April 30 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Start time 9 am CST
Deer Lake State Park, Walton County
Photo by Jeff Talbert.
Florida Wildflower Foundation members can register for this field trip starting Friday, March 20. General registration opens Monday, March 30. Become a Florida Wildflower Foundation member today for early access!
Trip Lead: Jeff Talbert, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Department of Conservation and Research
Join us for a unique opportunity to tour the wetland restoration area in Deer Lake State Park. We’ll see many species of pitcherplants and be on the lookout for terrestrial orchids.
The restoration project is a grant-funded partnership between Florida State Parks and the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Department of Conservation and Research. Its focus is on restoring and collecting data on 310 acres of wetlands within the park’s boundaries. These wetlands are highly biodiverse, feed the imperiled and globally rare coastal lake ecosystems in Walton County, and serve to filter water that eventually flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
On this field trip, we’ll learn how this area has been restored and see the results firsthand!
The areas we will visit are not currently open to the public, and the meeting location will be provided to registrants a few days prior. The trip will entail riding in vehicles to different areas and walking mostly on sandy paths, although there may be some wet terrain as well. Appropriate footwear, sun protection and insect repellent is recommended.
Registration is free for Florida Wildflower Foundation members and $10 for non-members. Email Rose Kinane to find out if your membership is current or needs to be renewed. To join as a member, visit www.FlaWildflowers.org/membership.