Wooden structures left behind
There are signs here of past use from both humans and animals.
Can you spot them? Look closely just beyond the trail, on the
south side of the road, and you will spot an old wooden bridge.
This time worn platform once carried men, horses, wagons,
cattle, and even cars along the dusty trails through Duette.
Before this site was a preserve, it was a small but bustling
settlement with multiple homesteads and a thriving cattle herd.
Beneath the bridge lays a small ditch, one of many that crisscrossed
the landscape here. Signicant parts of the landscape
were “improved” for agricultural use. Human changes to
the landscape included transforming the natural habitat into
agricultural elds. Tomatoes and oranges were grown here in
Duette and these ditches were created to help provide a more
regular water ow for the farmers in the area. Part of the ongoing
restoration of the preserve includes diverting or lling in
many of the ditches in order to recreate the natural sheet ow,
the movement of the water, over the land.
Beyond the bridge, to the west, stands a row of power poles.
Gleaming gray in the sunlight, these concrete structures
replaced the rough wooden telephone poles that once lined
the trail. Yet a closer look will prove that the wooden poles still
stand tall behind their concrete replacements. The wooden
poles remain because of their benet to wildlife. With few tall
dead trees, or snags, remaining on the landscape Duette’s local
cavity nesters had to get creative. Thanks to some enterprising
woodpeckers, these telephone
poles had quite a few nests in
them. While the woodpeckers have
long since moved out, the holes left
behind can still support other creatures.
Before these poles could be moved, the rare Southeastern
estrels nesting inside had to edge and leave the nest. The
poles were removed but left on site so that the returning birds
could still use them. Florida Power and Light (FPL), the company
responsible for the poles, recognied their signicance as habitat
for the birds and partnered with the County to reinstall them near
the old nesting sites. They also provided additional nest spots
in the form of wooden boxes carefully
afxed to the new poles.
The preservation of the Southeastern
Kestrel habitat is an excellent example
of the County’s efforts to partner in
order to protect wildlife. By working
closely with FPL on a mandatory
project, staff maintained habitat and
expanded it further to support wildlife.
Southeastern Kestrel
Greg Hume
Photos by Tom Koerner and