Nature   

Experience areas of Sholom Park that were not covered at your first Walk and Talk. Explore the Enchanted Forest, Fragrance Trail and the Olive Tree Promenade with Managing Director, Robert Colen and Park Manager, Brian DeVane at Part Two of Sholom Park's Walk and Talk.

The Upper Withlacoochee River from Dunnellon to Lake Rousseau offers a different look at "old Florida" as well as the more "modern" appearance. Features a three hour boat ride with an experienced river boat Captain. Great opportunity to learn about all the wading/water birds you are likely to encounter in Florida. Lots of songbirds too! We start with a classroom session where we will look at a Power Point presentation and discuss all the birds we hope to see. You should be able to accurately identify most of them by the end of this class.

The boat ride will start with about one mile of the Rainbow River and as much of the Withlacoochee as we can cover in the allotted time. Enjoy up close and personal views of magnificent birds with great photo opportunities. We will close with an optional lunch at one of the riverside cafes.

Join Rachel Slocumb at Master the Possibilities the first day of class to learn more about local water conservation and water quality, and then visit with Rachel the second day of class at the Ocala Wetland Recharge park, where she will continue the conversation about water quality and treated wastewater. This park sits on 60 acres of land, which has created wetland habitats, continues to improve water quality and boosts regional ground water for Ocala. Come learn all of the wonderful things this park has to offer.

Explore Florida waters to discover alligator habitats and increase understanding of their behavior, based on instinct, reactions, and environmental pressures. Information unfolds through original poetry, photography, imagination, and humor, accruing a blend of knowledge to enhance safety and understanding of the primordial reptiles.

Local author Diana Kanoy relates with thrilling intensity escapades with wild alligators in a northeast Marion County lake. Through entertaining poetry you can learn little-known facts about our populous neighbors that may chill you to the bone, and you can see unnerving shots captured by long telephoto lenses that bring the grisly creatures into uncomfortably close focus. Learn how to be safe around nearby Florida lakes, ponds, & rivers while enjoying many points of view, including the alligators' own!

In this video production with IHMC, Mark Emery speaks about and shows clips of how a wonderful collection of local people and their story was translated into film- a tale of the river being told by those who know her best. Collectively, the Silver River boat captains have over 200 years on the river. Together they have spoken to over 12 million people. Mark will share why they love the Silver River, its history and its many wild inhabitants.

Mark Emery grew up in Ocala and spent much of his youth in the woods often at the Drake ranch. He worked at Silver Springs wrestling alligators and milking rattlesnakes at the Ross Allen’s Reptile Institute. Later he went to work for Jordan Klein Film and Video. Jordan Klein Sr. built the first underwater cinema cameras and made technical advancements with Jacques Cousteau to make modern SCUBA possible. Mark worked on productions with Academy- award winner Jordan Klein, Sr. and his son for many years. Mark began producing, directing and shooting television shows, Natural History films and commercials about fish and wildlife for the BBC, National Geographic Television, The Smithsonian Channel, PBS Nature and The Discovery Channel. He has won two Emmys for Cinematography, a Chris Award, Wildlife Communicator of the Year Award and The Silver Springs International Film Festival "Audience Choice Award."

Mark and fellow composer Tracy Collins have written and performed music for over 320 national television shows and commercials including numerous scores for National Geographic Television, The Discovery Channel, Walker’s Cay Chronicles, Ford Commercials, Captain EOS for Disney World, 20 years of music for One More Cast with Shaw Grigsby as well as many others. Mark and Tracy have recorded several scores with 5-time Grammy recording engineer Bruce Swedien. Bruce was the engineer for Thriller for Michael Jackson, Nat King Cole, Paul McCartney, Sergio Mendez, Mick Jagger and Barbara Streisand. Emery’s still photography has been published in National Geographic Magazine, The London Times, Outside Magazine, Outdoor Life, Florida Sportsman, Backpacker Magazine, Alaska Magazine and Newsweek as well as many books, calendars and other publications.

This will be a slow-poking exploration, geared toward inquisitive paddlers who are more interested in learning wild lore than covering distance. Unlike our other paddle tour/classes, this one will only cover a couple of miles in total, allowing time to drift, observe and learn about the river's plants, animals, archaeology, history and other wild lore. If you want to see more of the river and learn a bit less of its wild lore, I recommend one of the other great courses offered in this catalog.

Meeting time (at launch site):  There is a $6 Park Fee. Trip duration: 2.5 hours. Difficulty: Easy paddle, going downstream and then returning against a light current. Skill level: Good for beginners Kayaks are provided. After registering for the class, participants should call (386) 497-4214 during the week prior to the trip to discuss any special needs or requests and confirm an email address for launch site directions. Lunch not included in price.

