Category: News

The Friends of Pinellas Master Naturalists would like to remind you the deadline for the next scholarship drawing is June 30, 2019 – get you application submitted now!

The scholarship is good for any one of the eight UF/IFAS Florida Master Naturalists Program courses and must be used for a course offered in Pinellas County before the end of one year from the award date – details and application can be found at: SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

1. The Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve have added a NEW program called Songbird Sunrise. As the title hints as, this is for early risers, but be sure to check this out on the monthly calendar. Our first one will be Saturday, July 14^th!

2. Also NEW is our Featured Creature Series, led by our very own Penny, a passionate Brooker Creek volunteer. July will feature the gopher tortoise, so come find Penny along our Education Center trail between 9:30-11:30am

3. Another one of our dedicated volunteers, Cheryl has started a NEW Junior Naturalist Hike for our little ones 😉 Bring your kiddos on Friday, July 20^th at 9:00am.

4. I wasn’t kidding…James will be teaching another NEW program called “More than Mushrooms: The Unsung Heroes of the Fungus Kingdom”. A flyer is attached for this program that will take place on Saturday, July 21^st from 10:30am-noon.

Other exciting programs:

1. We kicked off our 4^th Wildlife Wednesday Webinar series in June. July will feature Common Ducks of Central Florida! This is an online learning opportunity, so tune in with us during your lunch break J All ages are welcome! I’ve attached the flyer for this. You can also catch all of our past webinars online at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMHbwAhD6pLea-Z1kyYDta1ifvKUy1aJi

2. There are still a few spaces left for our super fun, hands-on ECO Teacher Training Workshop! We will explore frogs, Florida agriculture, water resources, sea turtles and trees. You won’t want to miss it, so if you’re an educator, be sure to check it out: https://eco2018.eventbrite.com I’m attaching the flyer for this program.

Lastly, these don’t take place until August, but I can’t wait to tell you about them: 

1. I’ve officially opened registration for the 3^rd class of my Florida Waters Stewardship Program! This multi-session program takes you on a deep dive to learn about Florida’s water from the groundwater to the oceans and everything in-between including impacts to our water. I could go on and on about how great this program is, but instead I’ll direct you to the website where you can find more details and the program schedule. I hope you will consider becoming a water steward and joining the 40 other water stewards from Class I and Class II. Check it out:http://fwspclass3.eventbrite.com A flyer is attached for this as well.

2. Have you noticed all the momentum around reducing the use of plastic straws?! We have partnered with 1 Piece Each to offer you a screening of STRAWS, the documentary and we will also include an introduction to microplastics and ways to get involved with the Florida Microplastic Awareness Project!

Julia Herbst of Palm Harbor

We are thrilled that our winner will be using this scholarship to complete her third class in the Florida Master Naturalist Program and that she wants to inspire people ‘new’ to the outdoors to love and protect their plants locally and beyond.

Congratulations Julia!

Interested in applying for a Scholarship?  Details and application are at http://pinellasmasternaturalists.org
Interested in supporting or funding a future scholarship? Contact us at friends@PinellasMasterNaturalists.org
Friends of Pinellas Master Naturalists, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit environmental organization supporting the mission and goals of the University of Florida/IFAS Florida Master Naturalist Program – scholarships are possible through membership dues, donations and fundraising efforts – We thank you for your support.

Brooker Creek Epiphytes ferns and Wildflowers – August 22nd