Story by Alanna Robbert, a junior studying journalism at the University of Florida
When I received an email from UF Gulf Scholars about a volunteer trip with GatorCorps to Pine Island, I applied out of curiosity. I had questions: What is Pine Island, and why go there? After being selected, I decided to find out more.
The details said that this trip would be to support hurricane recovery at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Randell Research Center on Pine Island. Located along the shoreline of Pine Island Sound in Southwest Florida, the Randell Research Center on Pine Island is home to Indigenous Calusa archaeological landscapes including large shell mounds and ancient canals, and conservation habitats. When hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida last fall, the Randell Research Center was still recovering from hurricanes in previous year like Hurricane Ian, which made its landfall in September 2022.
On Nov. 22, 2024, I met with a group of 10 other University of Florida undergraduate students, one alumnus, and Jason Von Mending, an associate professor in the UF M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management. Together we went down to a part of Florida that I had never been to before.
About four hours from the University of Florida’s main campus in Gainesville, we arrived at the Randell Research Center’s Calusa Heritage Trail. On the first day of the trip, the ecologists, archaeologists, and heritage stewards that care for the cultural and biological heritage at the center gave the group a tour of the trail and told us more about the Calusa, the Indigenous peoples that lived in Florida’s southwest coast.
The Calusa people lived in what is now Southwest Florida on mounds that were created with the shells of molluks and the bones of fish and other animals they ate. In the mounds and surrounding archaeological deposits can also be found other materials from the Calusa’s culture, such as pottery fragments, wood artifacts, and net cordage. The Calusa Heritage Trail and interpretive signs that surround the mounds are there to show how the Calusa lived in the estuary of Pine Island Sound. Over time, vegetation and hurricanes had obscured the mounds. Our goal was to help clear the mounds of excess vegetation along the trail.
The goal of the trip was to restore the shell mounds, specifically Browns Mound – the first one that is seen when entering the trail – to resemble its appearance during the Calusa era. Specifically, we were instructed to pull invasive species, like coral vine, and cut small gumbo limbo trees and small wild limes from the mounds to allow visitors a better view while larger native trees were left to provide sanctuary and food for wildlife.
Michelle LeFebvre, director of the Randell Research Center and an archaeologist, described the center as a landscape preserving cultural heritage, biodiversity, and ecology. Through clean-up efforts, students were able to contribute to the “long-term conservation, research, and education mission of the center.”
Alison Barton, a freshman majoring in biology, said her favorite part of the trip was “cutting down the trees.”
“You would think that you’re not supposed to cut down the trees,” Barton said. “But on the mounds, they are not supposed to be there.”
Most of the day was spent pulling weeds and digging out the roots of plants that were breaking up and threatening the integrity of the shell mounds. We were sure to leave most native plants untouched.
Students were taught by wildlife ecologist and Operations Manager of the Randell Research Center Annisa Karim that some native plants were removed to control the growth of the species.
“Management of the linked cultural and biological heritage includes removal of invasives as well as control of native plants,” said Karim. “For the mounds specifically, maintaining their visual presence is key to education but also stability.”
As we worked, people who were walking the trail gave us their thanks for helping to restore them. We were able to see the impact of the trip on the local community in real time.
“It was great to see history in the present,” said Mariana McKinstry, a sophomore studying environmental science and anthropology. “With our restoration effort, it felt like we were part of the present and past in helping to continue their story.”
From the trip, UF Gulf Scholars were able to learn about other organizations on campus like GatorCorps. The program, housed in the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, deploys its members to towns and cities within the Florida Resilient Cities program to enhance local disaster risk reduction efforts, promote climate change adaptation and work with partners towards resilient communities. The collaboration made me feel more connected to campus and the diversity of programs within it. I also got to meet other students who value community service, the natural environment and cultural heritage just like me.
When back in Gainesville, students were invited to the Florida Museum of Natural History to see the Southwest Florida exhibit that features the Calusa people.
What was great about the trip was the variety of student majors represented, from mechanical engineering to journalism to landscape architecture. Most importantly, we worked alongside each other and if it weren’t for this trip I wouldn’t have realized how much I have in common with people who are in different studies from mine.
If you too want experiences like this one, I encourage you to check out UF Gulf Scholars. To read more about the program visit the website.