Anne Kolb Environmental Center
Before going to Anne Kolb I tough it was going to be a big swamp with mangroves surrounding it and one not to many mosquitoes, I wasn’t expecting much from an environmental center in the middle of Hollywood, to my surprise it was nothing like I expected it to be. Anne Kolb Environmental Center is located just of A1A and Sheridan St; it’s a great way to escape the hectic world without the need of driving for extensive hours. The 1,400-acre coastal mangrove (up) is home to numerous plants and animals such as fiddler crabs, mangrove crabs and snapping shrimp. White ibis, great blue heron, yellow-crowned night herons, roseate spoonbills, ospreys and kingfishers hunt the shallow waters of West Lake. There is also an exhibit hall featuring a 3,500-gallon aquarium. Without a doubt this is one of the few places on which man has actually helped. Mangroves have been set aside to provide habitat for many creatures, Mangrove leaves, trunks and branches fall into the water and are transformed into detritus, which is the basis of an elaborate food chain. Mangroves provide protected habitat, breeding grounds and nursery areas to many terrestrial and marine animals. Mangroves also provide shoreline protection from wind, waves and floods and this would’ve been wiped out many years ago if it wasn’t thanks to man. Although I live in south Florida this was the first time I saw a crab EVER (previous page). And it wasn’t only one or a couple; once you were able to spot the first one then all of a sudden all you can see was a crab all over the place. I think the Anne Kolb Environmental Center provides a great home for many animals and unlike other environmental centers there is very few “human contact” with the environment, the only structures have been built is the “bridge” seen on page 1 and the five-story observatory tower (right) and thankfully everyone that goes to visit seems to be educated enough not to disrupt any organism by throwing food at animals or dumping their garbage all around the place. Environmental Center provides a great home for many animals and unlike other environmental centers there is very few “human contact” with the environment, the only structures have been built is the “bridge” seen on page 1 and the five-story observatory tower and thankfully everyone that goes to visit seems to be educated enough not to disrupt any organism by throwing food at animals or dumping their garbage all around the place. The areas that surround the center are great shape, everything seemed to be clean and the workers expressed to me that a vast majority of the public that came to visit came back to volunteer and help around as you can deduct the Anne Kolb center has affected life in South Florida, people are becoming more aware of they surroundings and more importantly they are getting educated, if the center maintains it shape it can accomplish a lot and I can help future generations maintain their environment, just by stepping in there it feels a breath of fresh air it a whole different world and hopefully that’s how it will be kept.