December 2009
Saturday Guided Hikes
Saturday, December 5, 2009 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday, December 19, 2009 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday, December 26, 2009 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Guided hikes through coastal mangrove and upland ecosystems of the Preserve are held each Saturday of the month. Join us to learn about the coastal environment and the early residents of Weedon Island Preserve. Be sure to bring water and a snack for this two-hour hike. A hat and closed-toe shoes are also recommended. Reserve your space by 2 pm on the Friday prior to the field trip. This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. Recommended ages: 6 and up.
Give a Gift of Nature
Saturday, December 5, 2009 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Education Services Staff and Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Create beautiful, personal and one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and relatives, or make a special gift for wildlife, at this free workshop on decorating for the holidays with natural materials. Participants can create their own eco-nature specialty to share. Free recycled holiday paper also available for wrapping. Pre-registration is required. Recommended ages: 5 and up.
Wee-time at Weedon: I’m a Manatee
Thursday, December 10, 2009 10:30 am – 11:15 am
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
This program is designed to introduce pre-school children to the wonders of the natural world. Every second and fourth Thursday of each month, children are treated to a variety of stories, puppet shows, and hands-on activities that connect them to their environment. This week features I’m a Manatee by John Lithgow. While dreaming, a little boy becomes a very large manatee and embarks on an underwater adventure with many aquatic friends. This program also includes a craft, game or other hands-on activity related to the story. The event is free and open to the public. Spaces are limited so register early! Recommended ages: 3 – 5.
The Great Weedon Bird Quest
Friday, December 11, 2009 8:00 am – 9:30 am
Education Services Staff and Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Come and join us on a quest to find Weedon Island Preserve birds! Learn the identifying marks and behaviors of our feathered year-round residents and seasonal visitors while helping us compile an annual checklist of the Preserve’s birds. These hikes are designed to take advantage of all levels of birding experience. Binoculars and bird guides are available. Hikes are scheduled for the second Friday of each month. Please join us for a relaxing morning outing led by experienced birders. Call us for more information and to register. This event is free and open to the public. Recommended for adults.
Discover Our Classroom
Saturday, December 12, 2009 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Come discover the hidden world of the estuary through some of the smallest critters that live in Tampa Bay. Visit our classroom to examine live samples of plankton from Tampa Bay. Plankton describes a diverse group of organisms suspended in all bodies of water including estuaries and oceans. Microscopes help reveal these fascinating creatures that exhibit a wide variety of bizarre shapes and adaptations. Activities are self-guided and free. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Rethinking the Significance and Long-term Histories of Archaic Shell Mounds
Thursday, December 17, 2009 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Asa Randell, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
The Middle St. Johns River is home to one of the highest densities of Archaic-aged (6200-3500 BP) shell mounds in the southeast. Although many mounds were places of habitation, contemporary research indicates that some shell mounds were purposefully constructed as mortuary monuments, while others contain shellfish remains but little else. This presentation examines recent excavations conducted by the University of Florida and describes the changing significance of shell mounds over the course of the pre-pottery and pottery Archaic periods. This program, co-sponsored by the Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society, is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is requested. Recommended for adults.
Wee-time at Weedon: Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree?
Thursday, December 24, 2009 10:30 am – 11:15 am
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
This program is designed to introduce pre-school children to the wonders of the natural world. Every second and fourth Thursday of each month, children are treated to a variety of stories, puppet shows, and hands-on activities that connect them to their environment. This week, children explore forest ecology in Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree? by Jennifer Blomgren. This rhyming text reveals a diversity of wildlife that relies on the evergreen tree for shelter, food, and nesting space. In addition, the author reveals how the tree supports a myriad of plants and other species. This program also includes a craft, game or other hands-on activity related to the story. The event is free and open to the public. Spaces are limited so register early! Recommended ages: 3 – 5.
Monday - Friday Half-Day, Self-guided Tours
Launch Times: 11:30 am or 1:00 pm
Sweetwater Kayaks offers half-day (4-hour long) self-guided
tours Monday through Friday. Reservations for the 11:30 am
or 1:00 pm launch times are recommended. Please arrive at Sweetwater
Kayaks 30 minutes before your reservation. Once payment and
paperwork is complete, follow our staff to the Preserve and
park your car in the main parking lot. Call Sweetwater Kayaks
at (727) 570-4844 to reserve your kayak.
Single Half-day Fee: $40
Double Half-day Fee: $56 Saturday and Sunday Half-Day, Self-guided Tours
Launch Times: 9:00 am or 12:30 pm
On weekends, Sweetwater Kayaks' self-guided, half-day tours
are 3.5-hours long and launch at 11:30 am or 1:00 pm. Reservations
are recommended. Meet us at Weedon Island Preserve at least
15 minutes before your reservation. Please park in the main
parking lot. Call Sweetwater Kayaks at (727) 570-4844 to reserve
your kayak.
Single Half-day Fee: $40
Double Half-day Fee: $56
Daily Rentals
Launch Anytime: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Are you dealing with a busy schedule and only have time for
a short paddle around Riviera Bay? Perhaps our hourly rentals
are the best fit. Every weekend, kayaks and canoes are onsite
at the Preserve for rental by the hour. To arrange a drop off
during the week, call Sweetwater Kayaks at (727) 570-4844.
Single Hourly Fee: $17
Double Hourly Fee: $25
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