Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest

I recently took a lengthy day hike at Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest (OK Slough because nobody can pronounce it). The 32,000+ acre state forest was largely acquired from the Atlantic Land Improvement Company (ALICO). This is the "strategic vision" of ALICO taken from their website:
- Monetize under-productive assets
- Land or easement sales
- Creative solutions to enhance or extract value
- Natural resource management and conservation (and propaganda)
- Mineral rights exploration
- Opportunistically invest in citrus groves to increase citrus production
- Plant groves on company land

Before reaching the west entrance to the park I drove by A Duda Labor Camp (that's a blog for another day) and Monsanto's Felda Field Research facility, more indications of the kind of park I was about to see. I don't believe in the concept of reclamation. It's like a car accident; a car can be fixed but it's never quite the same again. Or sometimes it's totaled.

According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, "The management objective for Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest is to provide multiple-use under the direction of the Florida Forest Circus." They also suggest that, "The Okaloacoochee Slough is one of the few places in south Florida in which the pre-Columbian landscape, north of the Everglades or Big Cypress National Preserve, can be observed." Who's the oxymoron that crafted that pre-Columbian multiple-use bullshit?

21,700 acres of OK Slough is claimed by the South Florida Water Management District, who made the purchase in 1997, to be "natural and undeveloped" for the past 70 years. That is the kind of honesty I expect to hear concerning our public lands. Their purchase of the land to help in the restoration of the natural flow of water in south Florida is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of the forest.

OK Slough is, in essence, a drive-thru park. Boasting "over 40 miles of driving and hiking trails," it felt as if I spent more time driving around looking for a trailhead than actually hiking. I'm not being pessimistic, I'm just passionate about wild places. I firmly believe if one wants to experience nature, one should be required to get off of their lazy ass and out of their car.

Coming from the Appalachians, I haven't completely acclimated to the sloughs during the wet season. Everything is flooded, including the roads within the park.




And the trailheads




But I felt right at home when I witnessed this sign littered with gunshots. It's good to know that hillbillies aren't the only ones that shoot inanimate objects to cure the ills of boredom. Might I suggest however, that instead, they begin shooting the advertisements recently permitted on state greenways and trails? Pollo Tropical advertisements belong on the interstate, not public lands.




I found a small gator in this pond. I tried to get a picture but it proved to be faster.




This looked like a good place to spot a panther to me. I grabbed a bottle of water from my daypack and sat in the shade of a pine tree. The hunt for a panther sighting continues.




OK slough isn't all sawgrass prairie. This hammock for instance, is largely palmetto. There's a defined game trail here but due to recent rain I couldn't find any prints. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a hog trail.




There are also cypress sloughs which are a completely different landscape from the sawgrass prairies and scrubby hammocks. This oak for instance, is covered in orchids. bromeliads, and moss.




This, of course, is right about where my Lowa blew out. Those beloved boots have been all over Ohio, West Virginia, Arizona, Utah, and Florida. They've worked, they've played, and they've never let me down; until now. I hope they can be reclaimed.




Overall, OK Slough is an impressively diverse ecosystem. It appears to be mostly surrounded by ALICO land so hopefully more will be acquired in the future. But like anything the Forest Circus gets its hands on, albeit under state or federal control, the multi-use policy is always apparent. It doesn't mean they aren't wonderful and important places. They're like a car that's been to the body shop but the oil never gets changed. Get out there and enjoy them before their engines seize.

Happy trails!