Fw: February 2011 Broward County Parks Newsletter

[Guest guest]

----- Forwarded Message ----To: PK_MARKETING Sent: Fri, January 28, 2011 11:51:27 AMSubject: February 2011 Broward County Parks Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2011 Newsletter

www.broward.org/parks

Focus on the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park

Don’t Forget Us!

Experience the Renaissance Era

Parks Celebrate Black History Year Round

“W†for Wishes

Nature at Night

Find History – At Deerfield Island

Social Studies

Volunteer at Helene Klein Pineland Preserve

A Matter of Maintenance

In Memoriam

Mangrove Adventures

Find Community – At Sistrunk Street Festival

By Land or By Air

Park Closings on February 21

Quote of the Month

Advisory Board/Public Participation Forum Notice

Special Attractions

Mission Statement

Your Opinion Counts!

SWIM Central Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Focus on the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park

When the Anne Kolb Nature Center opened on February 10, 1996, it was the culmination of a lengthy process that involved many years of planning and development. The 65.4 acres that make

up the West Lake Park Recreational Area, on the south side of Sheridan Street, had opened in June 1982, but the nature center portion of the park took considerably more time and money to bring to fruition. The first stage of the project was the acquisition of the wetland area, which was purchased for $20 million by Broward County in 1985 after a decade-long effort. The second stage involved the

formal planning of the site, while a third stage encompassed a five-year mitigation that aimed to restore the mangrove forest. Ground was broken for the nature center on September 24, 1994, and the Anne Kolb Nature Center opened less than a year and a half

later. Today, thanks to a series of out-parcel acquisitions, the nature center complex is a 1,501-acre coastal mangrove wetland that’s home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including some threatened

and endangered species. Five extensive boat trails offer access to this wilderness area for sightseeing and fishing (no boats that use fossil fuels are allowed). Additional amenities include a five-level observation tower with views of West Lake, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean; picnic areas; an Intracoastal fishing pier; two nature trails

with shelters; and an amphitheater (capacity 250) perched at the edge of the mangrove wetland. An exhibit hall features interactive nature displays, a 3,500-gallon aquarium, and a 10-minute video on the environment. The 6,060-square-foot Mangrove Hall (capacity

210-277, depending on setup), complete with catering kitchen facilities, can be rented for weddings, receptions, meetings, and other activities; it includes a boardroom that can accommodate up to 15 people for smaller gatherings. The nature center is also a

Public Art and Design site. The plaza flanked by the exhibit hall building, the Mangrove Hall, and the visitor center includes Miami-based artist Federighi’s

Mangrove Root Benches – half a dozen benches, no two alike, fashioned from slabs of coral rock and supported by bronze legs modeled after mangrove prop roots. The plaza’s interlocking paver stones are designed to suggest mangrove leaves. The nature center was named for the late County Commissioner Anne Kolb, a former award-winning journalist who in 1974 became the first woman elected to the Broward County Commission. Before her

death in July 1981, Kolb had been an active environmentalist with major accomplishments: leading the fight for the 1977 Land Use Plan; helping pass a platting ordinance that tightened government control over future development; directing a successful campaign

to place a building moratorium on 61,000 acres in southeast Broward; and persuading the Commission to approve the Urban Wilderness Park System to preserve endangered lands for future generations. She was also instrumental in saving her namesake park’s coastal

mangrove wetland from development. Kolb’s efforts paid off, and in 1990 the acquisition and plans for the preservation, enhancement, and public accessibility of West Lake received the prestigious

Take Pride in America Award, which was presented in a ceremony at the

White House Rose Garden. The nature center will observe its birthday this month with a

15 Years of Nature Fun Anniversary Celebration, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 12. There will be complimentary nature hikes, and admission to the exhibit hall will be free. Other activities will include displays, games, and arts and crafts,

as well as a Go Native in Broward County Plant Sale in the parking lot. For more information, call the

Anne Kolb Nature Center at . The park is accessible via

Broward County Transit Route #12.

Don’t Forget Us!

Other sites celebrating an anniversary this month include:

Tradewinds Park (34 years),

Pine Island Ridge (21),

Tall Cypress Natural Area (9),

Hillsboro Pineland (7), and

Helene Klein Pineland Preserve (3). Tradewinds Park () and Tall Cypress () are accessible via

Broward County Transit Route #34; Hillsboro Pineland (), via Route #18; and Helene Klein (), via Route #31.

