Focus on Crystal Lake and Highlands Scrub Natural Areas
Find Thrills and Chills
For the Birds
Bugs!
A Family Affair
An Exercise in Forgiveness
Find History
YouTube Spotlight – Airboat Rides at Everglades Holiday Park
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
Focus on Crystal Lake and Highlands Scrub Natural Areas
Two of Broward County Parks’ prime natural areas celebrate an anniversary this month: Crystal Lake Sand Pine Scrub, which opened to the public 10 years ago, on October 21, 2002, and Highlands Scrub, which opened almost five years later, on October 5, 2007. Both sites were purchased by the county through the 1989 Environmentally Sensitive Lands Bond Issue, with Highlands Scrub later supplemented by additional acreage obtained through the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Referendum.
Both natural areas will celebrate their “birthdays” with an Open House and Scavenger Hunt, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 7 at Highlands Scrub, and on Sunday, October 21 at Crystal Lake. Each event also includes a free Guided Nature Hike at 10:30 a.m., with preregistration required by calling Quiet Waters Park at 954-357-5100.
The two comparably sized sites – Crystal Lake is 24.2 acres, and Highlands Scrub is 34.27 acres – represent one of the rarest and most ecologically sensitive communities in South Florida, the sand pine scrub. Urban development has left less than two percent of Broward County’s original sand pine scrub, a type of community unique to Florida, making it a plant community that is difficult to recognize today.
The “scrub” is home to many species of plants and animals, many of which are rare or endangered. Crystal Lake contains a variety of scrub plant species such as sand pine, saw palmetto, tallow-wood, and several types of scrub oak. Understory plants include rosemary, prickly pear cactus, gopher apple, scrub mint, and spike moss. Highlands Scrub is characterized by loose white sand with a canopy of sand pine and scrub oak, and a subcanopy of saw palmetto, gopher apple, and prickly pear. Among the resident wildlife of both sites are the common gray fox, five-lined skink, six-lined racerunner, zebra swallowtail butterfly, and gopher tortoise (a protected species).
After acquisition, site restoration at both natural areas was initiated, including large-scale trash removal, exotic plant eradication throughout, and placement of protective fencing to stop destructive entry. Thanks to these efforts, the sites have been healing themselves over time.
Today, amenities at the sites include informational kiosks, interpretive signage, seating areas, and shelters (one per site). Highlands Scrub also offers picnic tables. Each site features more than 2,200 feet of paved and unpaved trail.
For more information, call the North District Office at 954-357-8700. Crystal Lake is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #20, while Highlands Scrub is accessible via Route #50.
Find Thrills and Chills
Celebrate Halloween a few days early at a Hallo-Green Special Event, at Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood. The event, which charges $1 per person, includes environmentally friendly activities, games, and arts and crafts. It’s from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 20. For more information, call Anne Kolb (accessible via Broward County Transit Route #12) at 954-357-5161.
Then on Friday, October 26, from 6 to 8 p.m., Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek will host its Ghosts and Goblins Family Fun Night. The popular annual event, for ages 2 to 11 accompanied by an adult, includes a costume parade, games and prizes, arts and crafts, photos in the Pumpkin Patch, and an age-appropriate storytime. Refreshments will also be available for purchase. The overall event is free, although there are nominal fees for arts and crafts and photos in the Pumpkin Patch. For more information, call Fern Forest at 954-357-5198. The nature center is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #31 and #42.
On Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, at 7 and 8:30 p.m., Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach offers its own prelude to Halloween with Spooky Woods, a thrilling and slightly chilling tour of the history of Halloween. The program is designed for ages 6 and up and may not be suitable for younger children. The fee is $5 per person, and preregistration is required. Call Secret Woods (accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6) at 954-357-8884 for additional information.
For a completely different take on pre-Halloween festivities, sign up for the ninth annual Spooktacular 5K, a run and walk at T.Y. Park in Hollywood, presented by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Road Runners Club. It’s on Saturday, October 27 from 7 a.m. to noon. For more information, call the park at 954-357-8811, or visit www.gflrrc.org. T.Y. is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #3, #12, and #17.
For the Birds
Plantation Heritage Park in Plantation doesn’t host a Bird Walk often, so when the park does it’s a special occasion – and especially when someone like Barbara DeWitt is leading it. Not only does DeWitt have three decades’ worth of worldwide birding experience, she’s also a Master Naturalist, a Master Gardener, and a National Wildlife Federation Habitat Steward. Did we also mention that she knows a thing or two about butterflies, having coordinated counts in Broward for the North American Butterfly Association? In other words, DeWitt’s an ace when it comes to things that fly. Don’t miss her free program from 8 to 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 28. Call the park at 954-357-5135 for more information. Plantation Heritage is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #30.
