Download Kissimmee Prairie Preserve and the Seminole Tribe

Thursday July 7: Drove from home in Port Salerno, FL to Okeechobee to meet Elam and his daughter Laura at the Hampton Inn (great hosts!) to get ready for an early morning video production with the Seminole Tribe at Brighton, FL. Elam and I had a very fine wide ranging discussion about the project and related issues.

Friday, July 8: Met Elam and Laura in the lobby at 4:55 a.m., grabbed coffee and headed out to Brighton. Met up with Alex Johns, Deputy Director, Seminole Tribe Natural Resources Dept., and a principal cattle rancher for the tribe. Alex and six Seminole ranchers (Bobby Yates, Bill O’Grady, Kane Jumper, Reno Osceola, Justin (Biscuit) Hipp), including 12-year old Morgan Yates, were going to work 300 head of young heifers with dogs (and horses) to get them used to being herded, and invited us along. But first stop was at “Alice’s Restaurant” for a quick breakfast. It was lightly drizzling as we headed out to the Seminole Tribe’s wide open spaces near Brighton, but we were worried about hard rain and our ability to film in the rain. Umbrellas and plastic garbage bags anyone? As we came through the gate into the ranch, the rain increased. Alex and friends offloaded their horses in the beautiful gray light of that special time “just-before-dawn” but shadowed by clouds. We got outstanding film, however, as they headed out to begin the roundup. We set up the camera and waited. The rain stopped and as the sun rose we had a friendly visitor – a meadowlark – who welcomed us to the neighborhood by singing an upbeat melodic song. We bet each other which opening along a half-mile stretch they’d be driving the herd through. After about 45 minutes, it turned out to be the one on the left. Before that, from a mile away, we could just hear the whistles, whip cracks, dog barks and voices of the ranchers, the dogs; and the mooing of the herd. The rain stopped, the light was perfect and as the riders and dogs worked the herd, we were absolutely impressed by the scene and got all down on film. They drove the herd closer and when they reached a distance of some 50 yards from the camera, Alex Johns and the ranchers had the herd circle for what seemed like an hour but in reality was about 10 minutes. The teamwork of the riders, horses and dogs was fantastic, and every time a heifer would break out it was mere seconds before it was back in the herd. We moved back to the trucks and trailers and got good shots of the “load-up”. We were very thankful to have this excellent opportunity to get up close to a very professional cattle operation, we thanked Alex and the others, and said we hoped to see them at the Seminole Brighton Rodeo on Saturday. Friday afternoon Elam and I picked up some outstanding background shots along one of the Kissimmee River oxbows in a large live oak hammock.

Saturday, July 9: Arrived at the Seminole Brighton Rodeo Arena at about 3:30 and caught the last part of the youth rodeo. What great riders! The young folks were having great fun at barrel racing, steer roping, etc. Seminole Tribe Historian Willie Johns greeted us and helped us get situated. It was about 93 degrees outside but the four huge fans under the arena roof made a great difference in temperature and it was about 10-15 degrees cooler inside the arena. Took a break until 6:00 when the Eastern Native American Rodeo Association rodeo began for the adults. Met guest artist Bradley Cooley, his wife Linda, and son Brad Jr. Bradley Cooley is a well known sculptor and his bronze sculptures of Seminole Tribe heroes was on display. Bronc ridin’ was the first rodeo event and that made for exciting film. Throughout the rest of the evening, Elam and Laura continued to shoot film and stills from vantage points throughout the arena. Great shots of 5- year old Trevor Johns on his daddy’s horse in the staging area. The steer wrestling, calf and steer roping, and barrel racing events were well covered. The bull riding event came last and provided crowd pleasing fast-paced action. It was a great day at the Brighton rodeo.

