Tram tour explores
cypress swamps
under luminescence
star and celestial body in the night
sky appear in telescopic clarity. With
a little help from the recent cold
front that swept away virtually all the
cloud cover, everything from the red
giant star Betelgeuse and
constellations like Ursa Major and
Minor, to the planet Jupiter and even
passing satellites, burn with a vivid
brightness from one horizon to the
other.
By Scott Butherus
Photos by Scott McIntyre
D
uring daylight, the
Fakahatchee Strand
State Preserve, with its
miles of pristine bald
cypress forests, is a fascinating place,
a thriving habitat for hundreds of
native species. Under the radiating
orange glow of a full winter’s moon
— the Wolf ’s Moon — the
fascinating quickly becomes the
fantastic.
The Ghost Rider Moonrise Tour,
named for the park’s rare ghost
orchid, leads you into the heart of it
during a two-and-a-half hour tram
ride that takes visitors 2.7 miles
inside the park. “Being in the swamp,
under the moonlight is quite an
experience,” park naturalist and lead
tour guide Glenn Stacell said.
Over 14 miles from the nearest
highway and over twice that to the
nearest strip mall, the isolated strip of
Florida is completely removed from
the usual “light pollution” of most
urban centers, making nearly every
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Under
the
light
of the
moon
Shortly after sunset, the moon made
its ascent over the cypress domes,
appearing over three times its actual
size due to a phenomenon known as
atmospheric lensing, and illuminated
the vast darkness of the grass prairies.
“That first sight of the moon was
absolutely worth the trip,” said Ruth
Turner, a seasonal resident from New
Hampshire.
Wading birds like wood storks and
night herons become backlit by the
moon as they perch atop the trees,
while the standing water of the
wetlands create a mirror effect with
the stars.
The complete silence surrounding
visitors furthers the atmosphere.
“The highlight of the trip for me was
when we stopped and everyone got
quiet listening for the sounds,”
Turner said.
The first portion of the tour includes
several breaks to explain some of the
unique geology and plant life
encountered in the park. The strand
itself is the result of thousands of
habitats in America. The occasional black
bear can sometimes be seen lumbering
across former railroad paths and numerous
logging trails that were constructed in the
1950s and ‘60s.
Eagles and ospreys can be seen soaring
overhead while white ibis — commonly
referred to as Chokoloskee chicken by the
locals — flock to the wetlands below. “We
try and give you a complete overview of the
biology, the geology, the human history, the
current state of affairs, everything. It’s
almost information overload,” Stacell said,
of the full-moon tram adventure.
The tour, which will also run during the
full moon of the lunar cycles on Feb. 14
and again on March 16, costs $25 per
person and includes park admission. All
tour proceeds go directly to the Friends
of Fakahatchee conservation group, which
helps maintain and preserve the park.
Among the many projects the group is
involved in include efforts to reestablish
populations of several rare orchid
species that have been decimated by
poachers within the park.
years of slow-water outflow cutting a slough
into the limestone bedrock as it made its
way to the Gulf of Mexico. The constant
presence of water enables the area to
support both tropic and temperate species.
Fakahatchee Strand currently has the
largest and most diverse population of wild
orchids in the country and also contains the
highest concentration of native royal palm
trees in the state. The park, which at 20
miles long and five miles wide is the largest
state preserve in Florida, is also home to a
variety of birds, reptiles and animals,
including one of the largest natural panther
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For more information, including
tour schedule and tickets, go to
orchidswamp.org. n
FAR LEFT: Glenn Stacell shows the
pollen coming off a local plant. Dick
Brewer directs the tour group’s view
toward the tall trees and wildlife
during the tram tour. Heide Burkhardt,
second from right, holds a bay leaf
that can be found in the Fakahatchee
Strand Preserve up for her husband Bill
Burkhardt to smell. A flock of Ibises
perched high above the strand.
FEBRUARY
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