provided to The Santiva Chronicle
It has been nearly four years since Roberta and Philip Puschel made the lead gift in Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation’s campaign to acquire 12-plus acres of wildlife habitat running from Periwinkle Way to the Sanibel Slough.
Today, SCCF CEO James Evans expressed his gratitude to the Puschels and more than 150 other families who contributed to the $2.4 million land acquisition campaign as he officially opened the Puschel Preserve to the public.
“In many ways over many years, Roberta and Phillip have played an invaluable role in supporting SCCF,” said Evans.
“Thanks to their leadership and donations from many other families, we are able to protect this habitat that connects to other SCCF interior wetland preserves, adding the last piece to a significant wildlife corridor along the Sanibel Slough,” concluded Evans.
He also shared his appreciation for site prep and plantings by more than 100 Coastal Watch volunteers over the past 18 months.
“The efforts by these volunteers dramatically transformed the front acreage of the preserve, which we provided to the community as a debris processing site following Hurricane Ian,” said Evans.
“Many of you will recall the mountains of debris that were staged and sorted there and will be amazed to see its natural beauty as a community gathering site today,” he concluded.
Debris staged at the Puschel Preserve on Nov. 8, 2022, after Hurricane Ian, left, and a community planting at the preserve this month.
Located on the south side of Periwinkle between Purdy Drive and Martha’s Lane, the preserve completes approximately 385 acres of open space and a wildlife corridor of almost one-and-a-half linear miles between Tarpon Bay Road and Casa Ybel Road.
Acquisition of the land in 2021 stopped plans to develop 13 homes on the property and added to SCCF’s extensive island-wide preserve system, which includes more than 1,800 acres on Sanibel, as well as another 400 acres off the island.
“Most of the property will remain closed to the public as wildlife habitat, while the front five acres were transformed to welcome and educate visitors in a serene native setting,” said Evans.
“The connected wildlife corridor gives island wildlife critical space to roam without having to cross a road,” he said.
The preserve is home to more than 40 animal species, countless invertebrates, and hundreds of native plants. Alligators, river otters, and bobcats are among the wildlife observed in the interior acreage.
The Birmingham Family Trail, made possible by a gift from Liz and Jim Birmingham, winds around the front acreage, connecting these educational features.
The Lee Anne Tauck Sculpture Garden features an abstract triptych — Land. Water. Wildlife. — intended to honor the broad scope of SCCF’s mission-driven conservation work. Robert Cordisco, an award-winning Florida sculptor, chose colors reflective of SCCF’s nature-based color palette.
Thanks to a generous donation from Amy and Rob Parish in memory of Bruce, the Parish Pollinator Garden provides a lovely space featuring native flowering plants, including rose milkweed, seaside goldenrod, and blue porterweed, which attract butterflies and other native pollinators.
Thanks to the generosity of Fred and Alice Stanback, the preserve’s Demonstration Marsh will soon feature an observation platform.
Following three storm surges over the past few years, an Experimental Wetland Salt Marsh features plant species adapted to regular saltwater inundation, including seaside heliotrope, sea oxeye daisy, and saltwort.
Other key families who contributed to the land acquisition campaign are listed on a bronze plaque at the entrance to the preserve, which also features a Welcome Station with solar chargers, a water fountain, a bike repair station, and seats.
The property has a fascinating history. Its former building served as a school for six decades and then as a theater for nearly four decades.
Old Schoolhouse Theater, left in 1992, retained the basic structure of the original Sanibel School for White Children building, shown in 1926 on the right.
The Sanibel School for White Children operated the property from 1903 through 1964 when an integrated school opened on Sanibel-Captiva Road.
Until 2003, the schoolhouse building was used as a theater — first as the Pirate Playhouse and later as the Old Schoolhouse Theater. In 2004, the building was moved to the Sanibel Historical Village and restored to its 1920s appearance. The eastern portion of the property also served as a non-native nursery for some time.
Work on the property began in the summer of 2021 by removing dense stands of large, invasive exotic trees, including java plum and Australian pines. Surveys were then conducted to determine which exotic trees were being used by birds of prey, and monitoring by SCCF biologists ensured mandated protection of nesting eagles.
The ground cover was restored because the property was once used as a non-native nursery, with low-lying invasive plants removed.
After Hurricane Ian in 2022, SCCF allowed the property to be used as a debris sorting site for eight months to expedite the community’s recovery.
Restoration and replanting of the property began shortly after the mountains of debris were removed.
The preserve, located along the island-wide shared-use path, is open from dawn to dusk. Pets are allowed, but bikes are prohibited.
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