Florida's Native Orchids Topic of Wednesday Night's Meeting

Louis Del Favero will be the speaker at tomorrow night's membership meeting at Pinellas County Extension, 7 p.m. Mr. Del Favero is a commercial orchid grower from Tampa. His program will be about native orchid species, and he will make some of his native orchids available for purchase.

Corkscrew Swamp Field Trip Next Saturday, July 17th

We're hoping that the ghost orchid at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary will still be blooming when we arrive next Saturday. Unfortunately, we'll be unable to take the swamp buggy tour, but will convene for the boardwalk tour at 10 a.m. To RSVP for the trip, contact Alexa. For carpool details and a map, click here.

Annual Joint Meeting of Tampa Audubon/Sierra/FNPS July 14th

WHAT: Annual joint meeting of the Tampa Bay Sierra Club, Tampa Audubon Society and the Suncoast Native Plant Society

WHEN: Wed., July 14th. 5:30 p.m.--walking tour; 6:30 p.m.--potluck dinner, social, silent auction; 7:30 p.m.--program

WHERE: Nature's Classroom 13100 Verges Road Thonotosassa, FL 33592 (813) 987-6969

PROGRAM: The Florida Wildlife Corridor: A Vision for Connecting and Protecting the Florida Frontier

SPEAKER: Carlton Ward Jr., award-winning photojournalist and founder of Legacy Institute for Nature and Culture

Nature's Classroom is a 365-acre environmental studies program and learning laboratory set in the real Florida environment along the Hillsborough River. The "Classroom" consists of animal habitats, an aviary, nature boardwalk, trails and a boat dock. There is much to see! Meet at 5:30 at the Education Center where group leaders will take us on a walking tour to view native plants and bird species. Potluck dinner and social begins at 6:30. Bring a dish to share; beverages will be provided. Don't forget to bring your checkbook for a silent auction! Program begins at 7:30 pm.

Program Description: The Florida Wildlife Corridor project was established on Earth Day, April 22, 2010, as a vision to connect, protect and restore natural ecosystems between the Everglades and Georgia. Prior to this, the Florida Ecological Greenways Network identified several priority landscape connections throughout the state, including the Ocala to Osceola greenway and the Fisheating Creek to Ocala greenway. These greenway projects have now been combined with proposed landscape connections south toward the Everglades to form the vision for a cohesive wildlife corridor. The Florida Wildlife Corridor serves to identify functional corridors in south-central Florida for the Highlands-Glades black bear population and could also be directly relevant to expansion of the breeding Florida panther population to areas north of the Caloosahatchee River. Both the Florida black bear and Florida panther are species of high concern for protection since both require very large areas to support viable populations.

As an eighth-generation Floridian with a family ranch, Carlton Ward Jr. is deeply aware of the importance of land conservation and stewardship that will allow for bear and panther populations to survive. In recent years, he has been personally involved in researching and documenting the state's black bear population and is now working with the Florida Wildlife Corridor project. This meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Marcia Biggs at 727-797-6261.

Register Now for TBEP Grant Writing Workshop

A free workshop to assist in preparing a TBEP Mini-Grant grant application will be held on Thursday, August 5, from 6-7 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council in Pinellas Park. Reservations are required; email misty@tbep.org to save your space or call 727-893-2765.

The workshop is recommended for all first-time applicants but open to anyone who wants to learn more about the Mini-Grants and improve their chances of being awarded a grant. Mini-Grant proposals are due October 1, and will be evaluated and ranked by members of the Estuary Program's Community Advisory Committee. An application is available on the TBEP website. Funding for Mini-Grants comes from sales of the Tampa Bay Estuary license plate.

Volunteers Needed for July 17 Pinellas Litter "Floatilla"

Keep Pinellas Beautiful is looking for volunteers with powerboats and kayaks/canoes. Their 2010 Litter Floatilla will be July 17TH from 8 a.m. until noon.

All volunteers are asked to register for this event by emailing stoplitter@tampabay.rr.com

Zone 1—Dunedin Causeway north

• 6 islands

• 6 powerboats (please advise how many passengers you  can take)

• 45 volunteers needed

• Meeting point: Boat ramp At Seminole St. and N Osceola Ave, Clearwater

Zone 2—Memorial Causeway north to Dunedin Causeway

• 6 islands

• 6 powerboats (please advise how many passengers you can take)

• 45 Volunteers needed

• Meeting point: Boat Ramp at Belleair Causeway

Zone 3—Belleair Causeway north to Memorial Causeway

• 5 islands

• 5 powerboats (please advise how many passengers you can take)

• 30 volunteers needed

• Meeting point: Boat ramp at Belleair Causeway

Zone 4—Park Blvd Boat ramp on Gulf Blvd Indian Shores

• 34 Canoes/Kayaks to work Mangroves on east side of Intracoastal waterway

Unloading and Wrap-up party info to be given upon reservations