Briggs Boardwalk After Irma
A lot’s been happening at the walk this season. The walk has had to survive a fire, a massive hurricane, and the inevitable wearing down of a “mature” boardwalk.
The Fire
A prescribed burn meant to eliminate the accumulated detritus, including sticks, needles, and leaves, did just that in the scrub area of the boardwalk. Unfortunately, in the dark of night, after the fire was thought to be out, it reignited and set fire to about 60 feet of the walk, including a shelter that had been restored only 3 years ago. Fortunately, a helicopter flying overhead spotted the fire and notified authorities who put it out — this time for good.
The burned boards were quickly removed and temporary stairs were fashioned at both ends of the now shortened walk so that most of the walk could be used again even by the disabled. A contractor will replace the stairs with ramps for the disabled shortly so that everyone will be able to use the walk fully.
The Hurricane
Irma did a number on the boardwalk primarily by knocking down slash pine trees across it and by blowing away many of the bromeliads and orchids. The Conservancy’s Facilities team were quick to respond by clearing the fallen trees, repairing the walk, and replacing the roof over the pond overlook.
Maintenance
The walk’s own facilities team has been busy repairing worn floor boards and sanding or replacing old railings. This task is a work in progress. So far about 100 floor boards have been replaced.
Before Irma, the Conservancy’s Facilities team also created a new look at the entrance to the walk from the parking lot.
Briggs’ facilities team continually prune or otherwise kill overgrowth, especially poison ivy; sweeps away pine needles, pounds nails down, and sands hand railing so that the walk is as good to trod as possible. It was claimed by an article recently as the oldest boardwalk in the area.
Restored Sitting Area
When you first enter the walk, you will see that there is a second leg of the boardwalk to your left. Both legs of the walk enclose a group of pines that are a small part of a large pine flatwood habitat that extends to the west and south of Briggs. In the middle of the group of pines, you will notice a wooden deck with benches and a path to them that many people enjoy. We call it the pine flatwoods sitting area.
The sitting area has been restored recently by the Briggs facility team. On the boardwalk to the left, there is a staircase that lets you access a path leading to the sitting area. Try it — you can find it at sign #25. The deck has become a favorite place for birders to occupy early in the morning to see song birds. If you sit there quietly, after a time birds and other animals will usually emerge from hiding.
Restored and Replaced Signage
Many of the signs along the walk railings had become almost unreadable after enduring last summer’s bright sun. Some of signs had become out of place because plants often die and pop up elsewhere on the walk. The worn signs were replaced and other signs moved to appropiate places. That is why you sometimes will see two signs of the same number.
Visit Soon
We hope you enjoy walking the restored boardwalk. For a location map with pictures of the walk, launch Google Maps (www.google.com/maps) and enter Briggs Boardwalk in the “Search” box.
To see a number of pictorial blog stories about Briggs, launch your web browser and enter www.conservancy.org. Then go to Offsite Programs and click on Nature Walks.
Scroll down on the Nature Walks page until you see a thumbnail picture with the title Briggs Boardwalk. Then scroll below the picture until you see The Briggs Blog and click on those words.
The walk is free and open from dawn to dusk. Signs along the railings provide visitors with information about what they are viewing. Guides serve from 9am-12 noon daily in January through March. Guides will also wait in the parking lot at 10:00am to greet visitors who want a guided tour of the boardwalk.
You can also call James Kintz, staff Volunteer Coordinator, to arrange a special tour of the walk for yourself, family, or group at other times, including offseason dates. James will ask our Tour Leader, Christine Johnson, to contact you and plan the details of your tour. The special tours are free, too.
