Get Ready for Back to School-Back to Nature

Pictured: Bob Burkhahn from Cargill presents a donation check for Camp Bayou to

George Shambaugh, Camp Bayou volunteer and BOLD board member.

Some of these funds will go toward the annual Back to School- Back to Nature event.

Back to school is right around the corner- time for Camp Bayou's annual event!

In preparation for the Back to School- Back to Nature event, Camp Bayou is collecting school supply items such as loose-leaf paper, binders, rulers, lunch boxes, backpacks and other typical school supply items. Also acceptable are pens and pencils with company logos so show your corporate pride and support! All donations will be acknowledged during the event and in social media coverage before and after the event.

On Saturday, July 28 from 9:30-10:30am volunteers will be making tie-dyed table covers to be used during the Back to School event. If you are interested in tie-dye, please stop in and learn how to make your own. If you bring a clean white t-shirt, you can try making your own creation after the table covers are complete. There is no charge for this activity.

Camp Bayou's Annual Back to School- Back to Nature event will be held on Saturday, August 4 from 9am- noon. Registered families will visit several nature stations where they will learn something about frogs, fossils, forests or one of several nature topics. This year there will also be a station with information about NASA's Curiosity rover and its expected landing on Mars on August 5. As in past years,registration is requested but FREE, online at www.campbayou.org .

Some of the organizations that will be participating in this year's event include:
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful
Florida Division of Forestry
ConserveItForward.org
League of Environmental Educators in Florida

There is still room for more stations. If your organization would like to participate, please contact Dolly at campbayou@gmail.com .

Camp Bayou is neither 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, BOLD offers programs to pre-registered schools, youth groups, adult groups and families. Camp Bayou is open from Thursday- Saturday from 9am-2pm for passive recreational pursuits such as wildlife watching, nature photography and trail walks. Genera admission is still FREE.

The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is a public- private partnership between Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery, Inc. (BOLD)., 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.