Here is a unique opportunity to enjoy some of Nature’s Best in the Santa Fe River Preserve, with plant expert and OSFR member Colette Jacono to identify and describe the native plants you will encounter.
Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) takes the credit for preserving acres and acres along the Santa Fe River, keeping these tracts safe from developers who would destroy them and irrigators who would pump the river dry.
Thanks to Bill Basta, OSFR coordinator with ACT, and to Colette Jacono for her services to enhance our education and appreciation of Nature’s Best, and to ACT for its leadership.
At this link you can find an interactive map which gives directions from your location.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Weekly Walk & Talk at Santa Fe River Preserve
- Friday, October 13, 2023
- 3:00 PM 4:00 PM
- Santa Fe River Preserve 27025 North State Road 121 Alachua, FL, 32615 United States (map)
RSVP encouraged but not required.
Join the Our Santa Fe River, Inc. (OSFR) non-profit on this Walk & Talk led by Colette Jacono, OSFR botanist and advisor, to explore/discuss the flora provided by this unique habitat of the Santa Fe River watershed. Following the walk, OSFR members will be available to provide information regarding the organization’s ongoing activities to protect the Santa Fe River basin and the Floridan Aquifer through Education, Advocacy & Stewardship.
Forewarning: The Santa Fe Preserve, like other bottomlands of the river lay claim to many sighting records of canebrake rattlesnakes, large venomous snakes having aggressive behaviors during their active seasons. While cooler temperatures should lower the risk of activity, their presence should be anticipated and looked for by participants.
This event is part of the 35 days of ACT Conservation! Join us as we celebrate this milestone birthday!
WHAT TO BRING
Be sure to wear closed-toe shoes and long pants. Bring water, snacks, bug spray, sunscreen, and hat.
WHEN
Friday, October 13th, 2023
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WHERE
27025 North State Road 121
Alachua, FL 32615
ABOUT THE PRESERVE
Santa Fe River Preserve protects 1,067 acres on the banks of the Santa Fe River near Worthington Springs. The preserve includes high bluffs along the river and an interesting tangle of floodplain forest where the New River converges with the Santa Fe.
The preserve has an interesting mix of flora which in turn support a wide diversity of wildlife. There are wild azaleas and rain lilies along the banks; river birch, cypress and tupelo in the bottomland; patches of longleaf pines and sand post oaks with wiregrass groundcover in the uplands, and a rich slope forest that surrounds Santa Fe Creek along the Gracy Trail. Bears frequent the river corridor, and rare and endangered mussels persist along the river bottom.
ACCESS INFO
- Public trails for hiking and bicycling (approx. 2.7 miles).
- Dogs are welcome.
- Trails are unpaved, and in some places can be muddy, uneven, or wet.
- Parking is available at trailhead.
- The preserve closes at dark.
REGISTRATION
Contact Alachua Conservation Trust by email at info@alachuaconservationtrust.org to RSVP or for more information. RSVP encouraged but not required.
- Posted in Santa Fe River Preserve
- Tagged walk & talk
