Join us for Nature Day in May! Come out for a fun day with the family exploring and enjoying Little Orange Creek Nature Park.
At the event we will have activities for the whole family including:
Live art demonstrations, live animal observation, historical Bartram impersonator performances, and guided hikes of the preserve!
Local conservation and community groups
Food from Cilantro Taco Food Truck available to purchase
Vendors with fresh local produce, book sales, artwork, and crafts will be out at the park too!
Two live musical performances from The Front Porch Backsteppers and Clay Dixon & the Picadillies!
WHAT TO WEAR & BRING
We’d like to encourage our attendees to bring blankets and chairs to this family-friendly event. Face masks are also encouraged.
WHEN
Saturday, May 7th
11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
WHERE
Little Orange Creek Nature Park
ABOUT THE PRESERVE
Little Orange Creek Preserve & Nature Park is a partnership between Alachua Conservation Trust, Alachua County, Friends of Little Orange Creek, Putnam Land Conservancy, Conservation Florida (formerly Conservation Trust for Florida), and the City of Hawthorne to protect an extensive tract of undeveloped lands near Hawthorne, Florida. Alachua Conservation Trust is leading the management and acquisition for this project.
Little Orange Creek Preserve & Nature Park now covers nearly 2,900 acres of the upper Little Orange Creek watershed, and protects a patchwork of diverse wetlands that feed into and form Fowlers Prairie, including the pinelands and hammock that surround it. Large parts of Little Orange Creek Preserve are basin swamp with a mix of cypress, tupelo, and red maple. The uplands were historically a mix of sandhill and flatwoods that were steadily converted to planted pine many years ago.
The rich variety of habitats supports a wonderful diversity of plants and animals. Bears regularly travel through the area, and have been photographed numerous times using trail cameras. Other large mammals include deer, coyotes, bobcats, and otters. The freshwater marshes and swamps provide excellent habitat for many species of wading birds and other wetland dependent species.
Located to the south of the preserve, across Highway 20, the Nature Park includes a nature center, playground, covered pavilion, and an outdoor fitness equipment station. During the school year, students are invited to Little Orange Creek Nature Park as part of the Creekside Environmental Ed for Kids Program to learn about the basics of wetland and wildlife ecology.
ACCESS INFO
Little Orange Creek Preserve provides public trails for hiking and bicycling.
The trails are unpaved, and in some places can be muddy, uneven, or wet.
Dogs are welcome.
The preserve closes at dark.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Alachua Conservation Trust by phone at (352) 373-1078 or email at info@alachuaconservationtrust.org for more information.