Experience the Renaissance Era

Renaissance times were a fascinating period in history when Europe made the transition from the dark ages into the modern era. The transformation was marked by revelry and excess in costume and

cuisine, which are demonstrated each year in an annual reenactment at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach. The 2011 Florida Renaissance Festival celebrates its 19th anniversary by hosting visiting kings and queens, all claiming land for their countries. This year’s village will be packed with

artisans and crafts people selling and demonstrating their wares, along with food and drink of the time. Nearly a dozen stages will feature continuous entertainment. Open from 10 a.m. to sunset for five weekends, the festival begins on Saturday, February 12, and continues through Sunday, March 13,

plus President’s Day, Monday, February 21. Tickets are $20 for ages 12 and up, $7 for ages 6 to 11, and free for ages 5 and under. Group and season rates are also available. The park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50

per person (children 5 and under free) will also be in effect. For additional information, call

Quiet Waters at or the festival at , or visit

www.ren-fest.com. The park is accessible via

Broward County Transit Route #14.

Parks Celebrate Black History Year Round

February 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month, an annual commemoration that was established in 1976 to highlight the contributions of African-Americans to the cultures of the United States

and Canada. The designation was an expansion of Negro History Week, which dates back to 1926 and encompassed the birthdays of both the abolitionist and former slave Frederick s and President Abraham Lincoln.

To learn more about local black history, there’s no better place to start than at two neighborhood parks that represent Broward County’s distinctive pan-African cultural heritage. Across the parking

lot from Fort Lauderdale’s acclaimed African-American Research Library and Cultural Center – one of only three of its kind in the nation – you’ll find Reverend Delevoe Park. The park’s namesake was one of Fort Lauderdale’s first black police officers,

as well as a community activist, politician, businessman, civil rights leader, and street minister. In 1979, two years after Reverend Delevoe was fatally shot, the park was rededicated in honor of his outstanding contributions. In homage to him and many other

notable community figures, an art installation in the park, called Pillars of the Community, displays 84 names of leaders past and present. The project is part of the county’s

Public Art and Design program. Just north of Delevoe Park is lin Park, with its brightly colored playground and a thousand-foot-long walkway that runs through the park. The walkway and the benches that line it make up

an installation known as The Word Garden, created by Broward artists Curreri and Rick Yasko, that celebrates the seven principles of Kwanzaa in both Swahili and English. This is also a Public Art and Design project. Along with these major public art projects, Delevoe Park’s 36 acres feature areas for fishing, a picnic shelter, a playground, a canoe launch, sports facilities, and a new exercise room. lin

Park, at 3.1 acres, offers basketball courts, a playground, picnic shelters, a walking trail, a weight room, and a community center. Both parks are included in the free annual Summer Recreation Program sponsored by Parks and Recreation. For more information, call

Delevoe Park at ,

lin Park at , or the

African-American Research Library and Cultural Center at . Delevoe and the library/cultural center are accessible via

Broward County Transit Routes #11 and #40. lin is accessible via Routes #36 and #40.

“W†for Wishes

Starting bright and early at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 5, Markham Park in Sunrise will host the

Second Annual Walk for Wishes 5K Walk/Run, a benefit for the

Make-a-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida. Hundreds of walkers and runners are expected to participate in the event, which will raise funds to help grant the wishes of children suffering life-threatening medical conditions. Both individuals and groups

are welcome to participate. Registration gets under way at 7:30 a.m., the walk/run begins at 8:30 a.m., and the

Family Fun Day begins at 9 and runs through 11 a.m. For more information, visit

www.walkforwishes.net. The park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect for spectators but not for walk/run participants.

Nature at Night

The natural world is transformed when the sun goes down, as you can experience firsthand at two nature center programs this month. On Friday, February 18, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Long Key Natural

Area & Nature Center invites you to experience the magic of moonlight on a Full Moon Hike, an interpretive exploration of the park’s nature trails. Participants of all ages will be able to spot nocturnal animals as they emerge and to view the full moon

as it rises while they learn about myths and legends associated with the moon. A week later, from 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 25, Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek will offer a

Night Hike. A naturalist will lead participants as they discover the animals that emerge after dark at the nature center. Both programs are $3 per person, and reservations are required at least a day in advance for the Long Key hike. For more information, call

Long Key at or

Fern Forest at . Fern Forest is accessible via

Broward County Transit Routes #31 and #42.

Find History – At Deerfield Island

Few corners of Broward County’s park system are as rich in history as the 53.3 acres that make up Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach. A link with gangster Al Capone in the early 1930s, for

instance, led to the land being labeled Capone Island – even though Capone himself never actually owned it, and the area at that time was a peninsula, not an island. This is the sort of tidbit you might pick up when the park, which opened in September 1980, hosts an

Intracoastal History Tour, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 27. The cost is $5 per person, and boat transportation to the island is provided, although you must be at the Sullivan Park dock by 9:30 a.m. to catch the shuttle. Space is limited, and so preregistration is required and can be made by calling

Quiet Waters Park at .

