Robin Serne, Trail Manager
CREW is a partnership with the South Florida Water Management District which owns part of the 70,000+ acres that they manage together. It is the largest Watershed in Southwest Florida located in Collier and part of Lee Counties. Earlier this year Crew received a grant from Audubon Florida/Florida Power and Light Plants for Birds program for their planned Orchid Restoration Project in June. Our partial grant made it possible for Rick Ackerman, owner of Broward Native Orchids and partner with Fairchild Botanical Garden’s Million Orchid Project to serve as the lead expert in the selection of ideal habitats in CREW for the various native orchid species. This project is a replication of the highly successful orchid restoration at Six Mile Cypress Slough is a collaborative effort involving at least twelve local environmental organizations (including Naples Botanical Garden and Naples Garden Club™).