Special thanks to Willie Johns and Alex Johns with the Seminole Tribe for coordinating the events. “Weʼre still in the forefront of history because this water restoration is history. Itʼs either going to make us or break us. Iʼm glad to see that our people are doing there part …to protect our environment.” – - Willie Johns, Seminole Tribe Community Outreach Specialist

My son Nic and I made a fast 3 day traveling trip to the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park about 30 miles north of Okeechobee on Saturday. When we arrived in the middle of the afternoon, it was hot, humid and no clouds. It has been very dry all across Florida this month. There was a water hole along the trail I wanted to check out. I knew if there was any water left, all the species would be coming by for water. We drove to the water hole that is fast receding and will soon be dry. There were about a dozen gators of various sizes trying to stay cool in the shallow muddy pit. Keeping the gators company were about 6 yellow-bellied slider turtles. I set up the camera close to the waterʼs edge. Sure enough, in the next few hours a series of wildlife came by to wet their dry thirsty appetite. First we filmed the gators being restless, digging around the mud, trying to stay cool and comfortable. The sun was intense and not much comfort was to be found for the mud wallowing creatures. Later we had the red shouldered hawk, white tailed deer and several turkeys came trotting by the water hole. – Comments by Elam

Sunday, June 12th: We woke up at 5 AM. We could barely peel our eyelids back to open them up. We grabbed some coffee from downstairs and headed back to Kissimmee Prairie State Park. We were planning on meeting Paul Miller, the biologist for the park, a little before sunrise to do some filming of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, one of the most endangered birds in the state. While waiting for him, five young bucks were standing out in the prairie. It was mystical: The fog, grounded clouds, caused the deer to look fuzzy. It was like a lovely impressionistic painting. Elam set up the HD video camera and begin rolling. The bucks walked past the camera and crossed the road. Soon after Paul Miller showed up. He took us in to a place in the prairie about a quarter of a mile in to where the Florida Grasshopper Sparrowʼs nesting site is. The reason it is called the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow is because the maleʼs call (and maybe femaleʼs call, as well?) sounds like a chirping cicada. We got some great shots of the male sparrow. Not as close as preferred, but the image will work.

After that we loaded up on the Parkʼs swamp buggie and took a tour through the park. It was lovely. There was one point where you could see around you for a diameter of 10 miles. There were no human structures in sight, save for a lone tower off in the distance. It was quiet, very quiet. Not many jets passed over. Being one of the largest parks in the State of Florida, the roads were far away, too. During our loop, we passed by the army trail that connects Fort Drum to Tampa. During the Seminole Wars, the Army had every fort in this region stationed within a dayʼs march from another fort so that the soldiers wouldnʼt be caught at night without a guarded place to stay. It was fascinating to see that this trail still existed more than 150 years later. ” Paul explained to us that it is dark enough at night out here that astronomers from all around come here to look at the night sky. In their office, they have a picture of the Orion Constellation that includes nebulas and other stars that an astronomer captured with multiple pictures on his telescope and pieced together. – Comments by Nic

On Monday morning, we woke up and met with Kimball Love and Donna Huth at Poseyʼs, a local breakfast diner. We discussed and began planning for a place for the film documentary to premiere/ screen at Okeechobee this fall.

Later, we headed out to Brighton, Florida where the Seminole Tribe Reservation is to meet with Willie Johns, the History Specialist for the Tribe and Alex Johns, a cowboy and manager of the Seminole Cattle Operation. There we also met up with Rick Smith, the Consultant for the documentary project. The interviews were in depth and very informative from the historical accounts to current day solutions.

Download Red Cockaded Woodpecker

In late April, as I was finishing up my spring semester at Florida State University, I had made plans to come home for May and June to spend time with my family. Upon hearing this, Dad asked if I wanted to come along with him to The Disney Wilderness Preserve to do some work on the Kissimmee Basin: the Northern Everglades documentary. Excited to be outside in the heyday of “May days” weather, I agreed.