Monthly Bird Walks also get under way again this month at Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach, with the first volunteer-led walk scheduled for 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 13. Participants must be at the dock at Sullivan Park by 8 a.m. to catch the boat shuttle to the island, and tour space is limited, so preregistration is required by calling Quiet Waters Park at 954-357-5100. The fee is $3 per person. Deerfield Island is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #48 and #50.
Bugs!
If you’ve never outgrown that childlike fascination with insects, there are two events on Sunday, October 14, that will let you indulge your passion for all things creepy-crawly. From noon to 12:30 p.m., Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach will offer the latest installment of its ongoing program Delightful Flight, which focuses on Florida’s butterflies and how to attract them to your home landscape. The fee is $1.50 per person. For more information, call Secret Woods, which is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6, at 954-357-8884.
Then, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood will kick off its Family and Friends Nature Series with a session called “Bugs Are Cool!” Participants will learn about some of the “freakishly large bugs” found in South Florida, both the beneficial ones and the pests. Light refreshments will be served at this event, which requires preregistration. Admission is a recommended $2-per-person donation to the Friends of Anne Kolb volunteer group. For more information, call Anne Kolb, which is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #12, at 954-357-5161.
A Family Affair
For years Plantation Heritage Park in Plantation has been hosting the Broward County Plant Affair, a weekend-long event for the whole family. This popular plant show and sale, with up to 30 vendors, will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase.
Admission to the plant sale is free, although the park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect. For additional details or vendor information, call the Plantation Historical Museum at 954-797-2722, or the park at 954-357-5135. The park is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #30.
An Exercise in Forgiveness
Are you one of those unfortunate folks who has bought or adopted an exotic animal, only to discover you got more than you bargained for? An Exotic Pet Amnesty Day at Tree Tops Park in Davie will give you an opportunity to surrender your exotic pet rather than release it into the wild, where it might create ecological havoc. The innovative program is sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and this local event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 20. There are no charges or penalties involved. You’ll be doing the right thing, and you’ll know your animal will be taken in that same day by an adopter who has been preapproved through the program. For more information about the program or this specific event, or to find out more about how to become an approved adopter, call 1-888-IVE-GOT1 and select the “Pet Amnesty” option, or e-mail Liz.Barraco@MyFWC.com. More program info is also available at MyFWC.com/nonnatives. The park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect.
Find History
Few corners of Broward County’s park system are as rich in history as the 53.3 acres that make up Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach. A link with gangster Al Capone in the early 1930s, for instance, led to the land being labeled Capone Island – even though Capone himself never actually owned it, and the area at that time was a peninsula, not an island.
This is the sort of tidbit you might pick up when the park, which opened in September 1980, resumes its monthly Intracoastal History Tours. The first one will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 28. The cost is $5 per person, and boat transportation to the island is provided, although you must be at the Sullivan Park dock by 9:30 a.m. to catch the shuttle.
Space is limited, so preregistration is required and can be made by calling Quiet Waters Park at 954-357-5100. Deerfield Island is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #48 and #50.
YouTube Spotlight – Airboat Rides at Everglades Holiday Park
Broward County Parks now has its own YouTube Channel at www.YouTube.com/BrowardCountyParks. Navigate the “River of Grass” by taking an airboat ride at Everglades Holiday Park. 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
Airboat Rides (Everglades Holiday Park) – Batting Cages (AllGolf at C.B. Smith Park) – Butterfly World (Tradewinds Park) – Cable Water-Skiing (Ski Rixen USA at Quiet Waters Park) – Campgrounds (C.B. Smith Park, Easterlin Park, Markham Park, Quiet Waters Park, T.Y. Park) – Dog Park (Barkham at Markham Park) – Educational Farm (Tradewinds Park) – Exhibit Halls (Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park, Fern Forest Nature Center, Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center, Secret Woods Nature Center) – Golf Facilities (AllGolf at C.B. Smith Park) – Softball/Baseball Fields (Brian Piccolo Park, Sunview Park, Tradewinds Park) – Observatory (Markham Park) – Riding Stables (Tradewinds Park, Tree Tops Park) – Skate Park/Track (Brian Piccolo Park) – Target Range (Markham Park) – Tennis Centers (Brian Piccolo Park, C.B. Smith Park) – Velodrome (Brian Piccolo Park) – Water Playgrounds/ Waterslides/Swimming (C.B. Smith Park, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium, Quiet Waters Park, T.Y. Park)
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
Chip LaMarca
Ilene Lieberman
Stacy Ritter
John E. Rodstrom Jr.
Barbara Sharief
Lois Wexler
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Parks and Recreation is a service of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.