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Give a Day for the Bay at McKay!
8:30 am - 1 pm (Lunch included!)
134 N. 34th St., Tampa, FL
Join our hardy band of volunteers for an invigorating morning removing invasive plants at McKay Bay Nature Preserve,
then enjoy lunch on us!
This is our first Give A Day for the Bay workday of the new year. Closed toe shoes are a must. Long-sleeved shirts and pants are recommended, along with a hat, sunscreen and bug spray. Click here to register online and for additional information and directions.
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Brooker Creek Preserve: Star Gazing & Swallow-tailed Kites
3940 Keystone Rd. Tarpon Springs, FL 34688
Star Party
Saturday, March 12, 6:30-9:30 pm
Join The Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve and St. Pete Astronomy Club for an evening of star-gazing! Gaze up at the star show and join us on a guided night hike through the woods. Bring a chair, water and insect repellent. You are welcome to bring your own telescope, but no pets or alcohol. Meet at the main parking lot at 6:30 pm as the gates will close shortly thereafter. Suggested donation: $3 per person.
Click here to register.
On the Wing -- Swallow-tailed Kites & the People Who Track Them
Saturday, April 2, 10:30 am
Swallow-tailed Kites that breed in North America spend most of their lives on the wing traveling over vast distances. It's a treacherous journey for this neo-tropical species that breeds primarily in the southern states, with Florida being their primary breeding grounds. These highly social birds are among the most beautiful birds in the world. People have tracked them from the ground, water and air using tracking devices to study their migratory patterns, life cycles and social habits.
Barbara Walker of Clearwater Audubon leads this enlightening, photography-packed program.
Register here for the free program.
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8th Annual Robinson Preserve Twilight Run -- 5K & 10K
Friday, March 25, 6:30 pm
1704 99th St. NW, Bradenton, FL 34209
Cost: $25-40 per adult; $10 for 1K run for kids
Celebrate Robinson Preserve with a 5K and 10K twilight race along the preserve's trails. A 1K run for kids also is scheduled. Sponsored by Fit2Run, this fee-based family fun event is suited to all levels of walkers and runners. Join the After Party for a post-race buffet, live music, and prizes. Day-of registration begins at 3:00 pm, with children's races at 5:30 p.m. and the main race beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Register online here.
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Don't Miss GreenFest at University of Tampa's Plant Park
Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3,
9 am-4 pm
HB Plant Park @ University of Tampa
401 E. Kennedy Blvd.,Tampa
GreenFest is an annual festival dedicated to
gardening
and environmental conservation.
Best of all, the venue (and beneficiary) is HB Plant Park on the campus of the University of Tampa, along the beautiful Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa. A huge variety of plants will be for sale. Hillsborough County Master Gardeners will be leading talks throughout the weekend on butterfly gardening, composting, rain barrels, water gardens, and more.
Click here for more information,
including a complete schedule of educational talks.
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Talks & Walks: Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
Check out this upcoming series of educational talks and nature walks at the 245-acre Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, 1101 Country Club Dr. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705. Programs are free with park admission: $3 for adults, $1.50 for children. For more information and a complete schedule of events,
click here.
The Role of Marine Invertebrates in Ocean Habitats
Tuesday, March 8, 7:30 pm
Have you ever walked along the beach and wanted to know more about the animals that once lived inside the shells you see there? Join us for an informative presentation on marine invertebrates and their environmental importance. Guest sp
eaker: Christopher Nichol, Asst. Professor, St. Petersburg College.
Alligator Walk
Sunday, April 10, 11:30 am-1 pm
Learn about the American alligator (
Alligator mississippiensis
) as you search for this apex predator in the preserve's wetlands on this guided tour.
Did you know that alligators
are the most vocal of all reptiles and have a variety of different calls depending on the age, size, and sex of the animal? The American alligator can perform specific vocalizations to declare territory, signal distress, threaten competitors, and locate suitable mates. Juvenile alligators use a high-pitched hatchling call or 'yelping' trait to alert their mothers when they are ready to emerge from the nest.
Photo courtesy Boyd Hill
Nesting Ecology of Gulf Coast Shorebirds and Seabirds
Tuesday, April 12, 7:30 pm
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Photo: Joan Miller |
The native shorebirds and seabirds that nest on our beaches face a variety of threats, including intrusion from human visitors and rising seas. Learn how to identify these nesting species and how you can help protect them through citizen science and stewardship. Guest speaker: Marianne Korosy, PhD, Florida Audubon Society.
Gopher Tortoise Walk
Sunday, April 17, 10 am
Watch for gopher tortoises
(Gopherus polyphemus) ambling along trails through the wiregrass, as you learn about this ancient critter, descendants of a land tortoise that roamed western North America some 60 million years ago.
The interpretive hike will be led by noted biologist and environmental educator, George Heinrich.
Photo courtesy Boyd Hill
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Growing Dory -- Marine Ornamental Aquaculture at UF
Thursday, April 7, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Weedon Island Preserve
1800 Weedon Island Dr. NE, St. Petersburg 33702
More than 11 million marine fish representing 1,800
unique species are sold annually into the ornamental aquarium trade. The majority of these fish are caught in the wild. Today 700,000 US households currently maintain marine aquaria! Development of captive rearing methods for species currently collected from the wild may help to promote conservation of these fisheries. Learn about research being conducted by the University of Florida to develop sustainable captive rearing techniques for numerous species of marine ornamental fish.
Speaker: Matt DiMaggio, PhD, Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, UF
Register here fo
r this free program
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Arbor Day Call for Art
Deadline: April 15
Celebrate trees this Arbor Day by submitting small works of art
to the Hillsborough County Extension Service. Entries may include drawings, collages,
paintings, photos, and mixed media creations. Artwork should answer the question:
"I appreciate trees because..."
The competition is open to children (age 11 and under), youth (ages 12-18), and adults (over age 18). Entries will be on display at the Extension Service, and three
winners will receive a tree planting kit valued at $100, including a 7-gallon tree,
pruners
, a shovel, gloves and fertilizer.
Mail entries to 'Arbor Day Art', Hillsborough County Extension Service, 5339 County Road 579, Seffner, FL, 33584 -- and be sure to include your name, age, and phone number on your art. The deadline for entries is April 15; winners must
be present at Kerby's Nursery in Seffner, on Friday, April 29 at 6 pm, to receive their prize.
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FWC Launches Website to Show How to Free Entangled Birds
Don't Cut the Line! Reel. Remove. Release. 
FWC has launched a seabird entanglement prevention
website for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. Go to
www.MyFWC.com/unhook
for step-by-step instructions for unhooking a seabird and tips to prevent seabird entanglement. The website was created as part of a campaign to raise awareness and reduce seabird entanglement in Florida.
Photo and art: FWC
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Saturday, April 23,
10 am - 3 pm
Lowry Park Bandshell area
7525 N. Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33604
Celebrate Earth Day Tampa Bay at the 7th Annual EcoFest at Lowry Park, featuring live music, workshops, green living products and organic produce for sale, local artists, and educational booths. The free community event is organized by Learning Gate Community School, the City of Tampa, and the USF Patel College of Global Sustainability. Learn more at
EcoFest2016 or email
ecofest@learninggate.org. For vendor and sponsorship information,
click here.
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 The mission of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program is to build partnerships to restore and protect Tampa Bay through implementation of a
scientifically sound, community-based management plan. TBEP is a partnership of Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas counties; the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater; the Southwest Florida Water Management District; the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
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