Little Naturalist Field Trip for Youth Groups at Celery Fields on 02/08/2012

Little Naturalist Field Trip for Youth Groups

When February 8, 2012 @ 10:00AM - 11:00AM

Where Celery Fields

Contact (941) 861-5000

“Looking for an outdoor education field trip for your summer camp, scout troop or civic club?” Then bring your youth to connect with nature in fun, creative ways at Sarasota County Government’s exciting NEW nature program, The Little Naturalist.

The Little Naturalist field trip is from 10 – 11 AM on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at the Celery Fields park. Migrating Birds is the theme for the field trip. The field trip is available for preschool-age and elementary-age groups. This program includes a variety of hands-on nature themed activities, a snack and story. All groups must be registered and accompanied by camp counselors, chaperones, parents and/or adult guardians.

The Celery Fields is a 400 acre facility located just east of I-75 and south of Fruitville Road. Sarasota County purchased most of the property in 1995 and developed the site into a stormwater detention facility. An unplanned benefit of the facility is the abundant wildlife. The Celery Fields is one of premiere birding destinations in Southwest Florida with more than 200 unique species of birds identified since the facility was constructed in 1995. The facility mainly consists of open marshlands, deep ponds, shallow pools, and canals, the Celery Fields are edged by oaks, willows, and pines on the eastern and southern boundaries. Historically the area was a sawgrass marsh and evidence of early native settlement has been found. The site is also rich in paleontological artifacts.

Participants should wear comfortable weather-appropriate clothes, a jacket, walking shoes that can get wet (no flip-flops!), and bring a hat, sun screen, drinking water and camera (optional). All Sarasota County nature walks prohibit participants from smoking or bringing pets.

To get to the Celery Fields at 6799 Palmer Boulevard, Sarasota, take I-75 to Exit 210 (Fruitville Road). Drive approximately 0.4 miles east on Fruitville Road. Turn right onto Coburn Road and follow the road approximately 1 mile until you reach Palmer Boulevard. Turn left onto Palmer Boulevard and drive approximately 0.6 miles until you reach a cut in the median. The Celery Fields entrance and parking lot will be on your left, adjacent to the gazebo. Please park in the designated parking spaces or along the road shoulder. Meet at the gazebo.

To register for one of the available Little Naturalist Program field trips, please register on-line at www.scgov.net. Click ‘Calendar of Events’ on the left. Click 'All Events' from the drop down menu, choose 'Nature Walks' and click 'go'. On the bottom of each Little Naturalist field trip description is an area that states 'Click here for registration.' Please register the name of the youth group. In the NOTES section at the bottom of the registration form, please also provide the age range of the participating children and include the names of the supervising adults accompanying the group. Space for this program is limited to no more than 15 children.

For more information and details about the Little Naturalist Program field trips, please contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask to speak with the Little Naturalist Program staff. To view the entire Little Naturalist Program’s summer calendar, go to www.scgov.net. Click Calendar of Events on the left. Click the 'All Events' drop down list, choose 'Nature Walks' and click 'go'.

Click here to view our full event calendar