What did I tell you about crossing the road? Right, now go to your room!” Sounds familiar, right?
Barefoot Beach Tortoises
This line is best spoken in parental tones with hands on hips for extra impact.
But here’s the thing: This particular conversation takes place regularly, not between a human parent and child, but between my friend Cinde Kavan, a Collier County park ranger, and Trouble, one of the 200 gopher tortoises that live in the wild at Barefoot Beach Preserve. The funny part, she says, is that Trouble actually seems to hang his head as he contritely turns around and heads back to safety.
Kids think Cinde, who goes by her ranger name Montana, has one of the coolest jobs around, and I agree. After 13 years on the job, she knows quite a few of the free-ranging critters personally, and apparently the long-timers know her, too. Among her favorites are Big Mama, who lives in a huge sand mound full of individual burrows affectionately dubbed “the condo,” and Thumper, who spent 18 months in the hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida before being released in the preserve. The rangers, with the help of signs throughout the preserve, plead for respect of the slow-moving, gentle creatures as they cross the road or stroll beneath parked cars. They also give free talks in the Learning Center and guided island tours for the public during the winter season.
Had world-renowned beach critic Stephen Leatherman (“Dr. Beach”) not named Barefoot the most stunning white sand beach in the world a few years ago and several times since, many peo-ple may never have discovered the real secret: The Saylor Nature Trail at the southern tip of the Barefoot Beach Preserve. The wild jungle footpath twists and turns for a mile and a half between the dunes and the spooky gnarled roots of a murky mangrove swamp.
As you meander along the narrow sandy trail beneath a can-opy of Old Florida vegetation, you might well imagine a Calusa Indian harvesting some of the medicinal herbs or leaves from the fish-poison tree to stun his fish before catching it. Look for QR-coded signs to pop up fascinating factoids on your smartphone. Along the trail is a palmetto-thatched picnic shelter/education hut set into the foliage, a restroom, and two short paths through the scrub for beach access at the rugged end of the preserve.
Getting There
there The entrance to Barefoot Beach Preserve is quietly tucked be-hind a community of beachfront mansions accessible from Bonita Beach Road. There’s a residential gatehouse but visitors drive right through, soon leaving civilization behind. After passing through the official preserve gatehouse ($8 fee or free with Collier County beach sticker), you can choose from three large parking lots with crossovers to the beach. Facilities include restrooms and showers, bike racks, and drink vending machines. The beach is wheelchair accessible, and the park has beach wheelchairs and children’s life jackets to lend.
The nature trail is accessed at Parking Lot #3, where there also is a beach access on the gulf side and a launch area for the ca-noe trail on the estuary side. Though most of the special programs run only from January through April, now is a great time for us locals to slip in and enjoy “our” island ahead of the season crowds. While sea turtles are hatching on the beach, newly hatched gopher tortoises are emerging from their land nests. Please drive slowly! And if you happen upon Trouble trying to sneak across the road, just give him a stern look and send him to his room.
Visit colliercountyfl.gov, friendsofbarefootbeach.org or call 239-252-4000 for more information.
KAREN T. BARTLETT travels the world seeking unique and fascinating destinations. She’s the author of several destination coffee table books, and the award-winning Mostly Kids’ Guides family guidebook series covering Southwest Florida.