January 2010
Saturday Guided Hikes
Saturday, January 2, 2010 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday, January 9, 2010 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday, January 16, 2010 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday, January 23, 2010 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday, January 30, 2010 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Guided hikes through coastal mangrove and upland ecosystems of the Preserve are held each Saturday of the month. Join us to learn about the coastal environment and the early residents of Weedon Island Preserve. Be sure to bring water and a snack for this two-hour hike. A hat and closed-toe shoes are also recommended. Reserve your space by 2 pm on the Friday prior to the tour of choice. This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. Recommended ages: 6 and up.
Passport to Weedon 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Education Services Staff and Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Come celebrate the New Year outdoors! Pick up your passport in the Center’s lobby and hit the trails! Using the trail signs as your guide, explore the Preserve by following the destinations outlined in your passport. Solve all the passport clues then stop by the Center to receive the Weedon Island Preserve passport stamp and an eco-friendly prize. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.
The Great Weedon Bird Quest
Friday, January 8, 2010 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Join us on a quest to find Weedon Island Preserve birds! Learn the identifying marks and behaviors of our feathered year-round residents and seasonal visitors while helping us compile an annual checklist of the Preserve’s birds. These hikes are designed to take advantage of all levels of birding experience. Binoculars and bird guides are available. Hikes are scheduled for the second Friday of each month. Please join us for a relaxing morning outing led by experienced birders. Call us for more information and to register. This event is free and open to the public. Recommended for adults.
Artist Exhibit Opening Reception: “Wild Thing, I Think I Love You!”
Saturday, January 9, 2010 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Local Artists from & Academy of Art, St. Petersburg, FL
You’ll love the wild things “captured” on canvas by the local artists from the Augustine Ludovico Studio & Academy of Art. Enjoy paintings of gopher tortoises, pelicans, alligators, and mangroves, as well as scenes from Egmont Key and Fort DeSoto Park. Artists include Lorraine Cavanaugh, Loren Corrieri, Diana Craig, Vivek Lakhotia, Marc Levasseur, Augustine Ludovico, Debora Pridgen, and Suzanne Wheeler. Meet the artists at this opening reception and enjoy live painting demonstrations. Learn more about local wildlife from Weedon Island Preserve naturalists and classroom displays at this free event. All ages are welcome.
Wee-time at Weedon: Ten Little Rabbits
Thursday, January 14, 2010 10:30 am – 11:15 am
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
This program is designed to introduce pre-school children to the wonders of the natural and cultural world. Every second and fourth Thursday of each month, children are treated to a variety of stories and hands-on activities that connect them to their environment. This week presents Ten Little Rabbits by Virginia Grossman. This delightful story is a counting rhyme illustrating rabbits in Native American costume and depicting traditional customs. This event is free. Pre-registration is required. Spaces are limited so register early! Recommended ages: 3 - 5.
Scatology: The Study of Scat (Animal Poop) Mini-workshop
Saturday, January 16, 2010 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Scat Educational Display on Exhibit
Saturday, December 19, 2009 – Saturday, January 16, 2010
George L. Heinrich, Heinrich Ecological Services, St. Petersburg, FL
Have you ever seen scat on a Preserve trail and wondered which species left it behind? Perhaps it was from a gopher tortoise, coyote or alligator. This family-oriented mini-workshop and educational display allow participants and visitors to see a variety of preserved specimens and learn about the value of scat to wildlife biologists and naturalists. Mini-workshop participants will also dissect gopher tortoise scat to learn what these reptiles eat. Registration is required for this free mini-workshop. Recommended ages: 6 and up.
Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter
Thursday, January 21, 2010 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
C. Rae Harper, West Central Regional Center, Florida Public Archaeology Network
Participants will learn to think and research like an archaeologist as they investigate historic shelters through the archaeological process in this afterschool program. Families are encouraged to participate in this curriculum developed by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management that teaches investigative skills of mapping, classifying, and identifying an archaeological site. Presented by the Florida Public Archaeology Network, program sessions are scheduled for every other Thursday from January 21 through May 27, 2010. This event is free and open to the public. Spaces are limited so register early! Recommended for families with children ages 8 and up.
Using Prehistoric Archaeology to Study Modern Biodiversity
Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
David W. Steadman, Ph.D., Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL
Join us at this presentation by Dr. David W. Steadman, the Curator of Ornithology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Dr. Steadman uses prehistoric archaeology collections to study extinction, comparative osteology, and species-level systematics of land birds, as well as their diversity and habitat relationships on tropical islands. This lecture, co-sponsored by the Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society, is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is requested. Recommended for adults.
All about Manatees
Saturday, January 23, 2010 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Elissa Riley, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, St. Petersburg, FL
Manatees are the gentle giants of our Gulf Coast waters. Learn all about manatees and the latest research on these fascinating mammals at this informative talk by Elissa Riley from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Pre-registration required for this free program. Recommended ages: 6 and up.
Wee-time at Weedon: Mary Manatee: A Tale of Sea Cows
Thursday, January 28, 2010 10:30 am – 11:15 am
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
This program is designed to introduce pre-school children to the wonders of the natural world. Every second and fourth Thursday of each month, children are treated to a variety of stories and hands-on activities that connect them to their environment. This week presents Mary Manatee: A Tale of Sea Cows by Suzanne Tate. This book is about a mother sea cow named Mary who has an adventurous calf named Mikey. Mary works hard to teach her son a lesson about staying away from boats. Children learn how boats can be a danger to manatees. This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. Spaces are limited so register early! Recommended ages: 3 - 5.
Discover Our Classroom
Saturday, January 30, 2010 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Education Services Volunteers, Environmental Lands Division
Who lives in that skin? What is the difference between a carnivore and an herbivore? Who made those tracks? Stop by our classroom between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to participate in a variety of self-guided activities and hands-on materials that answer these questions and more. Registration is not required for this open activity. Recommended for families with children of all ages.
Monday - Friday Half-Day, Self-guided Tours
Launch Times: 11:30 am or 1:00 pm
Sweetwater Kayaks offers half-day (4-hour long) self-guided
tours Monday through Friday. Reservations for the 11:30 am
or 1:00 pm launch times are recommended. Please arrive at Sweetwater
Kayaks 30 minutes before your reservation. Once payment and
paperwork is complete, follow our staff to the Preserve and
park your car in the main parking lot. Call Sweetwater Kayaks
at (727) 570-4844 to reserve your kayak.
Single Half-day Fee: $40
Double Half-day Fee: $56 Saturday and Sunday Half-Day, Self-guided Tours
Launch Times: 9:00 am or 12:30 pm
On weekends, Sweetwater Kayaks' self-guided, half-day tours
are 3.5-hours long and launch at 11:30 am or 1:00 pm. Reservations
are recommended. Meet us at Weedon Island Preserve at least
15 minutes before your reservation. Please park in the main
parking lot. Call Sweetwater Kayaks at (727) 570-4844 to reserve
your kayak.
Single Half-day Fee: $40
Double Half-day Fee: $56
Daily Rentals
Launch Anytime: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Are you dealing with a busy schedule and only have time for
a short paddle around Riviera Bay? Perhaps our hourly rentals
are the best fit. Every weekend, kayaks and canoes are onsite
at the Preserve for rental by the hour. To arrange a drop off
during the week, call Sweetwater Kayaks at (727) 570-4844.
Single Hourly Fee: $17
Double Hourly Fee: $25 |
