Top Seven Signs Your Holiday Tree Has Been Up Too Long
Holiday Hours
You’re Invited
“Double, Double Toil and Trouble…
Learn While You Lunch
YouTube Spotlight – Butterfly Island at Secret Woods Nature Center
Follow Us – On Twitter
Nature To Go
Your Opinion Counts!
Nature Centers of the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division
Special Attractions
Mission Statement
Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Top Seven Signs Your Holiday Tree Has Been Up Too Long

1.     You’ve taken to using it as a coat rack.

2.     The bird that got into your house stayed – and nested.

3.     Visitors ask how you’ll be decorating it for the spring holiday.

4.     It’s sprouted roots and started growing again.

5.     Squirrels gather at your window and look in longingly at it.

6.     You can no longer see the carpet through the layers of dried needles.

7.     You’ve decided just to go ahead and leave it up for next year.

Is there anything sadder than a holiday tree that’s still standing around in someone’s living room well into the new year? If the holidays are long gone but your tree isn’t, it’s time to chip in and donate your used evergreen to our annual Chip-a-Tree initiative. Last year Broward County Parks recycled more than 9,000 trees, representing more than a hundred tons of material that would otherwise have gone to landfills, and this year your tree can join those recyclable thousands.

The free program encourages Broward County residents to remove all decorations from their holiday trees – no decorated trees will be accepted – then bring the trees to a participating park, where they are chipped and used for landscaping throughout the county park system. There is a limit of two trees per vehicle, artificial trees are not accepted, and no commercial vehicles or garbage trucks are allowed.

This season’s program runs from Wednesday, December 26, 2012, through Monday, January 21, 2013, giving you plenty of time to take advantage of those after-the-holidays sales before taking your tree to a park. And remember, the regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee will not be in effect for recyclers, so there’s no excuse not to do the right thing. Hours vary; call the park of your choice for details.

· Brian Piccolo Park & Velodrome, 9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City 33024; 954-357-5150

· C. B. Smith Park, 900 N. Flamingo Rd., Pembroke Pines 33028; 954-357-5170

· Easterlin Park, 1000 N.W. 38th St., Oakland Park 33309; 954-357-5190

· Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Rd. South, Coconut Creek 33063; 954-357-5198

· Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W. State Rd. 84, Sunrise 33326; 954-357-8868

· Plantation Heritage Park, 1100 S. Fig Tree Lane, Plantation 33317; 954-357-5135

· Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach 33441; 954-357-5100

· Reverend Samuel Delevoe Park, 2520 N.W. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale 33311; 954-791-1036

· Snake Warrior's Island Natural Area, 3600 S.W. 62nd Ave., Miramar 33023; 954-357-8776

·  Tradewinds Park & Stables, 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek 33073; 954-357-8870

·  Tree Tops Park, 3900 S.W. 100th Ave., Davie 33328; 954-357-5130

· T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park, 3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood 33021; 954-357-8811

· Vista View Park, 4001 S.W. 142nd Ave., Davie 33330; 954-357-8898

· West Lake Park, 751 Sheridan St., Hollywood 33019; 954-357-5161

Holiday Hours

All regional parks, nature centers, natural areas, and neighborhood parks will be open on Tuesday, January 1 (New Year’s Day), as well as Wednesday, January 2, and Monday, January 21 (Martin Luther King Day). The exception is Deerfield Island Park, which will be closed. The schedule for special attractions varies; contact the individual attraction for additional information.

You’re Invited

Find out more about one of our key partners – the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), which works closely with the Parks Extension Education Section – this month when the agencies host their Open House. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 12, at our Extension Education complex in Davie.

At this free event, you and your family and friends will learn about a variety of topics:

· Geomatics (GPS, GIS, and you – great careers in an expanding field of study)

· How to keep a lake healthy by stocking fish and managing aquatic plants

· UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) degree programs

· Pollution monitoring (how does the county monitor waterways?)

· Beneficial insects (honeybees) vs. destructive insects (termites)

· Managing your landscape (turf grass, trees, palms, and more)

· Where you can find natural Florida the way it used to be

· Nutritional guidelines (what’s on your plate?)

