By LOIS KINDLE
Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is welcoming spring and celebrating its 25th anniversary with fun, outdoor activities for the entire family.
The free Spring Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to noon March 23. It will include nature activity exhibits, trail walks, a tomato seedling giveaway, plant swap (no invasives please) and cart tours.
The schedule of events is as follows:
9:30 a.m. Cart tours begin and will continue roughly every half hour.
10 a.m. – Fire Hike to explore the upland trail to learn about the flora and fauna in this habitat.
10:30 a.m. – Butterfly Habitat Q&A with an Eagle Audubon member.
11 a.m. – Native Camp Tour of the re-created village of the native Ucita tribe that used to live in the area.
11:30 a.m. Fishing Cabin Talk – learn about and tour the historic fishing cabins donated to Campa Bayou by Mosaic.
The Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum, Raptor Center of Tampa Bay, Manatee Viewing Center, Little Manatee River State Park and Florida Forestry Service are all participating with educational displays and activities.
You do not have to register to attend. Just come out and experience all that Camp Bayou has to offer.
Mark your calendar now for the Spring Festival and Camp Bayou’s next night paddle, which involves exploring the Little Manatee River after dark without flashlights on April 13. Canoes and kayaks are available for $25 per boat. If you have your own canoe or kayak, participation is $5.
Plan to arrive by 7 p.m. to be out on the water by 7:30. Registration is required by emailing campbayou@gmail.com or calling 813-641-8545.
Camp Bayou’s ongoing day paddle trips take place at 9 a.m. the first and third Saturdays of each month. RSVPs are required by emailing or calling the same contacts previously mentioned.
The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is a 160-acre nature preserve run entirely by volunteers and operated by a public-private partnership between the nonprofit Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery Inc. and the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management department. Its programs are directed by Dolly Cummings.
Through its volunteers, donations, supporters and grants, Camp Bayou offers pre-registered nature programs to area schools, youth and adult groups and entire families, plus occasional free events open to the public, aimed at building an awareness of and appreciation for the natural world.
The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday for passive recreational pursuits, including trail walking, bird and wildlife watching, nature photography, launching canoes or kayaks, learning center visits and more.
Camp Bayou is always in need of enthusiastic volunteers who love the outdoors and want to pass along their passion to others through hands-on activities, nature walks and canoe tours or to help with maintenance and exhibits. Contact Becki at 813-641-8545 or fill out the volunteer form at www.campbayou.org/.
Camp Bayou is three miles south of State Road 674 at 4140 24th St. SE, Ruskin. For more information, visit the Camp Bayou Facebook page; its website, www.campbayou.org/; or call 813-641-8545.