THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT ,FREE GUIDED KAYAK TRIPS

*THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT ,FREE GUIDED KAYAK TRIPS -*

**PUBLIC WORKSHOPS: MARCH 22ND & 23RD**

The St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department is hosting two public workshops to garner public opinion regarding parks, recreational programming, beach and waterway accesses, sports fields, and athletic facilities within the County. The first meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 22 at the Players Senior Center, 175 Landrum Ln., Ponte Vedra Beach, and the second meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 23 at the Solomon Calhoun Center, 1300 Duval Street, St. Augustine. County staff will utilize feedback from residents to determine the needs of the recreational community and which areas should be expanded upon. The public meetings are a component of a multi-phase “Master Plan design process to create a more dynamic and diverse parks and recreation system, which will help generate numerous economic, social, and environmental benefits for St. Johns County. For more information, please call 904.209.0322.

**NEASE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION DAYS: MARCH 19TH, APRIL 16TH, MAY 7TH, JUNE 15TH & JULY 13TH.**

St. Johns County Parks and Recreation and the St. Johns County Environmental Division will host a series of Environmental Education Days from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Nease Beachfront Park, 3171 Coastal Highway, on the following dates: March 19, April 16, May 7, June 15, and July 13.These free workshops are open to the public and all ages are welcome. Throughout the park and the historic Nease House, County staff will provide information and interactive activities on a variety of topics including native plant identification, right whale and sea turtle conservation, animal tracking, dune habitats, as well as wetland and coastal marsh habitats. For more information, please call 904.209.0323.

**NEW FREE GUIDED KAYAK TRIPS: APRIL 7TH, 9TH & 10TH**

St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department is happy to announce that we will be partnering with the National Park Service to bring you a new and exciting kayak trip! In April we will be launch from Fort Matanzas National Monument and paddle through the marsh to see Southeast Intracoastal Waterway Park. Southeast Intracoastal Waterway Park is a Florida Communities Trust Park, meaning St. Johns County Parks and Recreation get to offer this great trip for FREE! The group will meet in the parking lot of Fort Matanzas National Monument, 8635 A1A South, St. Augustine, FL 32080. Trips are scheduled for Thursday, April 7th at 9am, Saturday, April 9th at 10am, and Sunday, April 10th at 11am. Seats are limited. To RSVP for a seat, or for additional information, please call 904.209.0335 or e-mail me at [email protected]. When setting up a reservation please include a phone number, e-mail, date of the trip you would like to attend, and if you will be using a county kayak.

**BARTRAM BASH: APRIL 23RD**

Mark your calendars for April 23rd! On April 23rd St. Johns County Parks and Recreation will be hosting the 12th Annual Bartram Bash. This event will take place at Alpine Groves, which is a St. Johns County Park. It will be held from 9-4. The event is environmentally themed and is a birthday celebration for William Bartram, the first American born Naturalist. At the event we will have, guest speakers, food trucks, and 20+ environmentally themed booths set up. Live music will also be provided by This Frontier Needs Heroes, Marcellus Hall, and Flagship Romance. For more information see the attached flier. Please share and/or post this flier and help us get the word out about this great event!

As always if you have any questions please feel free to e-mail or call.

**Hope you have a beautiful day and take the time to get outside and explore!**

Kelly Ussia

Environmental Education Instructor

St. Johns County Parks and Recreation

Office: 904-209-0335

Cell: 904-669-6109

Trout Creek Park

6795 Collier Rd

St. Augustine, FL 32092