· Insects that help control invasive weeds

· 4-H youth development programs

· FWC Python Challenge

Food trucks will be on site with a variety of food and beverages available for purchase. For more information about this annual event, call Extension Education at 954-357-5270.

“Double, Double Toil and Trouble…

…Fire burn, and caldron bubble.” The witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth conjured up a hellish mix that included “Eye of newt, and toe of frog / Wool of bat, and tongue of dog.” Don’t expect to come up with anything quite that exotic when Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach offers Concoctions, Potions, Blends, and Brews, a combination lecture/workshop. But you will learn how to make a wide variety of herbal preparations, including extracts, elixirs, oils, salves, and teas. The all-day program, for ages 18 and up, runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, January 13, and the fees are $40 for the program and a $40 requested donation to the Friends of Secret Woods volunteer group to cover the cost of supplies. For more information, call Secret Woods (accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6) at 954-357-8884.

Learn While You Lunch

The Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood launches its latest Lunch and Learn Nature Series this month on the theme “The Manatees of Broward County.” The first presentation will be a lecture by Dr. Pat Quinn of the Broward County Natural Resources Planning and Management Division’s Beach and Marine Resources Section. Dr. Quinn will share the biology of the manatee, what threatens the species’ health and existence, and the county’s manatee protection and conservation program.

Preregistration is required a week in advance of the program, which includes lunch. A $7/person donation to the Friends of the Anne Kolb Nature Center volunteer group is requested. For more information, call Anne Kolb (accessible via Broward County Transit Route #12) at 954-357-5161.

YouTube Spotlight – Butterfly Island at Secret Woods Nature Center

Broward County Parks now has its own YouTube Channel at www.YouTube.com/BrowardCountyParks. Stroll through a tranquil butterfly garden at Butterfly Island at Secret Woods Nature Center.  Watch our video and see what could be waiting for you next time you visit.

Follow Us – On Twitter

Broward County Parks in now on Twitter! Follow us at @BrowardParks and keep up to date with important information, events, programs, and other happenings. Twitter accounts have also been created for five of our parks including Secret Woods Nature Center (@SecretWoodsNC) in Dania Beach. Visit the Broward County Government Stay Connected Webpage to follow your favorite park.

Nature To Go

You can now take a little bit of Broward County nature home with you – thanks to a series of nature posters produced and sold by Broward County Parks. The six posters, all photographed in the county’s parks, nature centers, and natural areas, feature American white waterlilies, burrowing owls, a gray fox, live oak trees, a prairie iris, and a queen butterfly. The posters look great either framed or unframed, and they’re a distinctive way to bring a taste of nature into your home or office. They also make excellent gifts.

The offices at seven facilities have the posters available for purchase: the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park in Hollywood, Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek, Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center in Davie, Markham Park in Sunrise, Plantation Heritage Park in Plantation, Tree Tops Park in Davie, and T.Y. Park in Hollywood.

The high-quality posters, which measure 18 inches by 24 inches, retail for $10, including Florida sales tax. You can also purchase posters by mail from Broward County Parks and Recreation, 950 N.W. 38th St., Oakland Park, FL 33309. Mail-order posters are $15 (includes Florida sales tax, shipping, and handling), with checks/money orders payable to Broward County Parks and Recreation. For more information, e-mail ParksMarketing@broward.org.

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.

Nature Centers of the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division

For more nature activities, please go to www.broward.org/parks/calendar.

Special Attractions

Mission Statement

The Parks and Recreation Division is dedicated to providing a countywide park system with diverse facilities and recreation opportunities, along with natural area conservation and research-based educational outreach, to enhance the well-being of residents, businesses, and visitors.

Founded in February 1956 and accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, Broward County Parks and Recreation Division manages nearly 6,500 acres, encompassing 19 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, a skate park, 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 954-357-8170 or TTY 954-537-2844 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
Kristin Jacobs
Martin David Kiar
Chip LaMarca
Stacy Ritter
Tim Ryan
Barbara Sharief
Lois Wexler

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Parks and Recreation is a service of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.