Estero Bay Blog 6

When someone brought up Fort Myers Beach prior to this field trip, I immediately thought of tourism, bars, and college spring breakers.  Now, I have a completely different outlook of this historic and tropical land.  Upon our arrival to Ft. Myers beach we toured the Davison cottage which was once originally located on the beach in 1921 and relocated to its current spot in 1995. Here, AJ gave a delightful presentation of her past experiences of Estero Bay, before air conditioning, electricity, and mosquito control.  She put together a timeline of Estero Bay within the last century. It was very interesting to hear about the changes this little island has gone through in the past.  Ranging only seven miles long and one mile wide (at its widest) Estero Bay has seen a lot.  Shrimpers netted pink gold, a hurricane severed a land connection and mosquito hordes clouded the air.  There was a wooden swing bridge built in 1921 that was soon washed away in

1926 from the hurricane.  This hurricane also separated the slim neck of land that attached San Carlos to the mainland, making it an island.  Towards the end of AJ’s presentation she quoted a passage which stated how lucky we are to live in an area where nature has granted us with many gifts and we should protect these natural wonders.  She also mentioned that humans cannot live without nature and that protecting the environment is extremely important to ensure the survival of mankind.       

After AJ’s insightful speech and some homemade guava jelly, we went through a mini hike on a boardwalk through the mangroves, seeing the manmade mosquito control drenches along the way.  Mosquitoes are attracted to the water in these drenches, laying eggs and thriving in the wet area.  In turn, the fish in the drenches eat the mosquito eggs, controlling the population of mosquitoes.  My favorite part of the hike was when we reached the bay area.  The water was peaceful and acted as a reminder of how lucky we are to live in such a diverse and beautiful area..

For more information on the Estero Bay Cottage and others like it please visit:

http://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/index.aspx?NID=305