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Rosewood
Races
The Miami Masters Team competes in races regionally, nationally, and
internationally, and on Sunday, August 30, the group will host a Rosewood
Series Cycling Event at Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City. The race, for cyclists ages 35 and up, is free for
spectators and gets under way at 8 a.m. This is a Commit 2B Fit!® – It
Starts in Parks event.
?: Brian Piccolo, 954-437-2600, or Miami Masters, rosewood@miamimasters.com.
$: $23/cyclist (cyclists must have USCF insurance to register).
R: Registration is required.
Going
Native
Let’s say you’re ready to landscape around your new home. Using a variety
of resources – books, friends, nurseries, the Internet – you develop what
seems like a suitably varied list: palms (areca, Chinese fan), vines
(wandering Jew, pothos/devil’s ivy), a shrub (lantana), trees
(schefflera/umbrella tree, weeping fig, orchid tree, mimosa), flowering
plants (four o’clock, ground orchid), and fruit trees (mango, guava, sapodilla).
Sounds great, right?
Wrong! All these plants (classified variously as non-native,
invasive, or exotic) have been accidentally or purposely introduced into
the South Florida landscape and have since gone wild in our yards, parks,
and natural areas and on our roadsides and canal banks. The vast majority
pose no threat, but some grow out of control, competing with native
vegetation and gradually displacing it, forever altering ecosystems that
have developed over millions of years.
The most notorious invasive plants – Australian pine,
melaleuca, and Brazilian pepper – have long been targeted by intensive
campaigns to curb their spread. But you can also do your part simply by
paying closer attention to what you grow in your own yard. Don’t trust older
editions of landscaping guides, which may contain outdated information, and
don’t buy plants just because they’re pretty or your friends or neighbors
recommend them. And by all means don’t put indiscriminate faith in the
Internet, which is rife with misinformation. Finally, don’t toss out
houseplants that might take root and spread until they run amok.
The key is educating yourself on what you put into the ground,
and for help with that you can turn to Broward County parks. On Sunday,
August 2, from 3 to 5 p.m., Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach will
wrap up its free Summer Home Landscape Series, providing information
on how to design beautiful, environmentally friendly landscapes that will
save time and money, protect our natural resources, and provide wildlife
habitat. Then, on Saturday, August 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can put
what you’ve learned to practical use by stocking up at the nature center’s Native
Plant Sale. Native-plant nurseries and vendors will display and sell
plants native to South Florida, including plants suited to butterfly and
wildlife gardening. There will also be gardening information, displays, and
children’s arts and crafts.
The Division’s Extension Education Section also provides the
latest in sustainable, “Florida-friendly” landscaping information through
its Florida Master Gardener program. For more information, visit Extension
Education’s display in the lobby of the Governmental Center, 115 S. Andrews
Ave., Fort Lauderdale, from August 3 through 31, which will feature
drawings for prizes.
?: Secret Woods,
954-791-1030; Extension Education,
954-370-3725.
BCT: Route #6 (Secret Woods).
King
of the Hill Challenge
On Saturday, August 29, hundreds of runners will converge on Vista View
Park, one of the highest man-made elevations in South Florida, for the Third
Annual King of the Hill 5K Challenge, a roughly 3.1-mile
run on paved asphalt through the hills of the park. (An earlier-posted version of this story incorrectly
indicated that this event is in memory of Eugene "Gene" Witkowski of Vero Beach.) The run, for all ages,
is free for spectators and
gets under way at 7 a.m. This is a Commit 2B Fit!® – It Starts in Parks
event.
?: Vista View,
954-327-8797, or visit www.splitsecondtiming.com.
$: $23/cyclist (includes USCF insurance).
R: Online registration is available through www.splitsecondtiming.com.
Exercise
Classes for Adults With
Developmental
Disabilities
The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division’s Special Populations
Section is offering free Exercise Classes for Adults With Developmental
Disabilities. The program, for ages 16 and up, is from 6:30 to 7:30
p.m. on Wednesdays, at Tree Tops Park
in Davie. This is a general fitness program that combines basic exercise
techniques and movements such as stretching and bending with music to
improve strength, flexibility, and endurance. The program consists of
head-to-toe standing exercises as well as mat exercises. Participants must
be fairly independent and able to understand and follow basic verbal
instructions and visual cues.
?: Special Populations,
954-357-8160.
R: Preregistration is required.
August
Hours Change at Safari Isle
End-of-summer hours go into effect at Markham Park’s
recreational swimming pool, Safari Isle, on Saturday, August 8.
New hours, effective through Sunday, August 30, will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
on Saturdays and Sundays. Labor Day hours, Monday, September 7, will be 10
a.m. to 4 p.m.
?: Markham,
954-389-2000.
Under
the Light of the Silvery Moon
If you’ve never enjoyed nature under the light of the silvery moon, you’re
in luck this summer. Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center has scheduled
a Full Moon Hike for Wednesday, August 5 from 8 to 9 p.m. Take an
interpretive hike along the nature trails of the natural area to look for
nocturnal animals as they emerge, and learn about the myths and legends of
the full moon. The final hike of the summer is scheduled for Friday,
September 4 (7:30-8:30 p.m.).
?: Long Key,
954-327-8797.
$: $3/person.
R: Preregistration is required by the day before the hike.
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