COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - We're seeing pretty average rainfall amounts so far this year, but at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, they say they need much more than average to make the swamp, look like a swamp once again.
"We're praying for a good tropical depression," Corkscrew Swamp resources manager Mike Knight says. "Just kind of come and sit over us and give us a nice steady rain. No severe storms or anything, but just a good, steady rain."
Knight says they need that kind of rain to fill the dried out area with water. Normally many of the trees and plants would be growing in about a foot and a half of it.
"Water is the lifeline of the swamp," Knight says. "We require water."
And without the water, many species, like alligators, that spend most of their time in the water, aren't hanging out around the boardwalk at the swamp.
Still, Knight says that's not a completely bad thing.
"We've had a lot more sightings of black bears, panthers, and bobcats," Knight says.
He also says the cypress forest needs a dry cycle every so often, but at this point, they need the rain too.
"We still have a lot of rainfall left to sort of make up the difference and get us back up to normal water levels for the swamp," Knight says.
Until then, Knight says visitors can enjoy the different animals, like the bears and panthers, which are now visiting the area more frequently.