Nature Coast

Our program will be presented by Anne Schmidt, MS, Botany & Conservation Biology, past President of our chapter and Policy and Legislative Chair for FNPS. Come learn the basic botany terminology and steps that will help you to identify and key out Florida's native plants. You CAN talk the talk and Annie can make it fun and interesting. 

Honeymoon Island ensures there will always be interesting flora and fauna to see, such as love vine, gray nickerbean, ospreys and gopher tortoises. Our field trip leader will be Carmel VanHoek who will guide us through the use of a plant ID key to identify plants. She says there will be lots of nice ones to see in September. Plan on bringing a sack lunch and your bathing suit, and we'll take a dip and have a beach party!
Carpooling: To carpool, meet behind Burger King on the southeast corner of the intersection of US19 and Moog Road (one light south of SR54) at 8:15 am. 
Directions: Take US19 (or any southbound route) to Curlew Rd. in Dunedin and turn right (west). Curlew becomes Causeway Blvd. west of Alt 19. The park entrance is at the end of the causeway.  There is an entrance fee, so we meet first to consolidate vehicles. We’ll rendezvous at 8:45 a.m. in the parking lot behind McDonalds on the NW corner of Alt 19 and Causeway Blvd to ensure we have an optimum consolidation of vehicles. There is a park entrance fee of $4 for a vehicle with one person, or $8 per vehicle with 2-8 people.  Once inside the park, follow the signs to the picnic area and regroup at the far end of the parking lot at 10am.
  

Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. ROCKtemberfest Fall Festival (formerly the Founders Day Celebration) at Sims Park in downtown New Port Richey. Our booth, in front of the West Pasco Historical Society, will provide educational literature besides selling native plants, wildflower seeds and books. This is an opportunity to add more native plants to your landscape while we are still benefitting from seasonal rains. There will be time to browse Sims Park and is an event really enjoyed by the whole family. 

Our program will be presented by Craig Huegel, PhD, member of Pinellas Chapter of FNPS, author of Butterfly Gardening With Florida's Native Plants and Florida Plants for Wildlife, former Administrator of Pinellas County's Environmental Lands Division from 1992-2004, and environmental consultant. Dr. Huegel  will provide an in-depth look at one of Florida's most beautiful natural communities, the  Florida Sandhill. Sandhills are one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America, but are now globally imperiled. Join us for a very visual tour of some of its most interesting plants and wildlife. 

This 210 acre property is a fairly recent ELAMP acquisition. The purchase protects this important wildlife corridor, which had been zoned for development. Our guide will be NCC member and Aripeka resident Richard Stauffer. The area includes both sandhill and wetland habitat. Walking should be relatively easy, and the diversity should be spectacular. We will be out about two hours. There are no facilities.
Carpooling: Meet at 9:30 a.m. at Save-A-Lot in the northeast corner strip mall at the corner of US 19 and SR 52.
Directions: We will meet at 10 a.m. at the front gate on CR 595. The gate is on the north side of the road, approximately ½ mile west of US19. Take US19 to CR595. Turn west. Go ½ mile to the gate,  which will beon your right. (If you pass the gate, you will end up in the historic town of Aripeka.)