Nature Center

Visit Our Website: www.tgonaturecenter.org

8AM - 5PM Daily

The Nature Center at The Great Outdoors The Nature Center at The Great Outdoors is a 501(c)(3) non-profit self-supporting organization. Donations may be tax deductible.

COMING UP AT A GLANCE

December 2022

09 9:00 am Decorate Golf Cart for Christmas Parade -920 Grande Haven 12 9:00 am Mattila Trail Maint.-Nature Center 14 9:00 am Mattila Trail Hike-Nature Center 14 9:30 am BOD Meeting-See Article

LIB– Library NC—Nature Center PM—Plantation Manor PV—Pavilion

GOLF CART DECORATING Friday, December 09 at 9:00 am

Santa’s head elf, Pam Phillips, needs help from other elves to decorate a golf cart for the annual Christmas parade to be held later that day. The fun begins at 9:00 am at Pam’s house at 920 Grande Haven. She needs a number of volunteer elves to ensure the Nature Center is well represented in the parade. Call Pam at one of Santa’s hotlines which are 321-607-6660 or 508-360-9584 if you can volunteer or if you have any questions.

TRAIL MAINTENANCES AND GUIDED NATURE HIKES

Trail maintenances and guided nature hikes are listed below with meeting locations. Long pants, long sleeves, hiking shoes/boots, insect repellant, sunscreen and water are recommended. For trail maintenance, please bring gloves, a rake or loppers and for hikes, you may want binoculars and/or a camera. To volunteer for trail maintenance or for any questions, please text Betty Salter at 321-223-8073 or you may send her an email at bettysalter@hotmail.com. Unless otherwise

noted, meet at each respective trail’s trailhead on the golf cart nature trail. TRAIL MAINTENANCES Monday, December 12 at 9:00 am

12/12—Mattila Trail @ Nature Center Trailhead

GUIDED NATURE HIKES Wednesday, December 14 at 9:00 am

12/14—Mattila Trail @ Nature Center Trailhead

NATURE TRIVIA QUESTION

What is Florida’s state flower? The nature trivia answer can be found under “Contacts” on the next page.

NATURE CENTER MONTHLY MEETINGS

Wednesday, December 14 at 9:30 am

A regular meeting of the Board of Directors will be held at Dolly Akers’ home located at 221 Harmony Lane.

ABOUT OUR TRAILS

We have nine nature trails which are designed for walking or hiking. In the nearly 12 miles of trails you can find, many different habitats supporting a diversity of flora and fauna. They were created by Nature Center volunteers and are still maintained by volunteers as trails/foot paths. Our multi-use Nature Trail and the Dog Walk were created and are maintained by CSA, they are multi-use trails that allow golf carts, bicycles, and pedestrians. Of the nine nature trails maintained by volunteers supported by the Nature Center in TGO, the Claire and Ernie Carlson Trail and the Betty Salter Trail are the only ones completely on CSA property. The Betty Salter Trail is maintained in cooperation with Firewise and CSA as a firebreak. CSA mows the portion that can be mowed twice a year. The rest is done by Firewise and Nature Center Volunteers. The first 58 yds of the Addison Trail and the first 40 yds of the Juba Interpretive Trail are on CSA property and all of each of them is maintained by Nature Center Volunteers. The Watson Trail that has a bald eagle’s nest in its heart is different. The first portion of it, the part that goes through a mixed forest is property of the St. Johns River Water Management District; it is an out parcel surrounded by CSA property that is a designated Conservation Easement. This trail along with Juba Interpretive, Mattila, Addison, Pisarz, Karen Earley, and Indian Mound Trails are maintained by Nature Center volunteers in cooperation with St. Johns River Water Management District. The walkthrough gates on these trails were purchased and installed by SJRWMD. The signs for the trails were created and donated by volunteers for the Nature Center. The Nature Trail sub-committee of the BOD Infrastructure Committee is in charge of the multi-use Nature Trail, the dog walk and the trail to Buck Lake. The current trail master for the Nature Center in TGO is Betty Salter. Now you know who to contact if you have questions or suggestions about any of our wonderful trails here in TGO. Betty Salter

TGO Residents—Join Our TGO Nature Center Facebook Group

8AM - 5PM Daily

See Our Pages In Color To see our pages in color or to keep up with what’s going on while you are away, go to www.tgocsa.org, click on “The Happenings” link to the left and then choose the date.

