The Nature Club is excited and delighted to welcome you back to another year of our lecture series and local field trips to science museums, nature centers, zoos, aquaria, wildlife sanctuaries and arboretums that abound in southern Florida.
We are dedicated to education, conservation, and exploring the beauty of our rich ecological habitats, and natural resources and facilities.
The club meets twice a month from December through March, with each month featuring one guest speaker in the clubhouse and one field trip. Our members were very cooperative and we had successful trips carpooling to local sites, and avoiding the very expensive costs of renting buses. We expect to do the same this year.
Last year’s programs consisted of topics from some of our own talented residents, ranging from Ancient Fossil Hunters, by Dr. Merryl Kafka, to Medicinal Plants, by Dr. Ellen Kamhi, and a “Make It and Take It” herbal planting workshop by Mercy Madina.
Our special guest, Conservation Biologist Austin Peek, from the Florida Wildlife Commission, presented a program on “The Life of Coyotes”.
We welcome your involvement, and especially if you have a topic that you would like to share with our group; a power point presentation; or a workshop; or your ideas for local field trips.
We’ve been around for a long time and have visited most of the venues within an hour and a half’s journey, and hope to discover a few we have yet to visit. But we do return to popular places.
The dates below will be scheduled for lecture and field trips. The topics and locations to be determined. Please pick up a green Nature’s Voice program flyer in the staff office entitled “Nature Club.”
The membership fee per person is $15. Some of the field trips are free, and others have admission costs, based on senior citizen and group rate discounts. We usually like to have a structured educational program for an enhanced experience with a free form touring adventure. Situations will vary according to the venue. Nominal group fees will be picked up by the Club’s treasury or will be subsidized to reduce the cost. Lectures on-site are free to members.
Tentative Schedule:
The Nature Club meeting dates and times are from 1:00 – 3:00pm for the Tuesdays lectures series in GPE Clubhouse. Field trips: Meeting time is 9:30 am in the charter bus parking lot for car-pooling. Field trip info will be available prior to the field trip date for orientations and details.
Tuesdays General Meeting & Lecture Series 1-3pm
1. Dec. 12, 2023 – Underwater Cities: The Coral Reef Community. Merryl Kafka
2. Jan. 16, 2024 – TBD
3. Feb. 2, 2024 – TBD
4. March 19, 2024 – TBD
Thursday Field Trips 9:30 am – Meet at Charter Parking lot. Return 2-3pm Tentative schedule:
1. Dec. 21, 2023 - Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands, Boynton Beach
2. Jan. 25, 2023 - Cox Science Center, Aquarium & Planetarium, WPB
3. Feb. 29, 2024 - TBD
4. March 21, 2024 - Ann Kolb Nature Center, Ft. Lauderdale. Newly renovated.
We are seeking Board members for the following positions:
Treasurer, Membership, and Field Trip Coordinator.
Please call Merryl Kafka, (917) 838-2647 if interested in any positions to help keep this club thriving.