We began our journey on Monday morning, May 9th, at 8:00 A.M. Packed in the sturdy Sequoia, boat in tow, we departed Blountstown, excited and ready for a great father-son adventure. Less than ten miles down the road, we drove into trouble. The back of the boat trailer was wobbling. Dad pulled over to check it out and discovered that the rubber seal in the wheelʼs ball-bearing was broken casing the hub to overheat, which could leave to the wheel flying off the trailer (which has happened to him before in a former misadventure). We turned around to unhitch the boat. We continued on our way and stopped at the rest area east of Madison to take a break and switch drivers. Both refreshed, Dad took the helm to drive the next portion of the trip. As we were backing out, we heard a sickly scraping noise. Eyes widened, we both turned back to see that our truck had intersected with a grey Town & Country. An older lady stepped out of her car, as dad did likewise. They worked out that both of them were backing out at different angles and neither one saw the other, so it was a no-fault situation. The two struck up friendly conversation, and when dad said that he was from Blountstown, the lady said that her daughter had lived there. We soon discovered that this lady was the grandmother of Tyler Wertenberger, who played the role of young Dr. Ramsey in Dadʼs documentary, Apalachicola River: An American Treasure. Both laughed at the coincidence of this happenstance. Since we knew how to get in touch with her, dad said he would follow-up when he returned.

We arrived at the The Nature Conservancyʼs Disney Wilderness Preserve (hereafter referred to as DWP), right outside of Poinciana around 5 pm. It was a beautiful day with nary a cloud in the sky. I saw birds off in the distance and was excited to take a closer look. “Dad, where did you put the binoculars?” Silence. A sigh. “I forgot them at home.” We both laughed as yet another miss happened.

While we were down here working, the folks at the DWP were gracious enough to let us stay at the guest cabin, located almost 8 miles from the front entrance. It is a beautiful place, nestled in a woody area tucked behind Lake Hatchineha. Our first evening, we were without air-conditioning. Dan, who works for the DWP, said that it would work if we turned it on and went out back and gave it a good spin with a stick. The A/C must have been on its last leg because it was only breathing out hot air. That evening, we opened up the screened windows and let the cool breeze blowing from the lake cool us down. For dinner, we were planning on making sausage and red potatoes, squash, and cucumbers from our garden. I was looking around for the squash and cucumbers and couldnʼt find them anywhere. I asked Dad, and he threw his hands up in the air. “I left them in the fridge at home!” Dinner composed of a duet of sausage and potatoes, half the planned quartet, yet remained a hit.

Later that evening, Dad was talking to Mom about the day, and told her about the four things that went wrong: the boat trailer messing up, the accidental meeting, forgetting the binoculars, and leaving behind the vegetables. He then asked her, “Do you want to know what the fifth one is?” Anxiously, Mom queried, “What?” Dad chuckled. “It hasnʼt happened yet!”

I woke up early Tuesday morning to a chillingly close hoo-aw of a Barred Owl which gave me a bit of a spook. The sound was a smooth rise in pitch in a minor key akin to a haunted clarinet, then a downward warbling purr. With owlbumps on my arms, I squeezed my pillow closer and went back to sleep.

Later that morning, we met up with Katie, a summer intern; and Jennifer, who is in charge of handling the red-cockaded woodpecker population. Jen is a redheaded spunky scientist in the spirit of Ms. Frizzle. We were filming a woodpecker parent flying in and out of its nest, giving food to its chicks. Their nest was installed by Jen, because it takes 3-5 years for the woodpecker to drill a cavity for a nest. Since it takes so long, the management at the DWP decided to help them along by installing ready-made cavities in the tree. Other things they do to help the fledging population include wrapping aluminum foil around the treeʼs base and scoring the tree so sap will run down the trunk. This is to prevent snakes and other predators from climbing into the cavity for a Woody Woodpecker lunch.

Later that day, we went out again to another tree to install a cavity box for the woodpeckers along with Zach, who is in charge of fire management for the preserve. The process involved Jen climbing up the tree using two separate ladders that connected together. As she climbed up, she had a leather belt looped around the tree and connected to a holster that gave her extra grip and allowed her to lean back when working. At about 20 feet, she marked a place to install the box. The chainsaw was down on the ground and she pulled it up with a rope. For those geometry majors out there, you can appreciate the difficulty of cutting a rectangular hole into a cylinder. After painstakingly sawing the correct dimensions, she caulked the box and installed it. The whole process was incredible to watch, and it felt like you were watching someone walking a tightrope, holding your breath, the danger of falling always apparent. To do this, you have to be trained by someone who is certified.