AMERICAN ALLIGATOR– PART 1

Linda Adams used to write educational articles for the Nature Center and we are fortunate to still have many of her articles. The article below is part of the American Alligator article she wrote during the 2000 -2001 season. Enjoy! “Writing of the St. Johns River during the late 1770s, naturalist William Bartram noted "alligators were in such incredible numbers and so close together from shore to shore that it would have been easy to have walked across on their heads had the animals been harmless." American alligators undoubtedly were numerous in Florida well into the 20th century, although never in the numbers Bartram described. However, as a result of unregulated and unrestricted harvest, the Florida alligator population had noticeably decreased by the early 1940s. Imposition of hunting restrictions in the 1940s and '50s slowed the decline, but illegal poaching during the late 1950s and '60s resulted in a further decrease in most Florida alligator populations. Despite the complete protection of alligators under a 1962 Florida law, extensive alligator poaching continued until 1970. At that time, an amendment to the federal Lacey Act made the interstate shipment of illegally taken alligators a federal violation. This act combined with the reduced demand for alligator skins resulting from a decline in many traditional retail markets, virtually eliminated poaching. The rapid recovery of the reptiles throughout the 1970s, once they were effectively protected, suggests they endured poaching better than once thought. Alligators live in all Florida counties but are most common in the major river drainage basins and large lakes in the central and southern portions of the state. They also can be found in marshes, swamps, ponds, drainage canals, phosphate-mine setline ponds and ditches. Alligators are tolerant of poor water quality and occasionally inhabit brackish marshes along the coast. A few even venture into salt water.” (Information

Source: Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission) Column Prepared by Linda Adams

WATSON TRAIL

Enter the Watson Trail at the gate east of the bridge on the Golf Cart Nature Trail. This is a moderately easy trail that wanders through a section of the Canaveral Marsh Tract of the St. Johns Photo By Wade Graves

River flood plain. Enjoy the shade of pine, palm and oak hammocks. This trail is closed September 1st to March 31st. Distance 1.07 miles. Access the Diamond Spur year-round, it is very wet in summer. Distance 2.3 miles. This trail is still wet from our unusually wet summer

and fall. Betty Salter Editor’s Note: Watch for announcements for Betty’s Watson Trail guided hike on the Nature Center pages of The Happenings and, if you are a Nature Center member, you will be reminded in the “Next Week With Nature” newsletter. It is a great way to learn about our local nature as Betty will share her vast knowledge with you.

NATURE CENTER MEMBERS-ONLY CALENDAR

Nature Center members: the January 2023 “TGO Nature Center Calendar of Events” will be emailed to Nature Center members with the December 31 issue of “Next Week With Nature.” If you do not receive the calendar, please call Darlene Durham at 321-747-5874 or email her at darlenedurham@yahoo.com. Nature Center members will receive an email notification of any last minute schedule changes.

CONTACTS

Editor/Lead Writer Sightings Around TGO Nature Center Website Nature Shows/Slideshows Nature Center Facebook Group Darlene Durham 321-268-0199/321-747-5874 darlenedurham@yahoo.com

Orange Blossom. Florida’s state flower is the

Nature Trivia Answer Injured Animals Nature Center Membership Activities & Volunteering Assist in Selling Large Items Used Recycled Ink Cartridges

Sandy Juba-321-543-0502

sjubatgo@gmail.com Schedule Meeting Room M/W/F am and T/TH pm

Cory Lucas-321-264-2393

Other Meeting Room Days and Times and Enclosed Porch

Loretta Anne’ -321-385-9667