Deerfield Island is accessible via

Broward County Transit Routes #48 and #50.

Social Studies

Broward County Parks and Recreation will host a free

Friday Night Social for adult mental health consumers ages 18 and up. The event will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, February 11, at

Tree Tops Park in Davie. Activities include deejay music, dancing, door prizes, and socializing. Refreshments will also be served. A week later, on Friday, February 18, also from 7 to 9:30 p.m., there will be a

Teen Social for ages 13 to 21 with developmental disabilities. This free event will be held at Shelter #10 at

Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach. Activities include deejay music, dancing, and refreshments. The theme is “Hawaiian Luau,†and participants are encouraged to wear their favorite

tropical-print shirts. Preregistration for the Teen Social is required at least five days prior to the event. To preregister or for more information, call the Parks

Special Populations Section at /8160.

Volunteer at Helene Klein Pineland Preserve

At approximately 13 acres, the Helene Klein Pineland Preserve in Coconut Creek may be one of the smallest natural area sites in the county’s park system, but it is also one of the most diverse.

Up to 55 species of wildlife have been observed there, including giant swallowtail butterflies, Florida brown snakes, spotted skunks, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and pileated woodpeckers. To keep the site free of invasive plants and welcoming to the flora and fauna that exists, a

Public Workday will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February 16 and Saturday, February 26.

Volunteers clean up trash, plant native plants, and/or remove non-native invasive plants. Students can earn community service hours for graduation and college scholarships, and others can help improve and preserve the environment.

Volunteers should dress appropriately with long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toe shoes that can get dirty. Participants should bring gloves, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, and drinking water. Extra tools such as shovels, rakes, and hand pruners are

welcome. A volunteer form must be filled out in order to participate. For more information, call .

Helene Klein is accessible via

Broward County Transit Routes #14 and #31.

A Matter of Maintenance

The 7.1 miles of novice and intermediate mountain bike trails at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach don’t take care of themselves. That’s why the park hosts regular

Mountain Bike Trail Maintenance Days. There are two this month, on Saturdays, February 12 and 26, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call

Quiet Waters at to find out more about how you can help.

In Memoriam

When Meggan Morency, a high school junior who loved horseback riding, was fatally injured in an equestrian jumping accident on February 13, 2003, a young life was cut short. That life is now commemorated

annually with the Meggan Morency Ride-a-Thon, which raises money for scholarships in the equine-assisted therapeutic riding program sponsored by Horses and the Handicapped. This year the event, now in its eighth year, will take place from 9 a.m. to

2 p.m. on Saturday, February 26 at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. The day will feature a

Witness the Magic Horse Show presented by students at Horses and the Handicapped, which was founded in 1981 to provide therapeutic horseback riding and other equine activities for children and adults with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.

Additional activities will include a midway featuring games, prizes, and a petting zoo, and a barbecue-style luncheon and other refreshments. Admission is free, although the park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect. For more information, call , or

visit www.hhsfl.org. Tradewinds is accessible via

Broward County Transit Route #34.

Mangrove Adventures

How much do you know about Florida’s mangrove plant community, as exemplified by coastal mangrove estuary found at the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood? Did you know, for example, that the

nature center is home to all three varieties of mangrove, red, black, and white? Or that mangroves provide an important habitat for many species, from the fish that use their root systems as nurseries to the coastal and wading birds that roost in their branches? Find out more about mangroves when the nature center hosts a

Mangrove Adventure Hike, from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 3. This naturalist-led hike will take you along the mangrove-lined trails, where you’ll also encounter native wildlife. The cost is $3 per person. For more information, call

Anne Kolb at . The nature center is accessible via

Broward County Transit Route #12.

Find Community – At Sistrunk Street Festival

For three decades thousands of people have been taking part in an annual celebration named after Dr. Sistrunk, one of Broward County’s first black physicians. This year’s

Sistrunk Street Festival at Reverend Delevoe Park in Fort Lauderdale takes place on Saturday, February 26, showcasing African-American and Caribbean-American lifestyles and entertainment in a family-friendly environment. The event traditionally

coincides with Black History Month (see related story above). For more information, contact the nonprofit cultural organization Sistrunk Historical Festival at or

info@....

Delevoe Park is accessible via

Broward County Transit Routes #11 and #40.

