media release- Camp Bayou

The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center in Ruskin has some exciting events lined up for the fall!  Upcoming events through the end of the year: - First Saturday each month; Family Naturalist Hour; 9:30am-10:30am. FREE. A different nature topic each month. No reservations required. - Sat., Sept 17; International Coastal Cleanup; 8am-noon; Land and water cleanup. FREE. Register with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, http://www.keeptampabaybeautiful.org/coastal-cleanup.shtml - Sat., Sept 24; National Public Lands Day; 8am-noon; Fixup/maintenance for various projects. FREE. Projects include mulching, planting, tree trimming and more. Call 813-641-8545 for more information and to register. - Sat., Oct 8; Observe the Moon Night; 7:30pm-9pm; Night hike ending at fire circle for moon viewing (possibly meteor shower spotting too!) and s'mores. $5/person. Limit 20 participants. Email us at campbayou@gmail.com or call 813-641-8545 with your name, number of people and phone number you can reached at for confirmation. - Sat., Oct 15; Beef 'n Bones Fundraiser; 3pm-8pm; An evening of food and entertainment with 'unveiling' of second restored fishing cabin. Tickets can be purchased online at  http://campbayoubeefnbones.eventbrite.com . - Fri-Sun, Nov 11-13: A Natural Education Weekend; Fri,1pm- Sat, 8pm, plus Sunday morning field trips. Enjoying the outdoors responsibly in Florida. Visit http://anaturaleducation.blogspot.com for registration costs and more information. These events are part of a Be Out There!, Get Outdoors Florida!, "Let's GO"- Children and Nature, No Child Left Inside, and Let's Move Outside inspired initiative. In addition, Camp Bayou is now a member of the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network- www.fyccn.org . The Nature Center is taking reservations for field trips for the current school year. Popular programs include River Study, Native People, Rotation Stations (students visit up to 6 nature topic stations during their 2-3 hour trip) plus many more options. Cost is just $5 per child, adults are free. Contact Dolly at campbayou@gmail.com.  The Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum is taking reservations for fossil programs for school groups. It is open to the general public on Saturdays only from 9am-2pm. Leave a message for Fred Hendershot at 813-641-8545. Specify that you are calling about the fossil program. Camp Bayou is nether a campground nor a summer camp. It was an RV park before the County's ELAP 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, nature photography and trail walks. General admission is still FREE. The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center 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 or call 813-641-8545.  ### Photo: At last year's Beef N' Bones, after dinner and entertainment, visitors enjoyed a tour of the first restored fishing cabin. This year, the second cabin will be 'unveiled'.