Curry Creek Preserve 4

CURRY CREEK PRESERVE

Note: Activities listed below are located at east entrance. 1500 Pinebrook Road, Venice (east entrance) • 1075 Albee Farm Road, Venice (west entrance)

Also features: Dog-friendly area and kayak launch at west entrance.

ACTIVITIES

INTRODUCTION TO THE LONGLEAF PINE ECOSYSTEM

Oct. 5 / Ages: 12 and up / Fee: Free / Meet at east entrance at the hiking trail / Wednesday, 8-10 a.m. Join a parks naturalist on a hike through the beautiful longleaf pine flatwoods of Curry Creek Preserve. Along the way, you’ll learn about the interesting life history of longleaf pines, their historical uses, some of the common plants and animals that inhabit longleaf habitats and potential threats to this increasingly rare ecosystem. For details, call 941-861-5000 or email parksonline@scgov.net.

RESTORATION OF NATIVE COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS

Oct. 20 / Ages: 12 and up / Fee: Free / Meet at east entrance at the hiking trail / Thursday, 8:30-10:30 a.m. Enjoy a hike along the trails of Curry Creek Preserve to learn about habitat restoration including invasive plant management in natural area parks of Sarasota County. A portion of this walk may go off trails through areas of the preserve along Curry Creek with a focus on the floodplain marsh communities. Participants should bring drinking water, closed toe shoes and be comfortable walking on uneven surfaces. Pine lily (Lilium catesbaei)

UNIQUE PRESERVES OF SARASOTA COUNTY

Nov. 4 / Ages: 12 and up / Fee: Free / Meet at east entrance at the hiking trail / Friday, 9-11 a.m. Take a leisurely stroll through some of Sarasota County’s most beautiful and environmentally sensitive preserved lands with a UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County educator. Learn about our amazing local ecosystems, what makes these areas so unique and important, the plants and animals that inhabit them, how to be watershed-wise and the management issues faced when trying to preserve these lands for future generations. To register, visit eventbrite.com/e/298765825627.

THE ROLE OF PRESCRIBED FIRE IN FLORIDA’S ECOSYSTEMS

Dec. 8 / Ages: 12 and up / Fee: Free / Meet at the east entrance at the hiking trail / Thursday, 8:30-10 a.m. Join us on a guided nature walk to learn how Sarasota County uses prescribed burns to manage natural areas, parks and preserves. Topics will include the history of fire within these landscapes and how firedependent habitats and wildlife species have evolved to coexist with periodic fires.

Florida milkweed (Asclepias feayi) Sarasota County natural area prescribed fire