babcock Ranch might not exist today. Thankfully, Edward, who had a logging business in Ashtola, PA, came to southwest Florida to hunt and fish in 1912. He liked the area so much, in 1914 he purchased 166,000 acres, which included cypress trees and the longest continuous tract of long leaf pine trees left in the whole country. The long leaf pine was cut into rough blocking timbers and transported to Tampa to be loaded onto schooners for transport to South Africa. The logs were needed in South Africa due to their resistance to termites, which caused a lot of damage in the gold and diamond mines. The logs would be used to shore up the mine tunnels.
In the 1930s, when the timber had been logged out, Edward’s son Fred, started running cattle on the property and created the Crescent B. Ranch, which is today one of the largest ranches in the state of Florida. There is anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 head of Cracker Cattle on the ranch throughout the year. Cracker Cattle originated in Florida when Ponce de Leon first brought cattle to Florida from Spain. There are six full-time cowboys working on the ranch. The cowboys use America Quarter horses, which have what is called “cow sense.” They can run ¼ of a mile and stop on a dime and they can anticipate the movement the cattle will make. They are perfect for herding cattle and are very docile in nature. Today the cowboys do not carry a Colt or a Winchester; instead they all carry a cell phones.
The ranch also grows sod, such as Floratam, for sale to home developers and Bermuda grass for golf courses. This is the only part of the ranch that requires water management. Sod cultivation requires 200,000 acres of irrigation on a daily basis.
The Babcock Ranch also specializes in conducting Swamp Buggy Eco-Tours of their ranch where you go through four diverse ecosystems: piney flatlands, oak hammocks, fresh water marsh, and a cypress swamp. The first ecosystem you go through is the piney flatlands. There are over 900 plants and trees in this area alone but the most dominant plant is the Saw Palmetto. In fact, it is called the “Rambo of plants.” The ranch also makes “Saw Palmetto Honey” and sells it in the gift shop. The Saw Palmetto has a flower that the bees collect nectar from and these bees produce a distinctive honey. The Saw Palmetto also has medicinal purposes and is used in a pharmaceutical drug that helps with prostate cancer. The Saw Palmetto is virtually indestructible. It is resistant to fire and will grow right back after a fire. The only way to get rid of it is to dig it out of the ground.
One of the prevalent tress in this area is the Slash Pine. It is very resistant to fire as well. On Babcock Ranch they did selective cutting and harvested Slash Pine in order to get resin to make turpentine. Cabbage Palms are also very prevalent and you can make “swamp cabbage” from this tree. It was a very popular meal for the early settlers in the winter when food was scarce. Florida is the only state that can eat its state tree, the Cabbage Palm.
Controlled burns are regularly done at Babcock Ranch for various reasons. First of all, pine cones will not germinate unless controlled burns are done right before the pine cones fall to the ground. It is important to maintain a low understory to expose the mineral soil to the new seeds. Another reason controlled burns are important is that Florida is one of the lightning capitals of the United States. If lightning should strike, if you conduct controlled burns, it is less likely the strike will produce a fire that rages out of control. There are fresh water ponds in various areas that are used to help put the fires out if they get out of control.
Another interesting ecosystem on the Eco-tour is Telegraph Cypress Swamp, which is located on the eastern half of the property and includes about 100,000 acres of swamp. It is 5 to 8 degrees cooler in the swamp area due to the bald cypress trees. The swamp is called Telegraph Cypress Swamp because it had a telegraph line, which is still visible today, that ran from Washington, D.C., through this swamp and eventually went under the ocean to Cuba. It was how the United States found out about the sinking of the American battleship Main and what started the Spanish-American War in 1898. In the swamp there were various types of air plants, among them the bromeliad. There was also lichen growing on the trees, which I learned is composed of algae and fungus. The algae collects food and the fungus collects water. Another interesting thing is that lichen will not grow in polluted areas. From the amount of lichen in the swamp, it is definitely un-polluted area.
Besides the trees and plants I have already mentioned, I also saw:
• Spanish moss, which is an air plant that early settlers used to stuff their mattresses. The problem is that Spanish moss contains chiggers.
• Myrtle bushes which were a great asset to early settles. The myrtle berries have a bluish waxy coating. They would boil the berries and the wax would boil to the top of the water. This wax was collected and used to make bayberry candles. The myrtle berries and leaves were also used to make an insect repellent by rubbing on the skin.
• Water hyacinth, a free floating perennial aquatic plant, was in abundant quantities. It is an evasive plant that clogs canals and will take over a swamp.
• Red maple trees
• Oak trees
• Resurrection fern
• Bahia hay to feed the cattle
Some of the other animals I saw on the tour include:
• The White Tailed Deer, which I happened to find out, is smaller in Florida than in the northern states because they do not have need to carry extra body fat since food is available year round in Florida. I saw about six deer along the way.
