Camp Bayou Spring Open House

Camp Bayou Spring Open House


Saturday, March 29, 2014
9am-1pm
FREE family-friendly event
The theme, "Finding Wild", encourages visitors to find the 'wild' in their community.

Schedule:
9am- Native Plant Trail Walk w/ Becki

9:30am- Frog Storytime w/ Avalon

10am- Aquatic Critter Hunt w/ George

10:30am- Flintnapping w/ Lori

11am- Frog Talk/Walk w/ Avalon

11:45am- Human Frog Chorus w/ special guest, Clover

Noon- Wild Lunch- on the menu: Wild Orange Mojo Marinated Pork, Wild Rice and Beans, Salad w/ Wild Herb Dressing, and a beverage, for just $7 a person, or 2 for $10 (credit cards will be accepted this year, and cash of course ).

12:30pm- Annual Report of BOLD, managing non-profit of Camp Bayou

- Get your Save the Frogs Day passport from the Conserve it Forward table to learn about frogs and toads- maybe win a prize in the process.
- Take a short canoe trip around the oxbow island with a special reduced Open House rate of just $10/canoe for a 1 hour paddle starting at 9:30am; last canoe rental at 11:30am.
- Hop aboard a docent-guided cart tour of the trails. Tours leave on the half hour starting at 10am.
- Visit the butterfly habitat and talk with an Eagle Audubon Society volunteer about the plants and the butterflies that visit.
- Help create the largest display of origami birds in an activity that commemorates 100 years since the passing of the last Passenger Pigeon as well as the last Carolina Parakeet.
- Trace your child's hand to be added to a display for Children's Week.
- Celebrate Women's History Month with Rachel Carson.
- Learn a bit about the Florida outdoors with recent graduates of the Florida Master Naturalist Program- Lori, Charlie, Joanie and Kevin.
- Take the 'Rewild your life' Challenge- 30 minutes outdoors in nature for 30 days.
- Visit the Fishing Cabins and take a tour inside with Frank, a volunteer who helped restore them.
- The Little Free Library encourages reading in nature by offering books in an open air location. Visitors will learn about an upcoming program for World Book Night which will provide a free book by Michael Pollan to a limited number of participants.
- Other agencies and non-profits, such as Little Manatee River State Park, Florida Aquarium, Florida Master Naturalist Program, League of Environmental Educators in Florida and the Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum will be also be offering nature-based activities.

Activity tables will stay open until 1pm.

Activities are part of P3 FYCCN, Get Outdoors Florida, Children and Nature, No Child Left Inside, Be Out There!-NWF, Wildlife Week, EE Week, Let's Move Outside, Children's Week inspired initiatives.

Camp Bayou is neither a campground nor a summer camp. It was an RV park before the County 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 Center offers pre-scheduled programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families plus it is open from Thursday- Saturday from 9am-2pm for passive recreational pursuits such as wildlife watching, nature photography and trail walks.

The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is managed by the non-profit Bayou Outdoor Learning & Discovery, Inc. (BOLD), in a public- private partnership with 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 www.campbayou.org or call 813-641-8545.

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