ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - The Alachua County Commission invites the public to the Grand Opening of Little Orange Creek Preserve and Nature Park. The celebration is on Saturday, January 21, 2017, beginning at 10 a.m., at the Preserve Visitor’s Center (24115 S.E. Hawthorne Road, Hawthorne).
The Grand Opening Celebration includes a ribbon cutting, guided hikes, hay rides, tree planting, lunch, music, kids games, and a City of Hawthorne and Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce Wine Tasting.
"This is a model project for how counties, cities, and non-profits can work together to protect and preserve our precious earth,” said Alachua County Commission Chair Ken Cornell. “I encourage the public to join us for a great day of celebration.”
The Little Orange Creek Preserve and Nature Park is the result of a partnership between governments and organizations including Alachua County, the City of Hawthorne, Alachua Conservation Trust, Putnam Land Conservancy, Friends of Little Orange Creek, and the Conservation Trust of Florida. It encompasses more than 2,873 acres of flatwoods, mesic and hydric hammocks, forested swamps including cypress domes and open freshwater marshes. The preserve is crucial for local water resources, Florida Black Bear habitat, rare pitcher plant bogs, and other wildlife and native plants.
View/download the Grand Opening Program (includes a map of the preserve).
For more information, contact Alachua Conservation Trust Executive Director Tom Kay at 352-373-1078.