Nature’s Guardians

Barn Owls

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• When and where barn owls nest.

• The importance of the barn owl population as it relates to rodents.

• How barn owls breed.

• How barn owls benefit from barn owl boxes.

• How you can help barn owls in the Tampa Bay area.

Each participant will receive a special coloring page and information about the barn owl as well as information on how you can participant in a special Barn Owl project. During the program we will assemble a Barn Owl box.

Beginning Birding

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• What the Florida State Bird is

• Why birders use binoculars, zoom lenses and scopes

• How to identify ten common local birds

• The basic components of a Birding Field Guide and why they are important

• What the Florida Scrub Jay is and why it’s important

• What E-bird is all about

• How to keep a checklist using Tampa Audubon’s Checklist and how to submit lists to FWC’s Birders Program.

• What a Eastern Screech Owl is and why you want them in your yard

Field opportunity – We will look around the yard (immediate outdoors of event) for birds and identify each of them

Each participant will receive a Checklist of Florida’s Birds to use for your next birding trip.

Florida Bald Eagles

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• Where and when eagles nest

• Eagles are migratory and where they go when they leave Florida

• How eagles construct and maintain their nest

• What the first 12 weeks of life of a bald eagle is like

• Environmental factors that affect eagles and all birds of prey

• The basic history of the bald eagle

• How to become an official eagle watcher

Each participant will receive a basic eagle fact sheet, A word search puzzle, dot-to-dot activity page, and a coloring page.

There is Wildlife Among Us: Exploring Neighborhood Wildlife

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• Animals that may be found in your yard; bats, fox, deer, raccoon, coyote, tortoise, squirrels, skunks, bear, otter, panther, bobcat to name a few!

• The basic reasons why wildlife is attracted to houses and properties

• How to minimize contact with wildlife

• Common diseases found in our local wildlife

• What happens when a trapper is called

• What to do if you find injured or sick wildlife

Each participant will receive several pamphlets by the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Things that Slither
Lizards, Snakes and Skinks

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• The difference between Lizards and Skinks

• A Florida Anole (Lizard) from a Cuban Anole

• The difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes

• How to identify the four venomous snakes found in Central Florida

• How to identify a variety of non-venomous snakes

• What you should do if you get bitten by a snake

• 2 non-native species of snakes found in Florida and understand why they are a problem

• The most common skinks found in Hillsborough County

• The difference between an Iguana and a Tegu Lizard and discuss how they are invading Florida and why that’s a problem.

Go on a nature walk to identify different habitats used by different lizards, snakes and skinks.

Each participant will receive a brochure on Venomous Snakes and will make a snake craft.

 Baby Owl Shower

Come and join us in celebration of all the baby owls we rescue.  This is a time for you to collect supplies and bring them along.

There will be:

• A station to see Eastern Screech Owls – Even though the owls that you see will be small they are adult owls that were injured and brought into rehabilitation. Their injury prevented them from being released back into the wild. They are here to represent all of the owls that come into captivity that cannot live out normal lives, breeding and flying free. – Photo Op!

• A station to dissect owl pellets – Learn what owls eat by the pellets they cast.

• A program so that you can develop an understanding of their important role in maintaining a natural environment.

• Mask making station – Make a variety of owl masks to take home with you.

• Coloring Pages – Through coloring pages you will learn the different types of owls frequently found in central Florida.

Wildlife Corridors

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• That although Florida appears to be flat just a few inches in elevation changes the habitat.

• Florida has a variety of habitats including Dry Uplands such as sandhill and scrub, seasonally moist lands such as flatwoods and seasonal or diurnal ponds, wetlands such as bayheads, seepage slopes and bottomland hardwood forests to our ever popular water bodies, our lakes, rivers, creeks and springs.

• The variety of habitats our animals need

• What wildlife corridors are

• What a Caracara is and why they are found in the middle of the state.

• Who the Florida Wildlife Corridor expedition team is an what their mission is.

Water, Water Everywhere  – The Florida Aquifer

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• The importance of the Florida aquifer.

• More about waterways in the area.

• How water pertains to preservation of wildlife.

• That there are a variety of different landforms on Earth’s surface such as coastlines, dunes, rivers, deltas, and lakes and relate these landforms as they apply to Florida.

