The name Ed Carlson is synonymous with the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and he could rightfully be described as a legendary figure in the Southwest Florida environmental community.
He passed away on Dec. 9 at the age of 75.
Carlson’s stewardship of the sanctuary began when he stumbled into an internship right as he was graduating from high school in Miami in the late 1960s. He studied zoology and ornithology in college at University of South Florida with an eye on working with the land and water and wildlife. When Audubon received a grant to study wetlands from the National Science Foundation - right as he graduated from USF - it led him back to the sanctuary and he never left.
He was first hired as a full-time research assistant and then nine years later in 1983 he became the director of the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. He held that role until 2012, when he became director emeritus.
We spoke with Mr. Carlson in 2019 as the sanctuary was ramping up to celebrate its 65th birthday.
He was going to be giving a talk titled “Ramblings of an Old Audubon Warden” and its brief description was done in verse…
"I know every gator
I know every tree
Nobody knows that old swamp like me
I've got mud in my blood and stories to tell
Let's get together and prime this old well."
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