October is Greenways & Trails Month

From DEP:
EXPERIENCE FLORIDA'S LUSH BEAUTY DURING

GREENWAYS AND TRAILS MONTH

~Greenways and trails celebrate record-setting year of visitation~

TALLAHASSEE –The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Office of Greenways & Trails (OGT) invites residents and visitors to celebrate Florida's natural beauty this October during Greenways & Trails Month by enjoying a healthy outdoor activity at one of the state's more than 8,000 miles of land trails and 4,000 miles of paddling trails. During the 2008-2009 fiscal year, Florida's greenways and trails welcomed an unprecedented number of visitors, more than 3.5 million, underscoring the value of these attractions for Florida's recreation and tourism industries.

"Greenways and trails not only offer nature-based recreation and alternative, energy-saving transportation routes, but also have far-reaching economic benefits," said Jena Brooks, Director of DEP's Office of Greenways & Trails. "With visitation numbers up nearly 600,000 from the previous fiscal year, Florida's award-winning system of greenways and trails are increasingly attracting visitors from around the world that support the state's tourism industry."

Recent visitation numbers also show that longer trails are becoming a popular part of the greenways and trails system. Though still in development, the 106-mile, OGT-managed Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail attracted 1.1 million visitors during the 2008-2009 fiscal year, an increase of nearly double the more than 637,000 visitors in the previous fiscal year.

At the other end of the state, five counties have come together to create the 260-mile St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop through northeast-central Florida, to be completed in time for the 2013 celebration of the 500th anniversary of Spain's arrival in Florida. The potential of long-distance and loop trails to offer destination experiences, complete with the growth of supporting businesses, adds another dimension to the future of Florida's greenways and trails.

Recognizing the many benefits of the state's greenways and trails, Florida Governor Charlie Crist officially proclaimed October as Greenways and Trails month. More than 100 events throughout the state will take place during the month long celebration, highlighting the value of Florida's greenways and trails as an affordable, and accessible source of recreation, providing health benefits and an effective boost to Florida's tourism.

For a complete list of events, ranging from group bike rides and fall festivals to buddy walks and paddling events, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/news/gwtmonth_oct/pdf/EVENTS2009.pdf.

To view the Governor's Greenways and Trails Month proclamation, go to www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/news/2009/files/gwt_month.pdf.

Florida has been named by American Trails as "Best Trails State in America," recognizing DEP's Office of Greenways & Trails for its vision and leadership, which includes community assistance, land acquisition, public outreach and the management of eight state trails and the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. The Greenway is Florida's longest green corridor stretching 110 miles from the St. Johns River near Palatka to the Gulf of Mexico near Inglis. Of the eight state trails, six are rail-trails, which are railroad corridors converted to recreational trails for hiking, biking, skating, equestrian activities and alternative transportation.

For more information about Florida's trails, visit FloridaGreenwaysAndTrails.com.

The Fall 2009 issue of the Camp Bayou Buzzzzz! is now online

The Fall 2009 issue of the Camp Bayou Buzzzzz! is now online at http://campbayou.org/newsletters/2009fall.pdf.

On the Trail...

What says "Fall" in Florida?

Lately I've noticed a lot of posts around the web asking how folks recognize that 'Fall' is just around the corner. Northern posts proclaim the vibrant spectrum of colors from red to yellow in leaves that will soon tumble to the ground to become either a hated seasonal chore or a glorious moment in time either strolling through small random drifts and/or jumping into piles before they have a chance to be bagged and carted away. I lived there for nearly 40 years and while I do miss the show sometimes, I don't miss the work (kind of like my love/hate relationship with snow- beautiful when it's falling, fun to play in but after a day or so it's just cold, slushy or icy- depending on the temperature- and yellow).

I've lived in Florida for a while now and have come to see Fall here as permutations on a purple theme. Visit any natural area and you will find dozens of different wildflowers along the trails that create a purple haze among the ever-present greens. Flowers like Blazing Star (Liatris sp.), Paintbrush (Carphephorus corymbosus), Elephantsfoot (Elephantopus sp.) Garberia (Garberia heterophylla) and Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), as well as the deep purple berries of American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). Of course there are also the purples of summer flowers that just keep blooming- vines like Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and Butterfly Pea (Centrosema arenicola) plus native garden favorites like Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis), Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata) and Wild Petunia (Ruellia sp.).

Haven't seen the 'Purple' side of Fall? Visit a natural area soon- why not Camp Bayou?

References: All plant names taken from Florida Plantatlas .

Giant's cabins move to Camp Bayou

New Addition to Camp Bayou- Giant's Camp Cabins It has been months in the making, with many more to completion, but two of the remaining Giant's Camp Cabins that were slowly deteriorating next to the Alafia River in Gibsonton, have now been moved to the Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center on the Little Manatee River in Ruskin. Plans for their restoration include creating an exhibit of the historical uses of the river and bay in one cabin and restoring the other to its original appearance as an example of a real 'Old Florida'- style cabin. Mosaic Company had offered the cabins to any non-profit who would be willing to move them from the site rather than demolish these historic buildings that were built more than 50 years ago. The Ruskin Community Development Foundation (RCDF), parent non-profit to Camp Bayou OLC, showed an interest and with money from a previous grant received from Gulf Stream Gas Corporation and with the expertise of Miller Transportation, the two cabins safely arrived at Camp Bayou at the end of August 2009. If you are interested in helping refurbish these cabins, the first work day will coincide with the International Coastal Cleanup taking place on Saturday, September 19. At Camp Bayou, volunteers will arrive starting at 8am. The cabins are just one of the Fixup/Cleanup tasks to be done. If you are interested in helping specifically with the cabins, call Dolly at 813-363-5438 or email campbayou@yahoo.com. The move was documented by Fred Jacobsen, RCDF board member and past president, in these online videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaNQnQYwqlw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TW5C1OXD-U Camp Bayou is nether a campground nor a summer camp. It was an RV park before the County's ELAPP program purchased the land but it is now open for day use only, open to the general public. Through volunteers, donations, membership and grants, the RCDF offers pre-scheduled programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families plus it's open from Thursday- Saturday from 9am-2pm for passive recreational pursuits such as wildlife watching. Camp Bayou is a public- private partnership between the non-profit Ruskin Community Development Foundation, Inc. (RCDF) and Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Camp Bayou is located 3 miles south of SR674 at the end of 24th St SE in Ruskin. More information is on the web at http://www.campbayou.org . ### Picture attached: Members of Camp Bayou Committee enjoy the view from the front porch of #4- (L-R): Jeri Hundertmark, Diane and Richard Alvarez, Mark Dunn and Fred Jacobsen

Teacher Magazine: Teaching Secrets: How to Maximize Hands-On Learning

Teacher Magazine: Teaching Secrets: How to Maximize Hands-On Learning
My favorite sentence from the article:
"As I have surveyed students over the years, I’ve never found a class that would choose anything other than hands-on activities as their most enjoyable learning experience."
Camp Bayou is all hands-on and we concur.