About this Event
Join Audubon Everglades Field Guide Marcus Kelly and Kyle Matera for an exciting, educational driving tour through Fran Reich Preserve — a vital piece of Everglades restoration and one of South Florida's best-kept birding secrets. This event is made possible through our ongoing partnership with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and it's designed to do more than showcase great birds — it's a chance to see Everglades restoration science in action and understand why this landscape matters.
Why is Fran Reich Preserve important?
Fran Reich Preserve plays a vital role in supporting South Florida's water ecosystem and its birdlife. By capturing and storing excess surface water, the preserve helps ensure natural habitats have a reliable water supply, while also recharging the region's drinking water aquifer and helping protect against saltwater intrusion in coastal areas. This mix of wetland, marsh, and scrub habitat also makes the preserve an important home for birds — wading birds and raptors like osprey and hawks forage and hunt across the marshes, while more elusive species such as the Black Rail, Sedge Wren, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Virginia Rail rely on the wetlands, and wintering sparrows and migrants like the Yellow-rumped Warbler pass through the scrub habitat each season.
Why This Partnership Is Unique
SFWMD manages these treatment areas as working infrastructure, not public parkland, so access is normally limited. Our partnership gives Audubon Everglades members a rare chance to get out onto the levees of an active restoration site and see firsthand how engineered wetlands are protecting the Everglades — all while exploring habitat that's otherwise closed to the public. It's a hands-on opportunity to connect the dots between water management, habitat, and the birds we love, and to help us spread that story to the broader community.
What to Expect
Participants will follow a caravan along the levees, stopping at multiple locations to observe and photograph birds and wildlife. This is not a walking tour — all observation happens from vehicles or at brief stops nearby. Target species may include Black Rail, Sedge Wren, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Virginia Rail.
Marcus and Kyle will help participants identify birds along the way and share insight into their behavior, calls, and habitat use — turning every stop into a mini lesson in Everglades ecology.
Event Details
• This is a carpool driving tour with 4 people per vehicle, including the driver.
• Check-In Time: 7:00 AM
• Start Time: 7:30 AM
• This tour starts promptly at 7:30 AM and gates will be closed — no exceptions. Please allow enough travel time to arrive by 7:00 AM.
• Restrooms: None available at Fran Reich Preserve
• Ages: 12 and up; under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
• Difficulty: All skill levels are welcome — whether you're new to birding or an experienced birder, this trip is designed for you.
• Accessibility: Fully accessible from vehicles; some stops have levee edges for scope setup but do not require walking
• Terrain: Unpaved, dirt roads that can be muddy, uneven, and pitted with potholes
• Vehicle Requirements: High clearance, good tires, full tank of gas
• Trail Length: Approximately 6–10 miles of slow caravan driving with frequent stops
• Drivers: Register as "Driver. Passengers: Register as "Passenger" and indicate your driver during registration. If you do not have a driver, we will assign you one the day of the event.
•Directions will be emailed to you along with your tickets. Save that email for important information about your tour.
Additional information about your tour
Carpools
Carpools will be assigned the day of the event. No special requests are needed through email. If you are a driver, have your car ready to fit at least 3 more passengers. If you have a group already established in advance, you will group on the day of the event. If you do not have a group, we will assign you to any Driver with space available. We are not ablee to accommodate requests to be placed in a specific car or matched with a driver after registration. Our agreement with SFWMD sets a fixed number of vehicles and participants, and we cannot add additional cars under any circumstances.
No walk-ins allowed — registration is mandatory.
Space on this tour is extremely limited. To give as many members as possible the chance to experience this trip, we ask that participants register for up to three STA driving tours per season. If you've already attended a recent STA tour, please consider stepping back so others on the waitlist can go. We may need to prioritize first-time participants if demand exceeds capacity.
Required Release Form
Submission of the required documentation is mandatory.
Submit your SFWMD release form to https://auduboneverglades-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/clara_auduboneverglades_org/IgCOynrf2eacRamIoGcYD88XAZt7oNT0f52SaEjDTPMSJUU
Waivers will only be accepted if they are completely filled out—including the location, date, etc—and contain either a wet signature or a verified electronic signature. Typed names will not be accepeted as a digital signature. Audubon Everglades reserves the right to refuse participation or remove any participant from the tour who has not submitted the required paperwork or filled it out as instructed. Audubon Everglades also reserves the right to deny access to or remove any participant from the trip at its discretion, including for safety concerns or failure to comply with tour rules.
Tour Format and Safety
Each vehicle will be issued a radio for consistent communication during the tour. For the safety of all participants and to protect the integrity of the land, everyone must stay on the designated route at all times. Do not stray from the path or leave the caravan unless instructed by a trip leader.
Birding Rules
• eBird and Photography
• A shared eBird list will be provided. By signing the Audubon Everglades consent form, you agree your photo may be taken and shared on AE's social media. Prefer not to be photographed? Let us know in advance. Share your photos and tag us: @AudubonEverglades.
What to Bring
• Water, snacks or lunch, binoculars, camera or spotting scope, sunscreen and insect repellent, wide-brimmed hat.
• Important Reminders
• No drones, glass, alcohol, or littering. Space is limited — please cancel if you cannot attend. The caravan is led by SFWMD; all participants must exit the location once the tour concludes.
• Listen to and follow the instructions of the Field Trip Leader. Do not walk ahead of the leader.
• Be respectful of your fellow participants.
• Avoid flushing birds: close car doors gently, do not slam doors, and minimize loud noises.
• Maintain a safe distance to avoid disturbing the birds. If a bird is flushed, do not chase it.
• Please follow the ABA standards of ethical birding and photography.•
Cancellation Policy — Drivers - If you registered as a Driver and can no longer attend, please notify us as soon as possible — your cancellation affects up to 3 other registered passengers. Late cancellations may mean those passengers lose their spot, so please give us as much notice as you can so we can try to rebook them.
• Cancellation Policy — Passengers - If you registered as a Passenger and can no longer attend, please notify us as soon as possible so we can offer your spot to someone on the waitlist. Please also let your driver know directly.
-We look forward to exploring Fran Reich Preserve, observing its extraordinary birds, and experiencing this essential wetland habitat together
Event venue & nearby stays
Fran Reich Preserve, 000, Coral Springs, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.