ARC AT THE PARK
The Tampa Audubon Society, in cooperation with the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, has established the Audubon Resource Center at Lettuce Lake Regional County Park (ARC at the PARK). The resource center was created to help foster a culture of conservation and an environmental ethic in the Tampa Bay region and to encourage community involvement in the Audubon mission.
Tampa Audubon hopes people will visit ARC at the Park for information, education, resources related to the Audubon mission.
ARC at the Park:
- Provides a variety of environmental education programs and field trips for all ages.
- Displays wildlife native to the Hillsborough River watershed.
- Promotes Audubon Society membership and sponsorship for "Audubon Adventures" environmental education materials for local elementary schools.
- Assists park visitors with wildlife and plant identification.
ARC at the Park will form partnerships with other organizations, public and private, involved in environmental programs, such as Hillsborough County Schools, Nature's Classroom, TECO Energy, Inc., the Florida Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Lowry Park Zoo, etc.
Photography Club
The Photography club meets the third Saturday of each month.
1 p.m. Digital and Wildlife Photography Class
2 p.m. General Photography Club meeting
The club is open to anyone interested in nature photography. The club schedules outtings and fieldtrips during the meetings, so to be in the know you have to attend.
Volunteer Training:
We are in urgent need of additional volunteers to staff the facility. Volunteers committ to one Saturday or Sunday afternoon per month, from 1-5 p.m. Training is simple and available. The only skills you need is a love for the environment and a willingness to share a friendly smile with the visiting public. These 4 hours you spend a month are hugely rewarding. Please visit the ARC or email arcatthepark@yahoo.com if you are interested. If you know anyone that would like to become an active ARC volunteer, please share this with them.
Wish List:
We are always looking for additional materials to enhance the visitors experience, if you have any of the following, please bring it by the ARC, it will be put to good use:
- Childrens books about Florida's flora and fauna
- A VHS rewinder
- Florida's ecosystems related games and materials
- Your Time one weekend a month!
Letter from Lettuce Lake Audubon Volunteer Roger Sheets
One of the neat things about volunteering is meeting people. Some of the people I meet when I’m “on duty” and a lot when I am just in the park.
I recently met a nice couple and talked about the wetlands in the park and its uniqueness. It turns out that the fellow is the professor who is teaching the first Wetland Ecology class at USF. In that same vane, I noticed a couple admiring the plants and being a birder, not a botanist, I was a little out of my area. I told them about Resurrection Fern and how I could tell it hadn’t rained for several days. The fellow told me the Latin name and said they were looking for orchids. I should have asked him for a tour!
Over the past year, I have met a birder from Colorado who does owl research. I asked how they do things like count chicks when the nest is 40 feet up in the tree. She said they have a long extension pole with a small camera – makes sense. I met a couple from Ireland who were visiting their mother in the United States. I gave them a little tour of the boardwalk. I’ve even met my daughter’s high school calculus teacher.
Art Linkletter used to have a TV show called “Kids Say the Darndest Things”. I want to share a few of the kids I’ve met. I was at the tower and a girl was taking a picture of a pop can floating in the water. I asked why she was taking a picture of that. She said she was going to put the picture on MySpace and show people how dumb littering is. There is a family I meet every once in a while – a mother 2 boys and a girl with an occasional friend. I have them guide me. They’ve shown me a small camouflaged praying mantis and a small spider with a dot of iridescence.
I’m typically not a people person but being a volunteer has helped me become more outgoing. There’s a wonderful feeling when you can show a tree frog to a little girl who’s dad is holding her up to see – and give her a lady bug stamp on her hand to remember it. If we have a few more volunteers we can double up. Then we can give short tours when people ask. It’s also good to have 2 people from different backgrounds on shift. At times I really could use a plant person partner.
It doesn’t take much to be a volunteer – only 4 hours a month. It helps to have knowledge of nature and a willingness to share it. If you are interested there is a volunteer sign-up sheet at the park.
Volunteer training is available for those who are willing to invest four hours a month to staff the Visitor Center. The only skills you need are a love of the environment and a friendly smile for the visitors. Visit the ARC or e-mail: arcatthepark@yahoo.com
For information on the ARC, contact Mike and Barbara Mullins at arcatthepark@yahoo.com, cell number 813/390-4696.
Stop by the ARC to see how you can get involved!
We're open Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.
6920 E. Fletcher Ave., Tampa FL 33637
For more information on the ARC e-mail: arcatthepark@yahoo.com.
Birdhouses for sale on display at ARC at the Park.
Click on photos below for more information.
President:Carolyn McKinney
Immediate past President: Ann Paul/Rob Heath