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By HARLEN BROWN Free Press Staff Writer
KEY LARGO--Carol Ellis is on a mission.
The Ocean Reef photographer, has been smitten
by the works of such nature
photographers as Clyde Butcher, and his
Everglades artistry and Ansel Adams
who brought life to Western America in black
and white back in the 30's and
40's.
Ellis recorded her visions of the Big Cypress
National Park and other South
Florida wildlands and was invited to show her
works at the Ocean Reef Art
League exhibit in January this year.
"I took 20 16 X20 photos to the exhibit and
sold all but one, but more
important then that I met Don DiGiacamo who
told me about Fisheating Creek in
Glades County."
"There is no place like this anywhere"he
said.
So in February Ellis traveled to Glades County
and began what she feels will
be a permanent relationship with one of
Florida's most pristine wilderness
sites and unspoiled lands west of Lake
Okeechobee.
During a two-day jon boat excursion up
Fisheating Creek with a guide who
lived off the land, "and would not allow me to
photograph him," Ellis shot
black and white photos of the water and
surrounding area.
She learned that much of it was untouched by
anything other then Mother
Nature.
Occupied by a part of the Micosukees indian
tribe in the 1840's, the
wilderness kept them from ever being captured,
during the Indian Wars in
Florida.
Though Florida is not known for it's changing
seasons, Ellis recorded her
photos in what she calls, "The Winter
Season."
Another trip back to Fisheating Creek in
September produced a second set of
prints which she has titled, "The Summer
Season."
Fisheating Creek, was locked into Ellis's mind
this 52 mile western tributary
of Lake Okeechobee.
Since her last trip the land owned by the
Lykes Brothers, a huge
agribusiness, has come to terms with the State
of Florida.
Ten years ago Lykes shut down their campground
and closed access to the
creek. The Glades County Community went to
war. Lykes claimed they did it to
protect their business interests from cattle
thieves, poachers and vandals.
Glades residents said they had depended on the
creek for fishing, baptisms
and swimming.
The state stepped in and following a trial in
1997 won rights to 8,387 acres
of the river bottom.
December 2, a deal was consummated with Lykes
and the state paid $46.3
million to buy Fisheating Creek and control of
much of the land around it.
This make it one of the largest and most
significant Land deal involving an
ecosystem of roughly 51,000 acres. Eventually
the state will control 168,359
acres in the system.
the most important thing is the state with
this deal controls much of the
watershed important to the restoration of the
Western Everglades which flows
into Florida Bay on the Keys, and Lake
Okeechobee.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission will operate the 18,000
acres along the creek and the 41,523 acres
which is prevented from developing
and open it to the public.
The commission did temporarily close the area
to hunting, trapping,
possession of guns and possession of dogs to
give wildlife officers time to
post boundaries and draw up regulations for
users.
In the meantime, Ellis is busy preparing a
brochure with photos of the
"Summer and Winter Seasons" at Fisheating
Creek.
She is also planning to print up 12 photos 16
X 20 six of each season, which
she would donate to the State depicting the
extraordinary beauty of the area.
I am also hoping to encourage the State to use
these photos in making a year
long presentation to libraries throughout
Florida.
A perfect time for kicking off this tour would
be Earthday April 20 2000,
"Preservation 2000," which has as it's theme
"Wildlife Needs Wildlands."
"The Florida Keys would be the best place to
start this tour," Ellis said.
Ellis hopes to make her presentation to
Allison DeFoor, Everglades Advisor to
Governor Jeb Bush from the Florida Keys, and
to the Wildlife Commission and
others who would help her pursue her
dream.
"My heart is really into this, and I just wish
I can make this happen so
people will have a better understanding of the
beauty and the balance between
the water and the air and the natural feel of
what was... and is left, of
our environment in Florida."
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