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JANUARY 13th PROGRAM: WILDFLOWERS: FIND THEM AND PLANT THEM

With CATHERINE BOWMAN

Please note Tom MacCubbin had to regrettably cancel due to a family medical emergency

Background photo courtesy of Bowman and Blair Ecology

Arrival Time: 6:45pm 

Point of Contact: Mark Kateli

Location:  Seminole IFAS Auditorium   250 W County Road Home, Sanford, FL 32773

Parking:  Parking lot adjacent to and behind building (plenty of parking availability)

Entrance Fee: None   Members report volunteer hours.  Main program hours are eligible for continuing education credits for the Seminole IFAS Master Gardeners program!

Main-program discussion: 

Our scheduled program with Tom MacCubbin was canceled as Tom regrettably has a family medical emergency.

Please join gardener and ecological restoration professional Catherine Bowman on a wildflower presentation. Catherine is also a certified gopher tortoise agent from Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Catherine also happens to be a past president of FNPS state! A native Floridian, her knowledge and interest in native plants extends over several decades.

Further Info on Venue:   sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/seminole/

Further Info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/804801876649414/

 

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JAN 18th FIELD TRIP: SMYRNA DUNES PARK

With Terri Propst

RSVP REQUIRED: EMAIL US HERE TO GET ON THE LIST!

Field Trip Photo Courtesy of Inspirock

Arrival Time: 8:45am

Point of Contact: Terri Propst and Mark Kateli

RSVP REQUIRED: EMAIL US HERE TO GET ON THE LIST!

Location:  Smyrna Dunes Park     2995 N. Peninsula Ave., New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 There are restrooms near the main office or pavillion that will be available before the tour begins

Parking and where to meet: Parking lot near the main office and pavillion. Ample parking spaces   

Entrance Fee: $10 per vehicle. Carpooling recommend. Members report volunteer hours. 

There is complimentary entry for handicap qualifying vehicles (including Disabled Veterans registered vehicles) and 50% discount to first responders and veterans.

For everyone else, a standard daily entrance ticket is $10/vehicle with one complimentary same day re-entry at Smynra Dunes Park or Lighthouse Point Park, it's sister park located across the inlet in the Town of Ponce Inlet (https://www.volusia.org/services/public-works/coastal-division/coastal-parks/lighthouse-point-park.stml).  An annual pass runs at $20/vehicle/year and is valid until December 31st.  Since our field trip is in January, it maybe worthwhile for some to opt for the annual pass (same discounts applicable) so they can receive unlimited entries for the remainder of the year. 

Details: 

Please join Terri Propst, coastal division manager, from Volusia Public Works department. Her specialty is on plants, recent invasive removal history at the park, native protected species that inhabit the park (gopher tortoise, southeastern beach mice, sea turtles, etc.) along with park operations & amenities.

Perched on 73 acres of pristine land at the northern tip of the New Smyrna Beach peninsula, the area is surrounded by water on three sides. Waters from the Indian River flow through Ponce Inlet and into the Atlantic Ocean providing a variety of natural habitats for animals, birds, reptiles, marine life and vegetation.

Smyrna Dunes park boasts 5 ecosystems- ocean, river, dunes, scrub zone, and saltwater marsh- with the most evident ecosystem being vast sand dunes. There should be many migratory birds during this time of the year so birders (and their binoculars) are encouraged to join us. We will tour along the boardwalk and take a trip up to the observation tower.

Further Info:   

https://www.volusia.org/services/public-works/coastal-division/coastal-parks/smyrna-dunes-park.stml

Further Info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/395871874467330/

 

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JAN 19th Invasive Plant Removal: SPRING HAMMOCK

With IDEAS For US

RSVP REQUIRED: EMAIL US HERE TO GET ON THE LIST!

Field Trip Photo Courtesy of Needpix

Timeframe: 10am-12pm

Point of Contact: Lee Perry and Mark Kateli

RSVP REQUIRED: EMAIL US HERE 

Location:  Spring Hammock Preserve   2985 Osprey Trail   Longwood, FL 32773  Restrooms are not available on prooperty. 

Parking and where to meet: Park on the public sand/gravel lot at the entry point into the park. Ample parking spaces. We will meet here before we begin the weed pull.   

Entrance Fee: None. FNPS members report volunteer hours. 

Details: 

Please join Jena Pell from Seminole Natural Lands program and Lee Perry, from IDEAS for US for a cesearweed invasive plant removal at Spring Hammock. 

Seminole Natural Lands will provide bags for weeds. We will stage these bags at a particular location for their team to dispose at a later time. IDEAS for US will provide gloves, water, and fruit. The weed pull has been designed to be an easy feel good opportunity for making a positive difference in our ecology and community!

Spring Hammock Preserve is a 1,500-acre natural area in Seminole County, Florida. Its mucky areas protect examples of hydric hammock and floodplain forest. Sandy terrain supports upland hardwood and pine flatwood ecosystems. Many animal and plant species in the preserve are either rare or near their range limit.

This property is a unique assemblage of floodplain forest, hydric hammock, upland mixed hardwoods and pine flatwoods. There are many rare and listed species including the bipinnate cuplet fern (Dennstaedtia bipinnata), Ockeechobee gourd (Cucurbita okeechobeensis), and the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). There is a boardwalk that leads through second growth cypress forest out to Lake Jesup.

Further Info:   

https://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/locations/Spring-Hammock-Preserve.stml

Further Info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/471178363518360/

 

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Native plant month proclamations recognizing their importance and value!

Above: Video courtesy of Seminole county government. A first for FNPS in our county.