• The American Alligator was not in short supply. I spotted many in various sizes. Another interesting fact I learned was that alligators lay 35 to 45 eggs and it takes about 65 days for the eggs to hatch. The babies are 5 to 7 inches long and are victims to many predators, such as hawks. Amazingly, approximately only ten survive to adulthood.
• I saw many white ibis’. This bird was almost wiped out by the early Florida settlers who would eat them like we eat chickens.
• I saw a Fox Squirrel for the first time in my life. It is the color of a fox and has a large tail like a fox. It is an endangered animal and this is the reason they are quite rare.
• The Cattle Egret is a species of heron that forms a special relationship with a grazing animal and defends the area around that animal against other egrets. They will try to stay with the same cow for life.
• Wild pigs were running around in great numbers and in various sizes, from five inches long to five feet long. They can root up a whole pasture and the ranch does not want too many in one spot. They have to control their location to prevent destruction of pasture land.
• There are two southern cougars on the property. Southern cougars only meow and purr and have a life span of 12 years. The two at Babcock are 16 years old and were rescued. They were previously owned by private owners that had them declawed and therefore they cannot survive in the wild. Their long life span is quite a testimony to the excellent care they are receiving at Babcock. Southern cougars were introduced into Florida in the 1980s because the Florida panthers were going extinct. There were only about 110 left and they need about a 200 mile radius for breeding and hunting. With the continuing urban growth their numbers are continuing to decrease.
• Wild turkeys
• Whistling ducks
• Wood stork
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Today Babcock Ranch is part of the Babcock Ranch Preserve, which is comprised of 73,239 acres purchased by the State of Florida in 2006. It represents one of the largest acquisitions of conservation land in the history of the state of Florida. The Preserve is being managed by a public-private partnership comprised of Babcock Ranch, Inc. (not for profit corporation), Babcock Ranch Management, LLC (private corporation), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Division of Forestry and Lee County. The Preserve is responsible for protecting these important natural habitats, including the piney flatlands, the dry prairie ecosystem, the cypress swamp and other important water resources on the property. The wetlands are an important factor in re-supplying the aquifer for southwest Florida and contribute towards conservation and the health of the western Everglades ecosystem.
Going on the Eco-tour at Babcock Ranch has been the most interesting Florida nature site I have ever visited. I was extremely impressed with the quantity of wildlife I saw in such a short span of time compared to other sites I have visited in Florida. I think it signifies the vital importance of this tract of land for many animal species and their survival. Even though I drove a short distance from home, I felt like I was transported to another world. I truly consider it the number one tourist destination in southwest Florida and a vital tract of land we must continue to protect.
In the 1930s, when the timber had been logged out, Edward’s son Fred, started running cattle on the property and created the Crescent B. Ranch, which is today one of the largest ranches in the state of Florida. There is anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 head of Cracker Cattle on the ranch throughout the year. Cracker Cattle originated in Florida when Ponce de Leon first brought cattle to Florida from Spain. There are six full-time cowboys working on the ranch. The cowboys use America Quarter horses, which have what is called “cow sense.” They can run ¼ of a mile and stop on a dime and they can anticipate the movement the cattle will make. They are perfect for herding cattle and are very docile in nature. Today the cowboys do not carry a Colt or a Winchester; instead they all carry a cell phones.
The ranch also grows sod, such as Floratam, for sale to home developers and Bermuda grass for golf courses. This is the only part of the ranch that requires water management. Sod cultivation requires 200,000 acres of irrigation on a daily basis.
The Babcock Ranch also specializes in conducting Swamp Buggy Eco-Tours of their ranch where you go through four diverse ecosystems: piney flatlands, oak hammocks, fresh water marsh, and a cypress swamp. The first ecosystem you go through is the piney flatlands. There are over 900 plants and trees in this area alone but the most dominant plant is the Saw Palmetto. In fact, it is called the “Rambo of plants.” The ranch also makes “Saw Palmetto Honey” and sells it in the gift shop. The Saw Palmetto has a flower that the bees collect nectar from and these bees produce a distinctive honey. The Saw Palmetto also has medicinal purposes and is used in a pharmaceutical drug that helps with prostate cancer. The Saw Palmetto is virtually indestructible. It is resistant to fire and will grow right back after a fire. The only way to get rid of it is to dig it out of the ground.
One of the prevalent tress in this area is the Slash Pine. It is very resistant to fire as well. On Babcock Ranch they did selective cutting and harvested Slash Pine in order to get resin to make turpentine. Cabbage Palms are also very prevalent and you can make “swamp cabbage” from this tree. It was a very popular meal for the early settlers in the winter when food was scarce. Florida is the only state that can eat its state tree, the Cabbage Palm.
