The Perdido Bay Muscogee-Creek Tribe and Escambia County, Florida jointly sponsored the restoration of an ailing wetland vital to Pensacola Bay. The grand opening this weekend has drawn public officials and visitors from throughout the Southeast to see how cooperation between Native Americans and governments can work.
PENSACOLA, FL– November 5, 2011 – (Examiner.com) - Five hundred years ago, the young Spanish colonial town of Pensacola was surrounded by permanent and seasonal wetlands. The swamps were considered a vital part of the colony’s defenses. They made transportation of heavy siege cannons near the fortifications of Pensacola by a European enemy almost impossible. Few people considered the possibility that the fetid swamp waters containing human and animal fecal wastes were a major cause of the high death rate in Pensacola.
Great Britain won the French and Indian War in 1763 and in process, gained all of the present-day Southeastern United States. Attacks by large European armies were no longer a concern. Defense of the harbor against enemy fleets and privateers became the focus of military engineers. Expansion of the potential farmland around Pensacola became a major objective of British colonial officials. Work crews of African slaves were utilized to construct drainage canals out of the wetlands.
West Florida became a province of Spain again at the end of the American Revolution in 1783, but Spain had been an ally of the fledgling United States during the war, so it did not initially worry about a land-based attack. Defense from land-based attacks briefly became a concern during the War of 1812, but the war was primarily between the United States and Great Britain, along with their Native allies.
All of Florida was part of the United States after 1821. The population in and around Pensacola exploded. Newly arrived farmers and land speculators drained remaining swamplands whenever their low level technology permitted it.
By 1900 doctors were aware that malaria and yellow fever were transmitted by mosquitoes. The drainage of the Pensacola’s remaining swamps accelerated. The construction of the Pensacola Naval Air Station and vast increase in the city’s population during World War II further accelerated the drainage of swamps. By now diesel-powered pumps were in general use. Almost daily, county health departments used gasoline-powered pumps to spray DDT on the remaining swamps.
The DDT directly or indirectly killed most natural wildlife in the swamps. Both good and "bad" insects were killed, which then eliminated a major food source for fish. It entered the food chain and caused birds to be unable to reproduce. The remaining swamps became moribund basins - full of dangerous bacteria, trash, fecal matter and toxic chemicals.
In the late 20th century, the leaders of Pensacola became increasingly aware that the destruction of natural wetlands had harmed the ecology of the region, and made it more vulnerable to hurricanes. It seemed too late to make any significant improvements in the situation, because of the cost of labor and materials required by the wetland restoration process. A healthy wetland system ringing the periphery of the metropolitan area would dramatically improve the water quality of Pensacola Bay by filtering storm drainage run-off prior to entering the ocean. The question remained, how to accomplish this massive project in an era of tight government budgets.
Experimental project restores vital wetlands
In 2008, the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection adopted “targets” for improving water quality in Bayou Chico and Pensacola Bay. On October 10, 2011, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida DEP, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, U.S. Navy and several partners jointly adopted the Bayou Chico Restoration Project in response to environment studies of the Pensacola Bay Area.
In the meantime, however, an innovative partnership primarily between Escambia County and the Perdido Bay Muscogee-Creek Tribe, with the assistance of the State of Florida, has made dramatic strides in the improvement of water quality. This was accomplished with minimal funding assistance by government agencies and lots of work by the Native Americans.
The tribe applied for a grant from the federal economic stimulus program, but was denied. It did receive $300 for seeds, fertilizer and spray to eradicate the invasive popcorn tress through the USDA/NRCS Migratory Bird Habitat program.
Escambia County gave the Native American tribe a large tract of land within 1,300 acre Jones Swamp Preserve. The donation had a stipulation that the tribe carry out major environmental improvement projects that would restore the area to something approximating its original ecological vitality.
There are many projects underway at the Jones Swamp Wetland Preserve and Nature Trail. In addition, to the cleaning of remaining natural wetlands, a recharge pond has been constructed, sections of the preserve have been replanted in native species, areas have been sown in native plants utilized by water fowl and migratory species, plus much of the site has been made accessible for passive recreation. In addition, the entire site, has been designated a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
In September of 2011, the tribe received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to support operational and educational programs associated with its new native plants propagation program. In addition to cultivation of species for restoring the Jones Swamp, the facility may in the future be utilized to propagate native plants that can be planted in dryer locations along the Gulf Coast such as beaches and bays impacted by the oil spill. The tribe has also received other corporate and private grants to assist with operating expenses and other projects.
The Perdido Bay Muscogee-Creek Tribe is providing a variety of attractions for visitors during the grand opening. These include one-to-one contact with Creek Indians, traditional Native American dances, musical concerts, the grand opening of its museum and a display of high quality, Native American crafts for sale to the public.
Some day visitors will be able to go hiking and horseback riding along the preserve trails and watch nature closely, as the swampland sanctuary is abounding with a variety of lively and striking species. They are on the long range plans for the site. However, the horse back riding facilities will necessarily be in another section of the preserve, away from the tribe's cultural heritage center. Owl boxes and a butterfly garden were installed on the land to attract desirable wildlife. Day camps for children, soil and water projects and classes to teach Native American arts-and-crafts are part of the tribe's long range vision.
The Perdido Bay Muscogee-Creek Tribe’s Cultural Heritage Center is located on the Jones Swamp Wetlands Preserve, at 3300 Beloved Path, Pensacola, FL 32507 TEL 850-453-7382
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