This will be a slow-poking exploration, geared toward inquisitive paddlers who are more interested in learning wild lore than covering distance. Unlike our other paddle tour/classes, this one will only cover a couple of miles in total, allowing time to drift, observe and learn about the river's plants, animals, archaeology, history and other wild lore. If you want to see more of the river and learn a bit less of its wild lore, I recommend one of the other great courses offered in this catalog.

Meeting time (at launch site):  There is a $6 Park Fee. Trip duration: 2.5 hours. Difficulty: Easy paddle, going downstream and then returning against a light current. Skill level: Good for beginners Kayaks are provided. After registering for the class, participants should call (386) 497-4214 during the week prior to the trip to discuss any special needs or requests and confirm an email address for launch site directions. Lunch not included in price.

William Bartram called it the Great Alachua Savanna. We know it as Paynes Prairie. On this chapter of our "Bartram's Florida" series, we'll take a 3 mile stroll onto the wetland savanna made famous by the young explorer in 1774.

The talk will include a brief overview of the prairie's rich history from Lars Andersen, author of "Paynes Prairie: A History and Guide."

-Note: Meeting time at park is 10 AM.
-There is a $5 Park Fee payable at the entrance day of trip.
-The trip duration is 1.5 - 2 hours long.
-The difficulty: Easy, two mile stroll on easy (mostly flat) terrain. Since this is an out-and-back hike, participants who can't do the entire hike are welcome to turn back at any time.
-The Skill level: Good for beginners.

William Bartram called it the Great Alachua Savanna. We know it as Paynes Prairie. On this chapter of our "Bartram's Florida" series, we'll take a 3 mile stroll onto the wetland savanna made famous by the young explorer in 1774.

The talk will include a brief overview of the prairie's rich history from Lars Andersen, author of "Paynes Prairie: A History and Guide."

-Note: Meeting time at park is 10 AM.
-There is a $5 Park Fee payable at the entrance day of trip.
-The trip duration is 1.5 - 2 hours long.
-The difficulty: Easy, two mile stroll on easy (mostly flat) terrain. Since this is an out-and-back hike, participants who can't do the entire hike are welcome to turn back at any time.
-The Skill level: Good for beginners.

On this kayak/canoe tour of Cross Creek and portions of Orange and Lochloosa Lakes, we'll explore the wild realm made famous by Pulitzer prize winning author, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

The charming creek, beautiful lake vistas and abundant wildlife remain little changed since the early - mid 1900's, when Rawlings lived here and wrote such Florida classics as The Yearling and Cross Creek.

Good for beginners, basic lessons included. Please meet at the launch site at 10 AM. The trip is 2 - 2.5 hours. The difficulty: Easy paddle, going downstream and then returning against a light current.

After registering for the class, all participants should call (386) 497-4214 during the week prior to the trip to discuss equipment needs and confirm an email address for launch site directions.

On this easy, 2-2.5 hrs. tour we'll follow broad, winding channels through an array of broad marshes and shrubby islands, viewing the myriad plant and animal species those rich ecosystems support.  In addition to an interesting history, this tour is a birders wonderland.  Most years, in spring and early summer months, we pass a large rookery of assorted waders and water birds. 

After registering for the class, all participants should call (386) 497-4214 during the week prior to the trip to discuss equipment needs and confirm an email address for launch site directions.

Note: Participants will meet at the launch site at 10 a.m. Kayakers will receive an email a day or two prior to the trip to discuss specific launch directions.

Salt water environments require unique and interesting adaptions of the plants and animal species that live in them. Nowhere in North-Central Florida are these adaptations more beautifully revealed than in mangrove forests of the Suncoast Keys on Central Florida's Gulf Coast.

Better yet, the same conditions that make this area ideal for mangroves--shallow, calm water protected from winds and waves by numerous islands- also make it an ideal environment for kayak exploration.

Please meet at the launch site at 10 AM. The trip duration is 2.5 - 3 hours. Difficulty: Open water is easy if calm weather. Moderate if it's breezy. We won't go if the forecast is too windy (or inclement in any way). Skill level: Good for beginners & pros alike.

After registering for the class, all participants should call (386) 497-4214 during the week prior to the trip to discuss equipment needs and confirm an email address for launch site directions.

Lunch is not included in price.

Unlike other coastal regions, where civilization crowds shoulder-to-shoulder along the shore, like lemmings amassing for their mythical plunge into the sea, nature still rules in the Cedar Keys area of Florida's Big Bend. It's a low, wet country where the "shore line" defies definition, ever-changing, shrinking and expanding, with the ebb and flow of tides.

Difficulty: Open water is easy if calm weather. Moderate if it's breezy. We won't go if the forecast is too windy (or inclement in any way). Skill level: Good for beginners. Meeting time (at launch site): 10 AM

After registering for the class, all participants should call (386) 497-4214 during the week prior to the trip to discuss equipment needs and confirm an email address for launch site directions. Lunch is not included in price.