Controlled burns are regularly done at Babcock Ranch for various reasons. First of all, pine cones will not germinate unless controlled burns are done right before the pine cones fall to the ground. It is important to maintain a low understory to expose the mineral soil to the new seeds. Another reason controlled burns are important is that Florida is one of the lightning capitals of the United States. If lightning should strike, if you conduct controlled burns, it is less likely the strike will produce a fire that rages out of control. There are fresh water ponds in various areas that are used to help put the fires out if they get out of control.
Another interesting ecosystem on the Eco-tour is Telegraph Cypress Swamp, which is located on the eastern half of the property and includes about 100,000 acres of swamp. It is 5 to 8 degrees cooler in the swamp area due to the bald cypress trees. The swamp is called Telegraph Cypress Swamp because it had a telegraph line, which is still visible today, that ran from Washington, D.C., through this swamp and eventually went under the ocean to Cuba. It was how the United States found out about the sinking of the American battleship Main and what started the Spanish-American War in 1898. In the swamp there were various types of air plants, among them the bromeliad. There was also lichen growing on the trees, which I learned is composed of algae and fungus. The algae collects food and the fungus collects water. Another interesting thing is that lichen will not grow in polluted areas. From the amount of lichen in the swamp, it is definitely un-polluted area.
Besides the trees and plants I have already mentioned, I also saw:
• Spanish moss, which is an air plant that early settlers used to stuff their mattresses. The problem is that Spanish moss contains chiggers.
• Myrtle bushes which were a great asset to early settles. The myrtle berries have a bluish waxy coating. They would boil the berries and the wax would boil to the top of the water. This wax was collected and used to make bayberry candles. The myrtle berries and leaves were also used to make an insect repellent by rubbing on the skin.
• Water hyacinth, a free floating perennial aquatic plant, was in abundant quantities. It is an evasive plant that clogs canals and will take over a swamp.
• Red maple trees
• Oak trees
• Resurrection fern
• Bahia hay to feed the cattle
Some of the other animals I saw on the tour include:
• The White Tailed Deer, which I happened to find out, is smaller in Florida than in the northern states because they do not have need to carry extra body fat since food is available year round in Florida. I saw about six deer along the way.
• The American Alligator was not in short supply. I spotted many in various sizes. Another interesting fact I learned was that alligators lay 35 to 45 eggs and it takes about 65 days for the eggs to hatch. The babies are 5 to 7 inches long and are victims to many predators, such as hawks. Amazingly, approximately only ten survive to adulthood.
• I saw many white ibis’. This bird was almost wiped out by the early Florida settlers who would eat them like we eat chickens.
• I saw a Fox Squirrel for the first time in my life. It is the color of a fox and has a large tail like a fox. It is an endangered animal and this is the reason they are quite rare.
• The Cattle Egret is a species of heron that forms a special relationship with a grazing animal and defends the area around that animal against other egrets. They will try to stay with the same cow for life.
• Wild pigs were running around in great numbers and in various sizes, from five inches long to five feet long. They can root up a whole pasture and the ranch does not want too many in one spot. They have to control their location to prevent destruction of pasture land.
• There are two southern cougars on the property. Southern cougars only meow and purr and have a life span of 12 years. The two at Babcock are 16 years old and were rescued. They were previously owned by private owners that had them declawed and therefore they cannot survive in the wild. Their long life span is quite a testimony to the excellent care they are receiving at Babcock. Southern cougars were introduced into Florida in the 1980s because the Florida panthers were going extinct. There were only about 110 left and they need about a 200 mile radius for breeding and hunting. With the continuing urban growth their numbers are continuing to decrease.
• Wild turkeys
• Whistling ducks
• Wood stork
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Today Babcock Ranch is part of the Babcock Ranch Preserve, which is comprised of 73,239 acres purchased by the State of Florida in 2006. It represents one of the largest acquisitions of conservation land in the history of the state of Florida. The Preserve is being managed by a public-private partnership comprised of Babcock Ranch, Inc. (not for profit corporation), Babcock Ranch Management, LLC (private corporation), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Division of Forestry and Lee County. The Preserve is responsible for protecting these important natural habitats, including the piney flatlands, the dry prairie ecosystem, the cypress swamp and other important water resources on the property. The wetlands are an important factor in re-supplying the aquifer for southwest Florida and contribute towards conservation and the health of the western Everglades ecosystem.
Going on the Eco-tour at Babcock Ranch has been the most interesting Florida nature site I have ever visited. I was extremely impressed with the quantity of wildlife I saw in such a short span of time compared to other sites I have visited in Florida. I think it signifies the vital importance of this tract of land for many animal species and their survival. Even though I drove a short distance from home, I felt like I was transported to another world. I truly consider it the number one tourist destination in southwest Florida and a vital tract of land we must continue to protect.
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