Florida Native Plant Society Conference

http://www.fnps.org/pages/programs/programpg_no_pic.php?keyword=Conference

Florida Native Plant Society

Annual Conference

Estuaries to Uplands: Celebrating Florida's Native Plant Heritage

May 14-18, 2008
Manatee Convention Center - Palmetto, FL
(Near Bradenton)

Hosted by the Mangrove, Pinellas, Serenoa & Suncoast Chapters

Purpose of Conference: To provide educational programs to FNPS members and the general public about the planting, preservation, conservation and restoration of Florida native plants and their associated plant communities.

Notable conference activities:

• Field trips to over 20 locations highlighting native plant communities, native trees, shrubs and wildflowers led by botanists and local plant specialists.
• Native plant sale providing locally grown trees, shrubs and wildflowers throughout the event. Hundreds of new native plants for home landscapes!
• Educational exhibit tables; many vendors
• The latest news in conservation, preservation and restoration of Florida native plant communities
• Workshops for landscape design, making plant specimens, nature photography, scientific information regarding the "Real Florida" and much more.
• Social events
  If you would like to review sponsorship opportunities and benefits, please contact Karina Veaudry or Ray Wunderlich

  Karina Veaudry	executivedirector@fnps.org	407-895-8446
  Ray Wunderlich	mailto:rayrunner@yahoo.com?Subject=FNPS%20Conference	727-577-4344

Visit to Bear Country with FWC Biologist Tom Shupe

VISIT BEAR COUNTRY

$7.00 fee

Pre-registration is required--call 352-357-3995

Ocala National Forest is home to one of Florida's largest black bear populations. On Friday March 7^th at 9:00 am join Trout Lake Nature Center and Lake Eustis Institute Dabbler's Series for a visit to bear country.

If Ocala is the place to go for bears, Tom Shupe is the man to go with. Tom is a biologist with FWC; you may have seen his face and heard his calming voice on TV discussing a nuisance bear, and its visit to a suburban home. This trip will be to true bear habitat in the Juniper Wilderness. There, we will see lots of bear sign: scat, marked trees, even old den sites. Tom will show us how biologists trap bear to collect data and maybe, just maybe we will see a bear cross the trail ahead of us.

Registered participants will meet at Trout Lake Nature Center. To reach TLNC travel north of Eustis on Rte. 19, turn right or East onto CR 44 (Publix /Winn Dixie intersection), and proceed .3 mile to the entrance on the right. There is a $7.00 fee for this activity and pre-registration is required, if interested, call 352-357-3995. Participants will drive their own vehicle or share a ride with a friend. We will park near the site. While there is a rough trail into the backcountry, participants must be able to walk about 1.5 miles on an uneven surface and step over obstacles on the trail.

If tromping in the woods creates an appetite you can join us after the hike for some country cookin' at the Mason Jar (lunch is not included in cost).

media release- Camp Bayou

media contact: Dolly Cummings

phone: 813-363-5438

 

Florida Master Naturalist Program students go exploring

 

Eleven adults have embarked on a weekly mission to explore the wilds of Florida and learn some facinating facts along the way.

 

This year's focus at Camp Bayou is the Uplands module. Participants will learn about the various habitats and the creatures that call them home. A big component of these classes is learning how to communicate what is learned to others, either formally in tours or classes, or informally over the neighbor's fence.

 

Classes will continue each Saturday until March 1 when final projects are due and each participant graduates with a certificate, patch and pin. Registration is closed at Camp Bayou for this year but if you are interested in the Florida Master Naturalist Program, visit www.masternaturalist.org for current program offerings at other locations.

 

Camp Bayou is located 3 miles south of SR674 at the end of 24th St SE in Ruskin. Camp Bayou is a partnership between the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, Inc. and Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation. For general information visit www.campbayou.org  or call 813-641-8545. A calendar of events is at http://my.calendars.net/campbayou or check out the Camp Bayou Nature Notes Blog at http://campbayou.blogspot.com/.