By Land or By Air

Whether they live above or below ground or take to the air, several varieties of animals take center stage at Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach this month. On Sunday, February 6, from

2 to 4 p.m., the nature center offers a new program called Wonderful Wigglers, which focuses on the worms that turn the soil, feed the birds, and fertilize the plants. The program includes a vermiculture lecture, family-friendly activities, and a chance

to make a worm bin (for a nominal fee). Then on Saturday, February 12, starting at 10 a.m.,

Wonderful Reptiles focuses on some of the native reptiles that call Secret Woods home. Finally, on Saturday, February 19, from 10 to 10:30 a.m., the park presents

Delightful Flight, an up-close look at some of South Florida’s butterflies and what to plant to attract them. All three programs are free and for all ages. For more information, call

Secret Woods at . The nature center is accessible via

Broward County Transit Route #6.

Park Closings on February 21

All Broward County regional parks, nature centers, natural areas, and neighborhood parks will be closed on Monday, February 21. The closing is due to an unpaid employee furlough day as part of

budget-related reductions to avoid an increase in the County property tax rate. The following amenities and events, however, will remain open:

·

Campgrounds at

C.B. ,

Easterlin,

Markham,

Quiet Waters, and

T.Y. parks

·

AllGolf at

C.B. Park

·

Butterfly World at

Tradewinds Park

·

Ski Rixen USA at

Quiet Waters Park

·

Tennis and Racquet Centers at

Piccolo Park (use Palm Avenue entrance) and

C.B. Park

·

The Florida Renaissance Festival at

Quiet Waters Park Events Calendar

Quote of the Month

“Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.†- French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Advisory Board/Public Participation Forum Notice

The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division invites the public to a

Public Participation Forum, starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 2, at Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium, 3700 N.W. 11th Place, Lauderhill 33311, . This free meeting is the public’s opportunity to provide suggestions, voice concerns,

and ask questions about the Division’s recreational needs. In order to encourage attendance at this meeting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has rescheduled its regular monthly meeting to 6 p.m. instead of the customary 7:30 a.m. meeting time. The

Public Participation Forum will immediately follow. More information is available

here.

Central Broward Regional is accessible via

Broward County Transit Routes #18, #36, #40, and #81.

Special Attractions

Batting Cages (AllGolf at

C.B. Park) –

Butterfly World (Tradewinds Park) – Cable Water-Skiing (Ski Rixen USA

at Quiet Waters Park) – Campgrounds (C.B. Park,

Easterlin Park,

Markham Park,

Quiet Waters Park,

T.Y. Park) – Dog Park (Barkham at

Markham Park) – Educational Farm (Tradewinds Park) – Exhibit Halls (Anne

Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park,

Fern Forest Nature Center,

Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center,

Secret Woods Nature Center) – Golf Facilities (AllGolf

at C.B. Park) – Multipurpose Athletic Fields ( Piccolo Park,

Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium,

Tradewinds Park) – Observatory (Markham Park) – Riding Stables (Tradewinds

Park, Tree Tops Park) – Skate Parks/Tracks ( Piccolo Park,

Quiet Waters Park) –

Target Range (Markham Park) – Tennis Centers (

Piccolo Park, C.B. Park) –

Velodrome ( Piccolo Park) – Water Playgrounds/ Waterslides/Swimming (C.B.

Park, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium,

Quiet Waters Park,

T.Y. Park)

Mission Statement

The Parks and Recreation Division is dedicated to providing exceptional services and facilities essential to the quality of life in Broward County while preserving our natural areas.

Your Opinion Counts!

We’d like to know what you think about our programs and facilities. Please take a moment to tell us how we’re doing by filling out this

survey.

SWIM Central

Broward County Commission's primary resource and referral service for available swim programs in cooperation with various cities and nonprofit organizations. Call 954-357-SWIM (7946).

Founded in February 1956 and accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies,

Broward County Parks and Recreation manages nearly 6,500 acres, encompassing 18 regional parks and nature centers, six neighborhood parks, and 21 natural areas at various stages of development. Facilities include water parks, campgrounds, a target range,

a stadium, skate parks, an observatory, mountain bike trails, an educational farm with stables, and a velodrome and other sports facilities. Hours and fees vary by location. For more information, visit

www.broward.org/parks.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in County programs, services, and activities must contact the

Special Populations Section

at or TTY at least 10 business days prior to the scheduled meeting or event to request an accommodation. Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Sue Gunzburger

Dale V.C. Holness

s

Chip LaMarca

Ilene Lieberman

Ritter

E. Rodstrom Jr.

Barbara Sharief

Lois Wexler Subscribe/Unsubscribe

to the Highlights Newsletter

Parks and Recreation is a service of the

Broward County Board of County Commissioners.

Follow us on Facebook.

Under Florida law, most e-mail messages to or from Broward County employees or officials are public records, available to any person upon request, absent an exemption. Therefore, any e-mail message to or from the County,

inclusive of e-mail addresses contained therein, may be subject to public disclosure.