Brooker Creek Preserve Offers Fun Stuff in September

September is full of exciting discovery at Brooker Creek Preserve. The activities and educational opportunities are boundless. Each Saturday, hikers can take advantage of group hikes to see how the land has changed over time and the ecological footprints left by those changes.  

• Beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8, there is a unique 90-minute guided hike that is both educational and enjoyable. Hikers will seek out the common birds that populate Brooker Creek Preserve. Birds will be identified while meandering along a one-mile trail gathering information. Bringing binoculars and water is recommended.
• Join Clearwater Audubon's Barbara Walker, who is also a blogger for Patch, on Saturday, Sept. 8 to learn about bald eagles of Pinellas. Enjoy this one-hour presentation, beginning at 10 a.m., as she talks about our magnificent national bird.
• The popular Book Time at Brooker, designed for children ages 3 to 5, will continue every Thursday in September, from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Each week a story is read to connect young people to the wonders of the natural world. They will also participate in a craft, game or other hands-on activity.
• A 90-minute plant identification series begins on Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. Visitors learn to identify grasses, sedges and rushes, one of the most difficult groups of plants to identify, in this lab and field trip. Basic botanical terms will be used to identify each genera discussed. The focus will be on distinguishing characteristics of a few common genera, rather than distinguishing between each species. Once participants are familiar with the general differences, they will be able to drill down to species.
• Saturday, Sept. 8 a Pinellas County Extension naturalist will lead families through a fun, activity-based learning adventure designed by 4-H to help in understanding the wonders of the natural world from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
• Rounding out activities on Sept. 8, a special program offers the opportunity to discover nature with your child. Who lives in that skin; what is the difference between a carnivore and an herbivore; whose tracks are those? Stop by the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center’s classroom anytime between 1 and 3 p.m. to participate in a variety of self-guided nature games and activities. A Brooker Creek Preserve volunteer will be available to answer your questions.
• On Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 11 and 12, ride the wave of a two-day, tri-county water school created to educate community leaders, natural resource managers and decision makers about current and future concerns regarding water quality, quantity and conservation in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties. This interactive program encourages improved public policy decisions relative to water issues in these counties and throughout Florida. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on day 1, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on day 2. The registration fee of $20 includes lunches, materials and field trips.
• Want to become a citizen scientist? Ever noticed flowers blooming earlier or new birds migrating through yards? Beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, instructors Mary Campbell and Lara Miller will present a two-hour course explaining the reasons for variations in cycles and will introduce topic of the phenology. The class will be told how to get involved as a citizen scientist and conduct basic data collection to assist real-world scientists in discovering ecological changes. Participants will be introduced to Nature’s Notebook, a project of the USA National Phenology Network.
• Curious about those large birds we see in Pinellas County?  Want to learn how to identify them? Join Lynn Sumerson on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 10:30 a.m. as he devotes ninety minutes to talking about these big birds and how they can be easily identified.
• The ongoing exhibit, Windows to our Wildest Place, continues every Thursday through Saturday during regular center hours at Brooker Creek Environmental Education Center. These hands-on educational exhibits help visitors understand how natural Florida has changed over time and the ecological footprints left by those changes.

Brooker Creek Preserve protects more than 8,700 acres of natural ecosystems and is located at 3940 Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs. The preserve, the horse trails and the Friends Trail are open daily and holidays. The Environmental Education Center in the preserve features interactive exhibits and 22 discovery-oriented experiences that are fun for the entire family. It is operated by the Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources Department and is open Thursday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed Sunday through Wednesday and all Pinellas County holidays.

To learn more about Brooker Creek Preserve and its upcoming programs and events, call (727) 453-6800. To register for programs and events visit www.brookercreekpreserve.org. Videos featuring Brooker Creek Preserve can be viewed at www.youtube.com/pcctv1.