News …

Fall is the time when you find fleshy fruits in the hammock, the food for resident & migratory birds and other wildlife.

Look for

• the tiny magenta fruits encircling the stems of the aptly named beautyberry (Callicapra americana)
• the ripe burgundy berries of wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa)
• the dark fruits of the straight-trunked lancewood trees (Ocotea coriacea) that grace the hammock loop entrance

Saturdays, 1/19/19 – 2/23/19 from 1:30 to 4:30pm

The Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL) began its twenty-second Volunteer Nature Stewardship Class for the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) on 1/19/2019.  This 6-week, free class is taught by researchers and staff from the FMEL and other educational institutions.  It provides a foundation for understanding — and enjoying — the common habitats of Indian River County through classroom talks and field activities.

Class participants are asked to “volunteer back” and share what they have learned at the ORCA, another nature preserve, a nature center, or another venue.  You craft how and where you “volunteer back”.

Check out the schedule:  2019 FMEL Volunteer Nature Stewardhsip Class Schedule

This year’s class is full.  If you wish to be among the first to know about next year’s class, please email Program Coordinator Janice Broda at jbroda@ufl.edu for more information or to express your interest in the 2020 class.