Camp Bayou Welcomes Fall

There are cleanups, night hikes plus some day and night paddles coming up this Fall. Enjoy some fun activities at Camp Bayou this season.

Experience the trails at Camp Bayou while helping cleanup, fixup and monitor the environment during National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 28 from 9am-noon. A special BioBlitz will document plants and wildlife through iNaturalist.org while we pick up trash. No registration needed, just come out, check in and enjoy the morning at Camp Bayou.

Our Fright Fest will be held on Saturday, October 5 starting with some spooky crafts and activity tables at 5pm. Joining the activities are Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management, Little Manatee River State Park, and Girl Scout Troop 30349.  First walks will start at 6:30 pm for the young ones, learning about our native nocturnal wildlife. The 7pm and later walks after dark will be stories about past misadventures at Camp Bayou and the spirits who can't rest. Then join us by the campfire for s'mores! Registration is not required but we'd appreciate an email to Dolly at campbayou@gmail.com so we can be sure we have enough supplies for s'mores. Pay just $5 to get your ticket when you check in on-site.

Saturday, October 19- 7pm-  Special Night Paddle (postponed from September). Explore the Little Manatee River after dark- without flashlights!  The tour is $25 if you need to use one of our canoes or kayaks and $5 if you bring your own. Registration required- call 813-641-8545.

Camp Bayou continues to offer day paddle trips on the first and third Saturdays each month at 9am. The tour is $25 if you need to use one of our canoes or kayaks and $5 if you bring your own. Registration required- call 813-641-8545..

For those who are interested in helping with registered groups, Camp Bayou is looking for enthusiastic volunteers who love the outdoors and want to pass along that passion to others through hands-on activities, walks and canoe tours, as well as help with maintenance and exhibits. Contact Becki at 813-641-8545 or fill out the form at campbayou.org. We are mainly looking for folks to help teach school groups K-6 but there are other opportunities as well.

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center 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, supporters and grants, the managing non-profit- B.O.L.D. - offers pre-registered programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families. The Center is open from Thursday- Sunday 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 Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery, Inc. (B.O.L.D.), and Hillsborough County Conservation & Environmental Lands Management. Camp Bayou is located 3 miles south of SR674 at the end of 24th St SE in Ruskin. Check out the Camp Bayou Facebook page and for more information visit the website at http://www.campbayou.org/ or call 813-641-8545.

Camp Bayou This Spring

Join us for our Wildlife BioBlitz on April 14 or 28.

Monthly one hour programs cover a special topic on the first Saturday of each month.

April 7: Learn about Butterflies and their habitat with Donna

May 5: River netting with Dolly

June 2: National Trails Day- trail walks and more!

Special this April 14 from 9am to noon- Celebrate Citizen Science Day and March for Science with a Camp Bayou Wildlife BioBlitz. Observe wildlife, then take photos, gps coordinates and mark the time- or just use the iNaturalist app on your smartphone- to record all the wildlife we see that morning. Reservations not required but if you have questions, contact Dolly at campbayou@gmail.com.

If you can't make the BioBlitz on April 14, plan to join us on April 28 for another round, to finish out National Environmental Education Week!

The Great American Cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 28 as well, starting at 8am. Sign up with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful to help clean up along the road and trails.

Cart tours have returned! Stop in any Saturday morning and ask for a ride along the trails.
All programs begin at 9:30am and are free- donations are always appreciated!

Saturday canoe day tours continue this year. Check the online calendar for days and times. Paddlers should arrive at Camp Bayou by 8:45am. Our next special night paddle will be held on March 31st. Canoes or kayaks are available for rental for just $25 each or bring your own canoe or kayak for a small donation of $5 each. Register for all paddle trips by calling the office at 813-641-8545.

For those who are interested in helping with registered groups, Camp Bayou is looking for enthusiastic volunteers who love the outdoors and want to pass along that passion to others through hands-on activities, walks and canoe tours. Contact Jeri at 813-641-8545 or email campbayou@gmail.com. We are mainly looking for folks to help teach school groups K-6 but there are other opportunities as well.

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center 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, supporters and grants, the managing non-profit- B.O.L.D. - offers pre-registered programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families. Monthly canoe tours are now available by reservation only. Check the online calendar for trip dates. The Center is 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 Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery, Inc. (B.O.L.D.), 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. Check out the Camp Bayou Facebook page and for more information visit the webpage at http://www.campbayou.org/ or call 813-641-8545.