• What a natural community is and why they are important.

Living with Alligators

At the end of the workshop you should know:

• The difference between the American Alligator and the American Crocodile

• What food, they eat and what habitat both the alligator and the crocodile

• Why a hand-fed alligator becomes a nuisance and the penalties associated with them.

Each participant will receive a Coloring Page, An alligator paper craft you can do at home a maze to help Ollie find his way home, a Word Search and a pamphlet from FWC “How to Live with Alligators.”

Florida Ecosystems and Their Wildlife

At the end of the workshop the participant will:

• Know what an ecosystem is.

• Have a basic understanding why animals exist within specific ecosystems.

• Learn how fire helps to maintain healthy ecosystems.

• Know the importance of keeping the environment clean through the story of Tilly the Gopher Tortoise.

• Learn how animals and birds use communication to warn others and to protect themselves.

• Be introduced to a variety of Florida animals.

• Understand what exotic plants and animals are.

• Learn two exotic animals that have become naturalized in Florida.

• Identify your favorite animal and develop a plan how you can help that species.

Each participant receives a soft-back cover version of Tilly’s Adventure and coloring pages.       

Butterflies and Bees

At the end of the workshop the participant will:

• Know what metamorphosis is and how it occurs with butterflies.

• Develop a basic understanding of the importance of host plants in butterfly reproduction.

• Learn the importance of bees in pollinating our food supply.

• See honeycombs and learn about bee’s life cycle.

• Be introduced to the common butterflies found in Hillsborough County.

• Learn what they eat and how nectar plants are important.

• Go on a short walk outside to find butterflies.

• Learn what our state butterfly and wildflower are.

• Be introduced to how to plant a butterfly garden.

Each participant receives the pamphlet Florida Wildflowers & Butterflies and a bee bookmark and will make their choice of a butterfly or wildflower fan.

Birds of Prey

At the end of the program the participant will know:

• What a raptor is

• The common raptors found in Florida

• How raptors hunt and feed

• Where they live

• Basic information about migratory raptors

• Basic understanding from nest to fledge

Each participant will receive a raptor information sheet that contains a drawing of the bird and a short description.

Florida’s Treasure Box – Our Marine Wildlife

The major emphasis of this program is on manatee, dolphin and sea turtles that are found in Florida Waters.

At the end of this workshop the participant will know:

• The Western Indian manatees, the bottle nose dolphins and our 5 Florida sea turtles habitat

• Where they can be found locally

• What they eat

• How big they get

• Their overall basic life cycle

• Learn how they keep track of the approximately 200 manatee that visit Tampa Bay each year

• The five types of sea turtles that inhabit Florida’s waters

• One strategy to help conserve each of the three species

• Be exposed to other wildlife that lives in Florida’s waters. Each participant will receive a treasure box coloring book, and a manatee fan.

Frogs and Turtles

At the end of the workshop the participant will know:

• Five common frogs found in Florida by sight and sound.

• The difference between a Slider and a Snapping Turtle.

• How turtles and tortoises are different.

• Why frogs are an indicator of the environment.

• The importance of clean fresh water in lakes, rivers and streams.

Each participant will make a frog puppet

Gopher Tortoises and Their Burrows

By using a FWC workbook participants will learn:

• The history of the gopher tortoise

• Where they live

• Why they are a Keystone Species

• Who else uses the tortoises burrow

• Basic anatomy & what they eat

• Nesting and baby tortoises basics

Each participant will receive their own gopher tortoise workbook.

After completing any five of our programs:

You are eligible to participate in this very interactive workshop where you will create your own project on what you can do to protect or support organizations for Wildlife in Florida.

Your child will receive one on one support and coaching on their wildlife protection plan one time a week for three months following this workshop.

Creating your own Wildlife Protection Plan

At the end of this workshop each participant will know:

• About various organizations that are working hard to protect wildlife

• What the Florida Wildlife Corridor is and why it is important

• The basic role that Audubon, Nature Conservancy, Florida Native Plant Society, Florida Wildlife Federation and other organizations like these, play in protecting wildlife

• The basic role that the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the United State Fish and Wildlife Service play in protecting wildlife

• The importance of clean water for everyone

• TEXT 813-205-1851 if you are interested in offering this program