Se7en Wetlands Wood Stork Tour

Self-Guided Hike Around Wetland 1

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Se7en Wetlands Wood Stork Tour

Bartow, Florida 33830, United States

Created By: Se7en Wetlands

Tour Information

Se7en Wetlands is a constructed wetland treatment system owned and operated by the City of Lakeland. The wetland provides the final treatment for all of the City's wastewater, and is comprised of over 1,600 acres of marshes, swamps, uplands, and lakes. In addition to wastewater treatment, Se7en Wetlands is home to an outstanding and diverse community of plants and animals.

This tour starts at the Wood Stork Gate, which is accessed through Polk County's Lakeland Highlands Scrub. From there, you'll head south along the Wetland 1 loop, which guides you through multiple Florida habitats. Throughout the tour, you'll see marsh ecosystems and upland pines, and also learn how the City's wastewater is treated as it flows through the seven wetland cells.

For more information, visit our website: www.lakelandgov.net/se7en-wetlands


Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

The Wood Stork Gate is one of two public entrances to Se7en Wetlands. As you walk the trails, pay attention to the trail markers. Blue wood stork markers point to the shortest route back to the Wood Stork Gate. Red gopher tortoise markers... Read more
All of the City of Lakeland's treated wastewater enters the wetlands at the Influent, averaging ten million gallons each day. The treated wastewater is distributed throughout the wetlands in sequence from wetlands one through seven. The p... Read more
Distribution ditches can be found around the edges of Wetlands 1, 2, and 3. These concrete ditches slow the water as it flows, helping to distribute it gently into the next wetland. The calm, shallow waters of the distribution ditches prov... Read more
The upland habitats are home to an important and diverse ecosystem of plants and animals. Pine trees, oaks, and tall grasses thrive in the drier, sandier soils. Keep an eye out for singing eastern phoebes, gulf fritillary butterflies, and ... Read more
Upland areas house endangered gopher tortoises, which create deep burrows and forage on low-growing plants. These burrows are shared with more than 350 others species, which makes gopher tortoises an important keystone species to Florida. ... Read more
All water in Se7en Wetlands moves downstream due to gravity. Control structures control the flow of water from one wetland cell to the next. They can be adjusted to raise and lower the water level in each wetland cell. 
The distribution ditch on your left feeds water from Wetland 1 into Wetland 2. Waterfowl and wading birds use the distribution ditches as hunting grounds, and river otters can occasionally be seen swimming and catching tasty fish.
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As you walk, you're likely to hear insects buzzing, birds singing, and an innumerable amount of frog croaks. Wetlands are home to an abundance of amphibians. Frogs are important to wetland ecosystems because they help to control populatio... Read more
The grassy fields that occasionally dominate the upland habitat may seem sparse and dry, but nothing could be further from the truth. Look closer and you'll see thousands of buzzing insects, from the blue dasher dragonfly, to the gulf frit... Read more
Plant diversity is vital to a thriving ecosystem. Live oaks are considered life centers, as they are sources of food, protection, and support to a wide variety of other plants and animals. Many animals feed on the acorns, and oak branches... Read more
Pond turtles such as the Florida red-bellied cooter can often be found basking along the sides of Se7en Wetland's distribution ditches or hiding just beneath the water's surface. These turtles are an important part of the ecosystem because ... Read more
Thank you so much for taking the self-guided hiking tour of Se7en Wetlands. Please visit again soon!

 

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