Learn all about what is happening at The North Port Conservancy
5K/1K Photos and Recap
Ready... Set...
Our 5K/1K event on February 19th at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park gained 141 registrants. We netted $2,484 between sponsorships, registrations and additional donations, all which will go toward the purchase of our next parcel acquisition.
Feedback we’ve received was so positive that we are going to bring it back next year on February 18, 2023; mark your calendar now – lots of details to follow including the addition of nature and art festival components to our Wellness Forest. We are also thinking about food trucks, post-race beer (we're aiming for local brewed) and maybe even music too.
The Top male/female finishers in 6 categories each received a painted art piece donated by several artists from the North Port Art Center inspired by photographs from the park taken by Barbara Lockhart, a custom ECNP Tervis Tumbler and a custom hand-painted wildlife paperweight from artist Lucy John.
1st, 2nd and 3rd place in 14 age categories also received paperweights from Lucy John.
Tervis also provided additional nature/outdoor related tumblers that were given away by random draw of names.
Evergreen Holistic, Peace River Audubon, Metamorphosis-3, Tidewell-Empath Health, Valerie’s House, Bone Boutique and Coco Yoga Café all had tables and lots of good conversation and information was shared. Coca Yoga Café also provided a yoga session to registered participants.
These are examples of the art works used as
awards to top male/female finishers.
Everyone who placed got one of these amazing paperweights made by Lucy John.
A close up view of Lucy John's paperweights.
Custom Tervis Tumblers were also given away to
top male/female finishers.
VISIT THE TRAIL CAM PARCELS
Our trail cam caught this great photo of a Gopher Tortoise returning back to its burrow.
Is this Catbird visiting the tortoise?
This nighttime shot captured an opossum checking out the tortoise burrow. (Look for the eyes.)
The first set of trail-cam photos are in from our January double lot acquisition and through them we learned that the area around the entrance to this Gopher Tortoise burrow is a very busy place!
Along with an active Tortoise, we captured an Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, Gray Catbird, Opossum and Carolina Wren passing by or hanging around.
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You can now register to visit this parcel and learn more about where the donations we receive are utilized. The next visit is April 3, 2022 at 4 pm.
Registration Required – Email NPconservancy@gmail.com or call or text 941-218-9775 to register and obtain the address.
Limit 10 registrants; if the date is full we hold your reservation for future dates to be announced.
MEET OUR 10th LAND PARCEL
Our newest parcel has a lovely vista.
Contributions from supporters just like you helped to save the Gopher Tortoise that lives here on our 10th Parcel
We were especially pleased to find this lovely example of Fetterbush on our 10th land parcel.
As of February 28th we acquired our 10th land parcel. This parcel hosts an active Gopher Tortoise burrow and was purchased for $7,500, funded with a $5,000 donation from an individual donor from Venice who wishes to remain anonymous, $2,000 from another anonymous donor and $500 in funds we had on hand from previous fundraisers.
We now have five protected burrows on our various parcels.
We found Fetterbush aka Shiny lyonia (Lyonia lucida) in bloom on our most recent visit. “Shiny” refers to the shiny or bright leaf surface. Its flowers are attractive to butterflies and bees; fruits are eaten by birds and other wildlife, and its foliage offers good cover.
Protecting wildlife with parcel purchases is only possible with donations from generous supporters like you.
Please click the button below, and donate now to allow us to protect more of North Port from the race to develop.
The Netted Paw-Paw is a beautiful flowering shrub.
Netted Paw-Paw (Asimina reticulata) is a deciduous (leaf-dropping) flowering shrub that blooms in late winter through spring producing flowers that attract a wide variety of butterflies. It is a larval host plant for the Zebra swallowtail and Pawpaw sphinx moth.
Its fruit appears in spring and summer and is a favorite of birds and small mammals. The blooms actually appear BEFORE the leaves emerge. It prefers dry to moist, well drained sandy soils, which is why we’ve found it on a few of the parcels we’ve protected.
Upcoming Native Plant/Nature Walks/Events with our friends The Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
Join our friends at The Mangrove Chapter on the below upcoming Native Plant/Nature Walks, some of which we’ll be joining them on ourselves!
March 23 (4-5 pm) – Sunset Stroll – Ann & Chuck Dever Memorial Regional Park, 6791 San Casa Dr, Englewood
March 29 (9-11 am) – Myakka State Forest Gordon Smith Trail, 2000 S River Rd, Englewood
April 9 (9-11 am) Amberjack Environmental Park, 6450 Gasparilla Pines Blvd, Englewood
April 30 (9-11 am) Curry Creek Preserve-East, 1500 Pinebrook Rd, Venice
Click the link below for more information. If you aren’t a Member, we encourage you to join them today. Every day all around us, native plants are scraped away and removed to make way for development, with few to none replanted once development is complete. Our native plants truly do need our support.
FREE GUIDED HIKES continue with
RHPHOTOADVENTURES through 2022
Robin Hagan of RHPhotoAdventures will be your guide at a wide variety of diverse and interesting destinations in 2022. REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Complete the form below and the exact meetup location will be sent to you: https://rhphotoadventures.com/guided-tour-sign-up
April 10th 9:00am – Hickey Creek Mitigation Park, Alva
May 15th 9:00am- Shamrock Park, Venice
June 19th 9:00am – Lovers Key State Park, Ft. Myers
July 17th – Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, Punta Gorda
August 21st – Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland
September 18th – Bird Rookery Swamp, Naples
October 16th – Emerson Point, Bradenton
November 20th – Oscar Scherer State Park, Venice
December 18th – Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples
PRIVATE TOURS FOR A GUIDE FEE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE
Family coming to visit? Celebrating a birthday or other event? Or maybe you’d like to get out on some trails but would feel more comfortable with someone experienced? Robin also offers private birding/wildlife tours, wildflower tours and kayak tours for a guide fee. Tours are designed for 1-8 people, and you and those you bring with you will be the only people on your tour. These excursions are personalized to your interests Learn more at https://rhphotoadventures.com/guided-tours
The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour virtual giving event that brings together nearly 700 local nonprofit organizations listed on The Giving Partner with their passionate donors and community members to support causes and missions they care about while creating transformative impact.https://www.cfsarasota.org/nonprofits/the-giving-partner
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