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Central Florida Habitats Tour – Orange City, FL
December 11, 2015 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
$27 – $29Creation Tour with Bill and Merilee Clifton from Science Partners at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL and Lyonia Preserve in Deltona, FL.
When: Friday, December 11, 2015
Join Bill and Merilee Clifton – creationists, authors, Florida Master Naturalists, and science educators – as we explore Central Florida Habitats, observing plants and animals that were specifically designed to live in them. Our day begins at Blue Spring State Park (Orange City), home to several habitats including hammock, marsh, swamp, flatwoods, and sand pine scrub. We will cruise the St. Johns River aboard a hands-on, floating science laboratory! We’ll test the river water for temperature, salinity, and turbidity. We’ll dip, collect, and identify marine specimens. And, we’ll enjoy our captain’s narrated introduction to the wildlife and vegetation of this fragile ecosystem. We’ll keep a look out for manatees, alligators, otters, snakes, deer, turtles, birds, and more. Students will have the opportunity to earn a Jr. Birding Certificate in the “Wings over Florida” program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. After our cruise, we’ll hike the boardwalk through the lush hammock along Blue Spring Run as we look for endangered manatees near the head of the springs. Back at the picnic pavilion, Mr. Clifton will teach us about manatees from a creationist perspective and show us a manatee skull and rib. Then, we’re off to Lyonia Preserve in Deltona where we will take a short hike into a scrub habitat looking for one of Florida’s most threatened birds, the Florida scrub jay. We’ll learn about plants and animals created for the scrub habitat and contrast them with plants and animals of other habitats. We’ll also visit Lyonia Environmental Center and learn much from its educational displays and exhibits. We will meet at 8:00 AM at Blue Spring State Park, 2100 W. French Ave., Orange City, FL 32763. Be sure to bring a picnic lunch. It’s always a good idea to bring sunscreen, insect repellent, water, rain poncho, and camera. Our habitat survey will end at Lyonia Preserve at 2:30 PM. If you have questions, contact the Cliftons at 407-808-4458 (cell/text) or sciencepartners@cfl.rr.com.
Where: Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL and Lyonia Preserve in Deltona, FL
Blue Spring State Park
2100 W. French Ave.
Orange City, FL 32763
Contact: Bill or Merilee Clifton
407-808-4458
sciencepartners@cfl.rr.com
Ministry: Science Partners
Price: Ages 3-12 = $27
Ages 13 and over = $29
Ages 1-2 = Free