"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"
- Robin Williams (1951-2014), American comedian
Bear in Mind
The Florida black bear may be our largest native mammal, but
it’s rarely seen in southeastern Florida, due to the habitat loss that comes
with urbanization. As many as 12,000 are thought to have lived in the state before
it was settled, a number that dropped to less than half that. The reclusive
bears now live mainly in protected areas, and their numbers are rebounding.
Celebrate all things “beary” at this year’s Teddy Bear Picnic, from noon to 3 p.m.
on Sunday, May 20, at Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center in Davie. The
event, presented by the Friends of Long Key volunteer group, will include
games, bear-themed crafts and activities, stories, bear face painting, giveaway
novelties, and a Teddy Bear Beauty Contest.
Admission is $5 per person, and you’re invited to bring your
own picnic lunch and teddy bears. If the weather is uncooperative, the picnic
will move indoors. For more information, call Long
Key at 954-357-8797.
Lend a Hand, Help a
Park
Volunteer opportunities are plentiful throughout our park
system. Our nature centers and natural areas, in particular, always need
volunteers who are willing to chip in and help clean up sites by removing
invasive exotic plants and replacing them with native plants. With that in
mind, many locations schedule monthly EcoAction
Volunteer Workdays. Some parks (Fern Forest, Long Key, Quiet Waters, and
Anne Kolb) will hold their last such workdays in May before taking a break for
the summer and resuming in October; others (Miramar Pineland and Secret Woods)
continue year round. The workdays are from 9 a.m. to noon except at Quiet
Waters, where they run till 1 p.m.
On Saturday, May 12, Military
Trail Natural Area (954-357-8109) will also have a Scrub-a-Dub-Dub Cleanup & Hike from 9 to 10:30 a.m. These
monthly “mini-workdays” rotate among the four natural area sites in northern
Broward County that feature a scrub habitat, one of the rarest plant and animal
communities in South Florida. Participants in the cleanup will be rewarded by a
short naturalist-led hike through the natural area.
Another of those scrub sites, Highlands
Scrub Natural Area (954-357-8109) in Pompano Beach, will have a Snake Plant Strike Force Volunteer Workday
the following Saturday, May 19, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Preregistration and relevant forms
are required for all these workdays. Contact the site of your choice for
details.
Walk This Way
Charles Dickens claimed, “If I could not walk
far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish,”
while the German
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche declared, “All truly great thoughts are
conceived while walking.” President Harry Truman’s advice: “Take a
two-mile walk every morning before breakfast.”
What better place to walk – or hike or stroll –
than a park? Here are some group opportunities this month. Nominal fees –
typically $3 to $5 – apply for some programs, and preregistration may be
required. Solo walking is also popular at most of our parks. Visit Broward.org/Parks for a full park list.
- Bird Walk – Sat., May 5, 8:30-10:30 a.m. – Deerfield Island Park (954-357-8109)
- Guided Hike –
Tues., May 8, 9-10 a.m. – Quiet Waters
Park (954-357-5100)
- )Guided Hike –
Fri., May 11, 9-10 a.m. – Woodmont
Natural Area (954-357-8109)
- Nature at Night Hike –
Fri., May 11, 8-9 p.m. – Long Key
Natural Area & Nature Center (954-357-8797)
- Plankton-a-Plenty Hike – Sat., May 12, 11 a.m.-noon – Anne Kolb
Nature Center (954-357-5161)
- Night Hike –
Fri., May 18, 7:30-8:30 p.m. – Helene Klein
Pineland Preserve (954-357-8109
- Trail Stroll –
Sun., May 20, 11-11:45 a.m. – Anne Kolb
- Guided Hike –
Tues., May 22, 9-10 a.m. – Hillsboro
Pineland Natural Area (954-357-8109)
- Guided Hike –
Fri., May 25, 9-10 a.m. – Quiet Waters
- Guided Nature Hike –
Sun., May 27, 10-11 a.m. – Long Key
Green Light for Greenery
Looking for
some plants to spruce up your home or yard? The Broward County Plant Affair, co-sponsored by the Plantation Historical Society, takes place the weekend of May 5
and 6 at Plantation Heritage Park, where you’ll find a plant show and sale with
plenty of specialty vendors. Among the offerings: native plants, bonsai,
orchids, cyclamens, bougainvillea, and bromeliads, as well as gardening
supplies and porch and patio items. Food and beverages will also be available
for purchase. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Sunday. The park’s regular weekend gate fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and
under free) will be in effect. For more information, call the Plantation
Historical Society at 954-581-6463, or the park at 954-357-5135, ext. 0. Plantation Heritage is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #30.