 

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Pictured:

11: Fred Jacobsen gives a talk/tour about the Native people who lived in this area before the arrival of Europeans.

 

18: Richard Sullivan gives a talk/tour about the restoration effort at the Cockroach Bay Preserve.

 

 

Ocala project

Doesn't this sound cool! I just discovered this website http://www.passportintime.com/ and the only project in Florida is not so far away. I'm going to see if I can participate (even though the deadline is soon, the site says it still has positions to fill).

Ocala NF

Historic Carr Cabin Landscape Restoration

FL-3681
April 18–24, 2008 (including weekend)
Must commit to 1 day
The Carr family cabin, located in the south western portion of the Ocala National Forest in central Florida, was the family "get-away", a place of solitude for the world famous naturalist, Archie Carr and his wife Marjorie. Archie Carr was the pioneer of ecosystems and sea turtle research and his wife was a noted Florida environmentalist credited with bringing about the de-authorization of the cross-Florida Barge Canal. The cabin is the last known standing pre-1939 cabin left on the Ocala National Forest and the Forest Service plans to restore it to honor the contributions of the Carrs.
Volunteers will assist Forest Service personnel with wetland rehabilitation and the restoration of the original approach road to the historic Carr family cabin. With your help, we will also conduct botanical mapping and trail layout and construction. Time permitting, volunteers may also conduct archaeological testing in the area surrounding the cabin.
Numerous recreational opportunities exist in central Florida. Ocala National Forest contains four separate, world-class, crystal clear springs that are ideal for swimming and snorkeling, as well as, canoeing, fishing, and wildlife observations along their runs. The Florida National Scenic Trail traverses the national forest from north to south. Temperatures should be pleasant at the time of the project, ranging from the low- to mid-eighties. Be forewarned, with Florida's humid environment, spring time means ticks, mosquitoes, and flies (OK, and an occasional snake). But don't worry, we are used to Florida and all it has to offer and will instruct you on normal precautions. Look on the bright side—we don't have grizzly bears!
Number of openings: 15
Special skills: Botanical mapping, trail layout, and archaeological field experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Several campgrounds are available within 30 minutes of the project area. Campgrounds have bathrooms, showers, and RV hookups; volunteers responsible for their own food, lodging, and campground fees; hotels in Silver Springs and Eustis, one hotel in Umatilla. Transportation to the project area will depend upon the number of volunteers and vehicles. There is a good dirt access road, easily traversed by 2-wheel drive vehicles.
Nearest towns: Umatilla, 15 miles; Eustis, 25 miles; Silver Springs, 40 miles
Applications due: February 15, 2008

FMNP Regional Workshop 2/9 10 AM-3:31 PM

Hello and Happy New Year!

Our first 2008 FMNP Central West Regional Workshop is Saturday, February 9 at Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg . It will be hosted by the Pinellas County FMNP Chapter and we hope that you can join us.

We have an exciting day planned for all of our regional graduates and their guests at this beautiful coastal preserve that is chuck-full of Florida history. http://www.weedonislandcenter.org/

Saturday, February 9
10:00 -10:30 Welcome and Introduction to Weedon Island Preserve
10:30 -11:00 Lost Tribes Film
11:00 -11:30 Break & Fun Mixer Activity
11:30 -12:30 Bird ID, Behaviors & Adaptations Program
by FMNP Pinellas Graduates Tom & Lindsay Bell
12:30 -1:30 Potluck Lunch with Another Mixer Activity
—bring your favorite covered dish to share
Discussion of Regional Topics & Field Trip Ideas
1:30-3:30 Weedon Exploration Guided Hike
3:30-3:31 Wrap-up & Thank You

We will be having a potluck lunch, so bring your favorite dish to share. There are electrical outlets if you need to keep your food warm. To be more environmentally sustainable, please bring a non-disposable cup, plate and eating utensils. We will supply drinks and napkins.