Camp Bayou falls into Fall

Camp Bayou is grateful to have a fund that was created a few years ago to get kids outdoors who would not otherwise be able to afford it. It is Joanie’s Student Nature Learning Fund which was created in memory of the donor's sister-in-law who was a teacher who loved to share her love of learning outdoors with her students.

The fund currently would cover a school group of up to 80 kids (our maximum number per day). It is available to Title 1 schools only, grades K-6, in Hillsborough County. The funds do not cover the cost of busing or lunch. If a teacher or administrator from a Title 1 school is interested in this opportunity, please fill out the form at http://bit.ly/CampBayoustudentfund . If anyone is interested in contributing to keep this fund going, donations can be made online .

Camp Bayou is participating in the International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 16 starting at 8:30am. Interested volunteers should sign up at http://www.keeptampabaybeautiful.org . Want more volunteer opportunities? Join the Camp Bayou BioBlitz on National Public Lands Day, September 30, starting at 9am. Bring your iNaturalist app-enabled smartphone to take photos of the flora and fauna at Camp Bayou. How many species, do you think, can be found?

Camp Bayou is continuing its First Saturday Nature Topics through the end of the year. October's topic is "Fall Birding" with Mr. James Lingle on October 7. This will be a nice introductory birding opportunity before the Florida Birding and Nature Festival, Oct 13-15 at HCC Southshore in Ruskin. Camp Bayou will be conducting the Kid's Sessions at the Festival on Saturday, Oct 14 from 10am-4pm. Interested parents should register their children online- FREE- at http://bit.ly/kidsessionreg .

Canoe tours continue through the year on the third Saturday, starting at 9am. A special 'Observe the Moon Night paddle' is scheduled for October 28 starting at 6:30pm. Please register for all paddle tours- 813-641-8545. Canoe- and now kayaks!- can be rented for $25 each or bring your own with just a $5 donation.

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center 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, supporters and grants, the managing non-profit- B.O.L.D. - offers pre-registered programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families. Monthly canoe tours are now available by reservation only. Check the online calendar for trip dates. The Center is 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 Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery, Inc. (B.O.L.D.), 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. Check out the Camp Bayou Facebook page and for more information visit the webpage at http://www.campbayou.org/ or call 813-641-
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Spring Nature Fest- April 16, 2016

Camp Bayou presents our First Annual Spring Nature Fest!
(formerly known as our Spring Open House)

On the Trail...

The butterfly orchids (Encyclia tampensis) are starting to bloom at Camp Bayou! I am not posting their exact location because I worry about poachers. Come out in the next couple weeks, take a walk around and see if you can spot them.

Camp Bayou's Spring Open House- Happy Pi Day- 3/14/15!

Join Camp Bayou volunteers for their Spring Open House with a Pi Day theme!

Saturday, March 14, 2015, 9am-1pm.

This year, the Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center Open House will be all about circles, cycles, spiral, spheres and other topics related to pi - 3.141592653...

Ongoing demonstrations and hands-on activities will show visitors how nature and pi coincide.

The morning activities include:

9am: Activity tables open

9:26:53am: Celebrate this special Pi Day moment with Bubbles!

10am: GPS tortoise burrow scavenger hunt with Daniel

10:30am: Speaker- Joann from C.A.R.E.

11am: Storytime in the Round

11:30am: Brunch $5 fundraiser- circle foods: pancakes and more!

12pm: Loop trail hike with Becki or canoe around the oxbow (special $10 rental per canoe)

12:30pm: Final door prize drawing

Other organizations joining in the morning activities include:

C.A.R.E, Ruskin Pack 662, Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum, Ruskin Library, Little Manatee River State Park, Tampa Bay Conservation Society, League of Environmental Educators in Florida (LEEF) and Florida Master Naturalists. Camp Bayou's parent non-profit, BOLD (Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery, Inc.) will present their annual report.

Door prizes will be awarded every half hour including books, water testing kits and t-shirt/hat, among other possibilities. Door prize tickets are free and available at the Camp Bayou display table to all who sign up for our e-newsletter. A free tomato plant will also be given to the first 50 people who sign up.

This event is a Children's Week, Be Out There!, Get Outdoors Florida, FYCCN,  "Let's GO"- Children and Nature, No Child Left Inside, Solar System Ambassador and Let's Move Outside inspired initiative.