That evening, we met with Matthew Porter, the script writer for Kissimmee Basin project, at the Kissimmee Cowboy Bar-B-Que joint.

Wednesday morning, we meet with with Jen and Katie, along with two new faces: Debbie, who heads up invasive plant management at the DWP, and Robert, a volunteer. Jen climbed up the ladder and pulled out the baby chicks. Using a tool called a noose (which is double-looped piece of fishwire strung through a clear plastic tube) she snugged it around their neck to gently pull them out of the box. Later, she told us that this process does not hurt them. To work on banding birds, you also have to have a certification. There were two baby chicks in the cavity. She carefully measured and banded each one, then put them back into the box.

At 2:00, we met with Charlie Pelizza, who works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a branch of the Department of Interior focusing on wildlife preservation. He discussed the ins and outs of conservation easements in the Kissimmee Basin which will be highlighted in the film.

Wednesday evening, we recorded some twilight nature sounds by the cabin. Thursday morning, we cleaned up and left the cabin. On our way out, we spotted a Sandhill Crane Family: A male, female, and two adolescent chicks. Dad had previously captured footage of a family at an earlier stage. In excitement, he set up and filmed them. Even when you are all packed up and ready to head home, the circle of life continues to trundle onward.

Download DWP, Lake Russell, and Creek Ranch

View the Galleries: Digital Stills Part 1 | Digital Stills Part 2

Day 1 – Friday, April 1st: Elam rolled into Tallahassee early in the morning to pick me up on the way down to The Nature Conservancyʼs Disney Wilderness Preserve. They were kind enough, again, to let us stay at the cabin on the property. I really am starting to love that cabin, though I forgot to bring my own linens and spent the first night sleeping under a towel. We had enough time after unloading to go catch a sunset out in palmettos!

Day 2 – Saturday, April 2nd: Saturday morning we got up early to take the gheenoe out on Lake Russell. Our last trip on the lake earned us some of our favorite footage so far, and this time didnʼt disappoint! The lake was clear and still as a mirror, and we captured a beautiful sunrise over the water. After the lake we headed out to look for the new sandhill crane chicks. We spotted them on their way out of the preserve, leading to a mad dash across marshes and pasture to get a good picture. I ended up so soaking wet that I had to go buy new shoes, but we got the shot. Capping it all off with a lovely sunset, it was a banner day at DWP.

Day 3 – Sunday, April 3rd: Sunday morning was the end of our stay at DWP, but we made the most of it by capturing a cool, misty morning out in the pine flatwoods. Our next stop would be Creek Ranch, a cattle ranch on the other side of Lake Hatchineha owned by the Black Family. They were kind enough to put us up in their Bunkhouse while we picked up shots of cattle ranching and cypress marshes. Let me tell you, the so-called Bunkhouse was just about the nicest place Iʼve ever been allowed to stay!

Day 4 – Monday, April 4th: We were out on Lake Hatchineha first thing Monday morning to get a sunrise over the lake. It was beautiful, but it was quick! The sun was up and hot before we knew it, so we went back to swap our gheenoe for a pontoon boat. Jim Black, the president of Creek Ranch, took us up the tributaries of Johnson and Marion Creeks to get some great shots of old cypress stands. After we got off the water we hurried across the street to meet Keith Fountain at Hatchineha Ranch, a new Nature Conservancy project that will slowly rehabilitate the ranch into native wetlands. Then we bounced back across the street to interview Jim and quickly set up the jib for a swiftlyfading sunset among the cypress.

Day 5 – Tuesday, April 5th: We were afraid weʼd wake up Tuesday morning to towering thunderstorms, but the weather waited just long enough for us to get in a small-scale cattle drive. The cowmen at Creek Ranch moved about a hundred head of cattle for our cameras, and we got some excellent early morning footage of them working the herd. After that we filmed the little ones riding horses back at the stables, but then we had to hunker down as the storm rolled through. Fortunately we were still given a great sunset after an afternoon of squally weather.