We will be hiking on pretty smooth surfaces, but this is a natural preserve, so be sure to wear close-toed shoes. Bring sunscreen, layered clothes in case it is cool, sunglasses, a hat, binoculars, field guides, etc.

Please RSVP to me by Wednesday, February 6. Also, forward this to all of your FMNP graduate friends in our region to make sure they received this. And instructors, please be sure to send this invitation to your graduates.

Directions:
Weedon Island is on the south eastern side of the county just south of the Gandy Bridge .
1800 Weedon Drive NE., St. Petersburg , FL 33702
· Take Gandy Blvd (US92/SR600 and also called Park Blvd or SR694 in western Pinellas County ) to San Martin Blvd
· Go south on San Martin Blvd to Weedon Drive NE
· Turn east (left) on Weedon Drive NE and follow road into preserve
· Continue through preserve to the education center (on the east or left side of road)
· There is a very large parking lot with a building on the far side—park here and go towards the back of the building to the entrance
· If you miss it and drive to the end of the preserve road, there is a fishing pier—turn around and head back about .3 to .5 mile to the large education building

For additional directions to Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center , call (727) 453-6500

Our next Regional Workshops will be:
Saturday, May 10
Location and host needed—Contact Jeanne Murphy at 582-2461 or jmurphy@co.pinellas.fl.us if interested.

Saturday, August 9
Location and host needed—Contact Jeanne Murphy at 582-2461 or jmurphy@co.pinellas.fl.us if interested.

Saturday, December 13
Location and host needed—Contact Jeanne Murphy at 582-2461 or jmurphy@co.pinellas.fl.us if interested.


We look forward to seeing you at Weedon next month—remember to RSVP by 2/6!
Jeanne & The Pinellas Chapter FMNP

Jeanne Murphy
Pinellas County Extension
Wildlife Biologist/Extension Education Coordinator
Florida Master Naturalist Instructor
12520 Ulmerton Road
Largo, FL 33774
jmurphy@co.pinellas.fl.us

12/10 Central FL FMNP Field Trip--Hike The Yearling Trail, Ocala

This message is from the central FL Master Naturalist network.
Should you know of other Master Naturalists who may be interested in receiving information about these natural history activities, please refer them to linda@bystrak.com to join our mailing list.

Mon. December 10th, Trout Lake Nature Center's Docent/Naturalist group invites you to join them for a trip back in time on The Yearling Trail in Ocala National Forest.

This upland site with its nutrient poor soil into which water quickly percolates and its low growing scrubby plants provides a home for a surprising number of animal species. Wildlife like Florida black bear, scrub jays and of course white tailed deer call this forest home.

The hike will visit Pat's Island a high spot in the scrub which in the past
was the site of a pioneer homestead. The family which lived here, their son
and his pet deer were the inspiration for Marjorie K. Rawlings story, The
Yearling.

Life was not easy for early settlers living in this harsh world. There are
still traces of the Long's life to be seen from the trail, a cistern to store water, a cattle dip vat, and most evocative, the family cemetery.

Meet at TLNC at 8:30am, or the trailhead for the Yearling Trail at
9:00am. We will picnic at Silver Glen, so bring a bag lunch and $4.00 for the
user's fee. Reservations are required for this activity, call 352- 357-7536 to
reserve and for more information.

Field Trips

Perhaps a good place to start, as far as field trips are concerned, is to spread the word about trips already coordinated by various organizations.

Check out Tampa Audubon's field trip webpage which offers a wide variety of options, open to the public, throughout the year: http://www.tampaaudubon.org/fieldtrips.htm

Tampa Bay Sierra Club: http://florida.sierraclub.org/tampabay/

Suncoast Native Plant Society: http://suncoast.fnpschapters.org/events.html

American Littoral Society- Southeast Chapter: http://www.sealitsoc.org/events.htm

Plus others, like the Eagle Audubon Society of Sun City Center, that don't have a webpage- contact info to follow...

If you know of other groups that organize trips, please add a comment.