The 21^st Century Magazine,
at South Florida's www.miami-dade-online.com.

Tucked away in northern Broward County lies the last remnant of the historical Cypress Creek flood-way and Hammock. This 243-acre wilderness area is filled with diverse plant communities influenced by differences in elevation, bed rock exposure, soil types as well as man's impact. In 1979, Broward County purchased the land from the Palm Aire Development Corporation for 6.2 million dollars, as a new nature center to preserve the unique botanical quality of the site. During 1982-83 the construction of Fern Forest Park began and after spending 2.2 million dollars, it was opened to the public in 1985. The function of the park is education, passive recreation, and preservation of the natural environment, which is designated an Urban Wilderness Area and Gopher Tortoise Preserve.

Right next to the parking lot is the picnic area with its tables and benches and picnic shelter (although no fires are allowed). Nearby is the SENSORY AWARENESS TRAIL AND GARDEN, a short concrete path to a tranquil seated setting where one can smell and feel a sampling of plants that can be seen in other areas of the park. The picture to the left is of a wild Coffee Plant. The delicate white flowers bloom for much of the year, but you would not want to depend on this plant for your morning cup of coffee.

Here is the boardwalk with guard rails made entirely out of recycled plastic. This takes you through a plant rich area of ferns, wild coffee and other shrubs as you are lead to the Hammock and center of the forest. Within the Hammock is nestled the massive 2-story wood-beam structure of the Nature Center with its wrap around verandas and balconies. The park offices, an exhibit room, amphitheater, assembly hall with kitchen and buffet area, and the restrooms are all handicapped accessible. The exhibit room has interpretive displays of the park's social and natural history, as well as some live residents of the park in Terrariums and Aquariums, .

Leaving the Nature Center, we find four Nature Trails, each a unique experience of its own. The walk to the entrance of the trails shows us common native trees and shrubs found along all the Center's trails. The CYPRESS CREEK TRAIL is a ½ mile long raised boardwalk loop, which is wheelchair accessible, that winds its way through a low Hardwood Hammock and Maple/Cypress communities. Allow at least 30 minutes for this walk, besides the time you spend observing the plant and animal life. A self-guiding trail booklet is available at the Nature Center for a nominal fee for this Trail.

Crossing over the re-flooding canal on the Butterfly Bridge we come to a junction of 3 further trails, each very different from the next. First we encounter the WETLAND WANDER. A short distance on the south part of the WETLAND WANDER you pass the Butterfly Garden with its attractive flowering residents. The entire length of this grassy trail is a 1/4 mile (north and south) along the canal which feeds a wetland plant community with its wading bird habitat (it may be seasonally wet). .

MAPLE WALK is a 1/3 mile long primitive foot path trail looping through a red maple swamp. Enclosed shoes or boots are recommended for walking this trail, as it can be wet and muddy even in the dry season, as well as appropriate pants and shirts since this is a really primitive trail where one has to work his way around bushes, low-ranging branches and tallish ground covers. Despite its short length this trail is for the physically flexible only.

The Butterfly Bridge also leads to the entrance of the one mile long foot-path named the PRAIRIE OVERLOOK TRAIL. It leads, for the most part, over sandy ground with some leaf litter and occasionally exposed roots. The path takes you through historic pine lands, cabbage palm and Laurel Oak forests to the open prairie, where you walk up wooden ramps to a 20 feet high observation platform overlooking some of the open prairie and its part of the trail. For the wandering weary needing a rest, there are some wooden benches constructed along the way and on the platform. Allow approximately one hour for this trail.

The ten different and diverse plant communities in the Fern Fores Nature Center provide a habitat refuge for wildlife in a highly urbanized area. As seen in the left picture of the spider high in the trees, varieties of Insects, Spiders, Fish Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals call the park their home. Others stay for just a season or visit it for a short time while on their migratory routes. As the name Fern Forest implies, there are multitudes of ferns growing in the park, 34 species in all, ranging from aquatic to the epiphytic and the terrestrial ones.

The operating hours of the park are 8 am to 6pm, however the trails close at 5pm. There is no entrance fee for the park and its trails. The Picnic Shelter (seating capacity 45) can be rented, as can the Assembly Hall and the Amphitheater for weddings, receptions, etc. Inquire with the office as the fees vary. The park also has programs for public guided nature walks, school and scout programs, night hikes, special events and volunteer projects.

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