Since 1996 under the leadership of Rae Ann Wessel, the Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association (Riverwatch) and other interested individuals and organizations have been studying the old river sections of the Caloosahatchee referred to as oxbows. Recently the Hendry County Commission voted to join as a local sponsor of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initial study into the potential for a restoration project. This restoration would seek to improve the appearance and ecological functional of a few of the 35 oxbows within Lee and Hendry Counties between Franklin Lock and LaBelle.
Should the Corps of Engineers choose to pursue a trial oxbow restoration project in Lee and/or Hendry, the competition will be keen for selecting the first oxbow restoration project. Factors affecting site selection will include educational value, ecological value, and neighborhood support. The oxbow located at the LaBelle Nature Park is a possible candidate given the potential for its integration into a structured K-12 educational program and its historical value by virtue of its proximity to the Hendry House. However, only if all affected landowners fully and unanimously favor
this restoration project would the project have a chance of realization. Even if all the landowners endorsed and advocated the project, it would still be a challenge to get the Corps of Engineers to select this oxbow as the prototype restoration effort. The possibility of a restoration project at the Nature Park oxbow was discussed at a recent neighborhood meeting
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| Location Map |
Neighborhood map and possible path of oxbow restoration project |
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| Aerial photo showing western LaBelle |
Aerial photo showing the Nature Park oxbow |
Background information on the Caloosahatchee Oxbows is provided in the links listed below:
