Ridge Rangers

FWC volunteers restoring wildlife habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge and nearby areas in Central Florida.

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

The March 2019 Ridge Rangers Newsletter is now online! See https://t.co/RWeEuv9Iot

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Thanks @APAFR_Invasives for the pix and great note!!
RT @APAFR_Invasives: Thank you @RidgeRangers for your help yesterday removing 2952 slash pines from a rare plant habitat! #volunteers #ridgerangers #restoration

[APAFR Invasives @APAFR_Invasives]

Thank you @RidgeRangers for your help yesterday removing 2952 slash pines from a rare plant habitat! #volunteers #ridgerangers #restoration

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Today in the native plant nursery: Ridge Rangers Julie and Rod repot recently sprouted scrub oaks from tray cells into gallon pots with fertilizer and organic material. The oaks will grow another four months and then get planted in the summer to restore damaged habitat!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Today at FWC Platt Branch: Ridge Rangers use a remote viewing system to view inside a Kestrel Nest Box to check for occupancy before using a ladder to do box maintenance. The threatened Southeastern American Kestrel starts nesting in April … getting their nest boxes ready!!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Demolition/construction at 15 feet: Ridge Ranger Harry Ressler took these pix last Saturday of the Ridge Rangers Coordinator knocking a falling-apart kestrel nest box off the pole and then bolting in a new box.
OK endangered Southeastern American Kestrels, enjoy your new home!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Early this morning at FWC Lake Placid Scrub: Two Ridge Rangers use a peeper-cam viewing system to check a Kestrel Nest Box for occupancy before doing maintenance on the box, while a third Ridge Ranger clears vegetation that may hide kestrel predators.

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

This morning in the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest: Ridge Rangers and Forestry Staff gear up and move out to clear areas to give rare and threatened plants sunlight and space to grow.

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

2019 is the 25th Anniversary of the Ridge Rangers

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

The February 2019 issue of the Ridge Rangers Newsletter is now online! https://t.co/DuOMPRU1eN

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

2019 is the 25th Anniversary of the Ridge Rangers!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

To give rare plants sunlight and room to grow, this morning in a prairie area at Avon Park Air Force Range Ridge Rangers and Range Conservation Staff eliminated 1,079 intruding trees!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Ridge Rangers looking for help this Saturday restoring prairie habitat in one of Avon Park Air Force Range’s conservation areas! See https://t.co/NQrmtuxjh2

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

This morning at FWC Henscratch: To help endangered Florida Scrub-Jays, Ridge Rangers and Audubon Jay Watch cut down 1,100 intruding sand pines over 20 acres of otherwise great scrub habitat. Scrub-Jays hung with us the whole time!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Today at FWC Carter Creek: To help return the conservation area to nature, Ridge Rangers took down hundreds of feet of old ranching fence … filled a dumpster!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Postponing Saturday’s workday at the federal Hatchineha conservation area due to the government shutdown, and instead on Saturday the Ridge Rangers will be removing an old barb wire fence at FWC Carter Creek near Sebring https://t.co/hObhG65rpn … come join us!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Today at the Ridge Rangers’ Native Plant Nursery: In preparation for the 2019 restoration plant season, Ridge Rangers replace damaged nursery structure, fix the shade cloth, and weed all the plants!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Ridge Rangers Native Plant Nursery team back in action today, planting a few more scrub oaks in the 2018 restoration area.

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Yesterday on a prairie restoration workday in a conservation area at Avon Park Air Force Range: Ridge Rangers eliminated 621 intruding pines over 44 acres!

[Ridge Rangers @RidgeRangers]

Director of #FloridaStateParks Eric Draper stopped by the Ridge Rangers booth today at CCC Days at Highlands Hammock State Park. Great day and we potted hundreds of scrub oak acorns for restoration planting next summer!