Emory Cares – Gainesville and Alachua Conservation Trust – Invasive plant cleanup
Join Emory Cares - Gainesville and the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) for a Saturday morning invasive plant cleanup. We’ll root out Caesar's weed to make room for important plant species to thrive.
You do not have to be affiliated with Emory to participate. There is no minimum age for this event, but we ask that all participants under 18 be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All participants will be asked to complete the Alachua Conservation Trust Waiver of Liability, which will be available onsite.
Participants who register before Nov. 11 will get a free Emory Cares T-Shirt.
WHAT TO WEAR/BRING
Closed-toe shoes, long pants, hat and gloves. Bring bug spray, sunscreen and full water bottle
TO REGISTER
Follow these steps to register for this event via the Emory Cares 2024 website:
Click on the registration button below, then click on "Continue"
Enter your first and last name and click on "Find Me" then follow the prompts to update or enter your information, including T-shirt size, and click on "Continue"
If a guest is accompanying you, enter the person's name and click "Add Guest" then "Continue." Repeat this step for each guest. If you have no guests, select "Continue" to skip this step.
On the next page, under the event title, click on "More information" to see the full project description.
Make sure "Attending" shows in the project description box. If it doesn't, select it from the options in the dropdown list. Click "Continue"
The next page gives the option to make a donation to Emory, but that is not required for participation in this event. You may choose to donate or not.
Click through the next pages to review and finalize your registration.
You will receive emailed registration confirmation and a link you can use to update your information, if necessary.
WHEN
Saturday, November, 16th
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
WHERE
Access Prairie Creek Preserve by parking at Prairie Creek Lodge located at 7204 SE CR 234, Gainesville, FL 32641 (Google Map)
ABOUT THE PRESERVE
Prairie Creek Preserve and the surrounding 1,150 acres were purchased by ACT from 2005 to 2015. Over 500 acres were then added to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, while another 96 acres were added to Alachua County Forever’s Conservation Lands Program. The remainder comprises Prairie Creek Preserve, a 606-acre nature preserve that includes Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery, a natural burial ground that also conserves land.
Prairie Creek drains Newnans Lake, one of the largest lakes in north Florida, towards Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and Orange Lake. The upland areas of the preserve are made up of flatwoods, mesic and hydric hammocks, and wetlands that include cypress swamps, depression marshes, and blackwater streams. The basin provides a corridor along an important flyway through this part of the state – annual bird surveys always find large and diverse populations of migrating and local birds. Wildlife seen recently include: bald eagle, swallow-tailed kite, red-headed woodpecker, northern bobwhite, wild turkey, gopher tortoise, American alligator, golden mouse, river otter, and Florida black bear. There is also great floral diversity within the preserve’s boundary, with aquatic plants such as blue-flag iris, water lilies, lotus, pickerel weed and lizard's tail in showy blossom in the spring.
Prairie Creek Preserve has a well-maintained trail network that winds through a wide variety of habitat types. Areas that were previously in planted pine are in the process of being restored with longleaf pine and wiregrass, and you may also notice signs of prescribed fire within these areas.