Day 6 – Wednesday, April 6th: Well, after a lovely few days at Creek Ranch it was time to head home. We got up before the sun to capture sunset over “Alligator Hole” out near the pastures. It was a cool morning after the storm blew through, and we were happy when the sun came all the way up. This was a trip for the books – we really captured some of the best images weʼve gotten so far on the Kissimmee Basin project. The production part of the project is winding to a close, but that means weʼre getting that much closer to having something to show for all our work. Thanks for following along!

Lawrence Glenn discusses water levels in the basin

Lawrence Glenn discusses water levels in the basin

View the Galleries: Digital Stills Part 1 | Digital Stills Part 2

March 3rd – 2011: Took off at daybreak via Helicopter with pilot Dan Kemp and Carlton Ward to capture aerial sequences over the Chain of Lakes, Brahma Island and surrounding areas. With the early morning light, it was a magic moment. After about 20 minutes in flight, the pilot noticed a warning light and headed back to the RiverRanch Westgate airport to investigate the problematic warning light. After a 30 minute checkout and repair we were airborne again. However, we missed some of the precious morning light and deep shadows. Here is collection of images we captured in the few hours of flight.

Later in the afternoon we sat down with Cary and Layne Lightsey to talk about Florida ranching, conservation programs, family values, agriculture heritage and the future management of water & land issues for Florida.

Just before sunset we captured an awesome timelape sunset and several b-roll images in the pasture area of the Lightsey Ranch.

March 4th – Left RiverRanch Westgate at daybreak to head up Reedy Creek to film the opening introduction with Landscape photographer Clyde Butcher and conduct an interview. Airboat operations by Gator Cove Capt. Dareld ferried us up the river. Assistant Joe Davenport setting up the video gear and checking it twice.

Host Clyde Butcher working on the introduction for the documentary and an on-camera interview along Reedy Creek. Great location with large cypress knees and swamp.

Later in the day we traveled to Lake Okeechobee to film the conclusion of the documentary on Saturday morning with Clyde. Had a few moments to capture some b-roll along the marshes of the Lake.

Concluded the day with an interview with Paul Gray, Audubon on the bank of Lake Okeechobee to discuss the future of the Wildlife Refuge Proposal in the Headwaters of the Everglades in the Kissimmee Basin.

Came back home and went to the studio to download four hours of video footage, prep to mp3 audio files for transcribing, create logue sheets and review footage. It was a very productive trip, always meeting new people, learning more about the area and coming away with a new appreciation for our Florida agriculture heritage, new understanding of the diverse landscapes of Florida and putting media pieces together to tell a story to educate the public about our environmental issues.

On March 4th the Florida Forever event was held at the Capital Plaza in Tallahassee. Conservation photographer, Carlton Ward was given the opportunity to share about his work and experiences documenting the heartland of Florida. Later in the day Carlton and I walked the hallways giving out Florida Forever calendars.

View the Galleries: Digital Stills Part 1 | Digital Stills Part 2 | Digital Stills Part 3

Hello everyone! Itʼs been a while since my last journal, so there is plenty to catch up on. On our latest adventures in the Kissimmee Basin we went on a gator hunt, tagged along on a cattle drive, saw five sunrises and five sunsets in a row, sped across a private island on ATVs, and chased herds of deer through the twilight, among other things. We also got to spend some quality time with a trio of fantastic Florida artists: painter Christopher Still and photographers Carlton Ward and John Moran. All in all a great week, and I even got to try a little cooking!

Bonus Adventure: Avon Park Gator Hunt Friday and Saturday, 1/28-1/29: The weekend of January 28th was Avon Park Air Force Rangeʼs second annual Youth Gator Hunt, and and we went down to the Bombing Range to capture it for the documentary. Friday night was orientation at the campsite, and afterward all the hunters had a cookout and campfire (we had venison chili! I eat very well on these trips). On Saturday we started bright and early, breaking into groups to go and hunt up some gators on the property. The kids did a great job patiently waiting for their quarry, hauling it in, and then cleaning their trophies back at the camp. As an added bonus, Roger Moore, the Orlando Sentinelʼs film critic, joined us for part of the afternoon!