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center 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, supporters and grants, the managing non-profit- B.O.L.D. - offers pre-scheduled programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families. Monthly canoe tours are now available by reservation only. Check the online calendar for trip dates. The Center is 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 Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery, Inc. (B.O.L.D.), 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. Check out the Camp Bayou Facebook page and for more information visit the webpage at http://www.campbayou.org/ or call 813-641-8545.

###

On the Trail 2015

This week the star of the trail is 'Innocence', Houstonia procumbens .

Every winter Innocence appears on the trails. It likes the lack of competition, for light as well as space. The microhabitat provides just enough moisture and plenty of sun but not too much heat. The four-petaled flowers usually dot the trail here and there and it has always been a surprise, almost a reward, to spot a clump.

This year they are almost everywhere you look! Along the Tortoise Trail in the uplands as well as the Wetland Walk. I felt like I was playing hopscotch while trying to avoid stepping on them. Walking the trails makes me feel rejuvenated, bringing out the child in me (although admittedly, that isn't hard to do :o)

A short video shows how far it has spread: http://youtu.be/fB2PVWMfa_c 

Nature Notes Note: 
This blog has been sadly neglected for some time now. Every January, I make a resolution to make a post, at least weekly, and at some point it gets lost during the year. At the risk of being labeled insane (doing the same thing but expecting a different result), I will try once again to at least post a picture each week.

A Beautiful Morning for Science!

Nature lovers of all ages explored the preserve to find butterflies, birds, aquatic invertebrates, frogs, and plants during the USA Science and Engineering Festival Satellite event held on Saturday, October 23 at Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center in Ruskin.  Between hourly walks, folks made pine cone bird feeders, butterfly puppets, beautiful drawings of critters and cuttings of potted native plants to grow at home. At noon, participants enjoyed solar hot dogs, sun iced tea and solar s'mores prepared in the solar oven. Learn more about the USA Science and Engineering Festival . This event is also a Be Out There!, Get Outdoors Florida, a Children and Nature and No Child Left Inside inspired initiative. 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. ### Pictured: Tour participants check out the bees during the pollinator walk Photo credit: Frank Cummings

original announcement: http://campbayou.blogspot.com/2010/10/media-release-event-10-23-10.html

Media release- event 10-23-10

Citizen Science Symposium 2010 Nature lovers of all ages are invited to explore the preserve to find butterflies, birds, aquatic invertebrates, frogs, and plants through hands-on activities, trail walks, displays and seminars. Find out what it's like to be a citizen scientist at the Citizen Science Symposium from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday, October 23, 2010 at Camp Bayou in Ruskin. What will visitors do during this USA Science and Engineering Festival Satellite Event? - Discover the aquatic critters that help us monitor the health of the river with George and learn about the Hillsborough County Streamwater Watch program. - Walk the trail to look for different butterflies that frequent the forest with Jeri and learn about the Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network - Stroll along the trails in search of wildflowers in bloom with Becki and learn about the USA National Phenology Network. These are just a few of the many possibilities that may interest folks who might like to help scientists do research on a variety of subjects. Between hourly walks, there will be nature crafts and activities related to each of the citizen science programs highlighted. Event is FREE but please RSVP at the link on http://www.campbayou.org/. Have a question? Contact campbayou@yahoo.com or call 813-363-5438. A 'solar lunch', including hot dog and iced sun tea, will be available starting at 11am for just $3. Learn more about the USA Science and Engineering Festival: http://www.usasciencefestival.org/ . 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. ### Pictured: What's that butterfly? Find out at the USA Science and Engineering Festival Citizen Science Satellite Event on Oct 23, 2010 at Camp Bayou in Ruskin!

on the trail...

Pawpaw in bloom
Mossy trail...
Lots of new growth and blooms, blooms, blooms! The weather is finally cooperating so take some time for a leisurely walk in the woods and check out all the signs of spring!

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 .

On the trail...

Great getting out on the trail this week...

Met up with a very cooperative Palamedes Swallowtail visiting firebush flowers in the native plant nursery. This is one of the butterflies we are keeping our eyes on during our monthly Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network counts because, although they are locally common at Camp Bayou, there is a growing concern for their host plants, the bay trees, which are being threatened by a fungus carried by an invasive insect called the Ambrosia Beetle.

On up the Tortoise Trail, some beautiful flowerheads of Solidago, otherwise known as Goldenrod. In the past, I may have blamed my sniffles on them but since goldenrod has long been exonorated from causing sinus troubles, I know it's just a head cold.