The monthly
meeting of the Florida Native Plant
Society is another good source of info on how your home landscaping can
contribute to the preservation, conservation, and restoration of native plant
communities in South Florida. The group’s Coontie Chapter, serving Broward County, meets at 7 p.m. every second Wednesday
(May 9 this month) at Secret Woods Nature Center (954-357-8884) in Dania Beach.
Springtime Holidays
Two big holidays this month provide opportunities for a fun outing in a park: Mother’s Day, on Sunday, May 13, and Memorial Day, on Monday, May 28. All Broward County Parks will be open their regularly scheduled hours on the latter (except Deerfield Island Park and the Markham Park Target Range, which are normally closed on Mondays). Shelters and indoor facilities of all sizes are offered for rent. Reservations are required, however, so call now to check availability. All shelters have picnic tables, most have grills, and many also have water, electricity, and restrooms. Amenities at indoor facilities vary. Freestanding picnic tables are also available on a first-come, first-served basis throughout most of our parks. For more information, visit our Website. Enjoy your holiday in the park!
…And Everything Else
Other nature-related programming at Broward County parks in May.
Many programs require fees and/or preregistration; contact the relevant park
for details.
-
Thurs., May 3, 7-9 p.m. – Friends of Anne Kolb Meeting – Anne
Kolb Nature Center (954-357-5161)
- Thurs., May 3, 7:30-8:30 p.m. – Sierra
Club Meeting – Fern
Forest Nature Center (954-357-5198)
- Fri., May 4, 12:15-12:45 p.m. – Bite-Sized Learning Lunch – Easterlin
Park (954-357-5190
- Sun., May 6, 9-11:30 a.m. – Basic Kayak Class – West Lake
Park (954-357-5161)
- Wed., May 9, 7-9 p.m. – Florida Native Plant Society Meeting – Secret
Woods Nature Center (954-357-8884)
- Thurs., May 10, 10-11 a.m. – Nature Tots – Fern Forest
- Thurs., May 10, 10-11 a.m. – Preschool Play ‘n’ Learn – Long
Key Natural Area & Nature Center (954-357-8797)
- Thurs., May 10, 7:30-9:30 p.m. – Florida Trail Association Meeting –
Fern Forest
- Sat., May 12, 7-8:30 p.m. – Sunset Adventure Paddle – Deerfield
Island Park (954-357-5100)
- Sun., May 13, 9-11:30 a.m. – Paddling EcoTour – West Lake
- Sun., May 13, 2-4 p.m. – Dan
Barrow Memorial Bluegrass Jam – Fern Forest
- Tues., May 15, 10-11 a.m. – Nature Tots – West Lake
- Sat., May 19, 9:30-11:30 a.m. – Geocaching Adventure Series – Highlands
Scrub Natural Area (954-357-8109)
- Sun., May 20, noon-1 p.m. – Investigate It! – Secret Woods
- Tues., May 22, 11 a.m.-noon – Investigate It! – Secret Woods
- Thurs., May 24, 10-11 a.m. – Nature Tots – Secret Woods
- Sat., May 26, 9-10 a.m. – Island History Paddle & Hike – Deerfield Island
- Sat., May 26, 9 a.m.-noon – Survivor – Deerfield Island
- Sun., May 27, 1-4 p.m. – Jamming in the Park – Secret Woods
- Tues., May 29, 7:30-9:30 p.m. – Moonlight Paddle – West Lake
- Wed., May 30, 10-11 a.m. – Knee-High Naturalist – Long Key
Parks Foundation
The Parks Foundation of Broward County is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2014 in support of Broward County Parks and Recreation Division. The foundation welcomes individual memberships and corporate partnerships at all levels to help promote our parks and programs, preserve our natural areas, and provide more green space for our community. Donations are accepted at BrowardParksFoundation.org.