Day 1, Thursday 2/3: Elam picked me up early in the morning to start our trek to Okeechobee. Our destination was an orange grove owned by the Williamson Ranch where the harvest was in full swing. We caught up with Sonny and Wes Williamson, father and son, and they showed us around one of their pineapple orange groves (delicious pineapple oranges, I might add). Then we dropped our stuff off at the hotel room and hurried out to capture a sunset out in the pastures. Youʼd think we would get tired of filming sunsets, but it never gets old!

Day 2, Friday 2/4: Today we got Elamʼs boat back! I can tell you it was weird being without a boat, but we wasted no time getting back out on the river. After a beautiful day spent on the Kissimmee, we headed down to Sebring for a public meeting on the proposed national wildlife refuge. Itʼs always an education to see democracy in action, but boy, I was pretty exhausted by time we were done.

Day 3, Saturday 2/5: Saturday was the reenactment of the Battle of Okeechobee, an important event from the Second Seminole War. We were invited to come and film, so we spent a beautiful, warm February afternoon watching Zachary Taylorʼs forces take on the Seminole warriors at the historic battleground. Both sides claimed victory for the day: the Seminoles inflicted heavy casualties on the Federal soldiers before retreating, but the US Army still ended the day in possession of the land.

Day 4, Sunday 2/6: Well, we gave it our best try, but the weather was just too grey and windy to accomplish much. The day started before dawn on Lake Okeechobee, but our hopes of a gorgeous sunrise never materialized. After a few hours of shivering out on the lake we decided to head back to shore for breakfast. We did meet with Cary Lightsey, owner of the Lightsey Ranch, to discuss the plan for the next few days. Thatʼs right, folks, weʼre going on a cattle drive!

Day 5, Monday 2/7: After months of planning and anticipation, itʼs the day weʼve been waiting for! Today we joined the fantastic folks at the Lightsey Ranch for the first of a two-day cattle drive. They were moving six hundred and sixty head of cattle (not included the calves) from one pasture to another so they could give them their antibiotics, brand them, and geld them. We showed up at 5:30am, along with photographer Carlton Ward, and the ranchers were already at the horse stable, saddled up and ready to go. This was definitely one of the high points of the journey to make this film – itʼs great to see ranching culture thriving in the same place itʼs been for hundreds of years. After having lunch with the ranchers and their families, we headed off to Brahma Island in Lake Kissimmee where we would be staying for the rest of the week.

Day 6, Tuesday 2/8: Tuesday was the second day of the cattle drive, another pre-dawn morning spent out on the Lightsey Ranch. This time the ranchers were moving the cattle into the pens to give them their shots and brands. Itʼs hard, time-consuming, tedious work, but it was all in a dayʼs work for these guys. A ranching family does more work before the sun comes up than I think I do in a whole week! After finishing up at the ranch, we went back to Brahma Island where we were met by Christopher Still and John Moran, two wonderful Florida artists who spent the next day painting and taking pictures with us on the island.

Day 7, Wednesday 2/9: Wednesday is Brahma Island day! We spent almost the entire day out on the island, starting with a sunrise on one side of the island and ending with sunset on the other. It was a real pleasure getting to spend time with John Moran, Christopher Still, and Carlton Ward. As a young artist trying to find my way, it was great getting to look over the shoulders of experienced, talented, and gracious professionals to see how itʼs done. That evening Elam and Carlton left to attend the national wildlife refuge hearing in Okeechobee, but I stayed behind to hold down the fort and capture one last sunset on the island. Itʼs a tough job, but somebody had to do it!

Day 8, Thursday 2/10: Well folks, all good things must come to an end, and on Thursday we had to say goodbye to Brahma Island and head back to north Florida. This really was a standout adventure for the Kissimmee Basin project, and itʼs hard to encapsulate it all in this journal. Hopefully you got some sense of our amazing journey, and I hope youʼll stay tuned for the next exciting update on Kissimmee Basin, the Northern Everglades!

Feb 6-8 cattle drive with the Lightsey Ranch and Carlton Ward.

Feb 9-10 Lake Kissimmee and birding.