MANASOTA & PEACE RIVER BBDs Meeting Notebook 10-21-09.docx

SB54
Polk Nature Discovery Center Education
Project Type SOR
AOR(s)
Water Supply, Flood Protection, Water Quality, Natural Systems
Basin(s) Alafia River, Hillsborough River, Peace River
Cooperator(s)
Polk County Natural Resources
Project Manager HULL, MARY MARGARET
Task Manager(s)
Status Ongoing
Description
This Cooperative Funding Initiative (CFI) project consists of education and outreach about watersheds at Polk Nature
Discovery Center on the Circle B Bar Reserve. Through this project, school-aged youth and the general public
experience the watersheds in which they live, including the Peace River watershed. Polk County middle school
students, homeschool students, teachers and parents are the target audiences. The FY2010 project will provide bus
transportation and classroom supplies to conduct water and natural resource educational programs for school groups
visiting the Center. An estimated 7,000 seventh-grade students and teachers from Alafia River, Hillsborough River and
Peace River basins will be informed of the region's water issues and water's natural role in central Florida. The
District's previously funded water exhibits will be used as education tools as part of the student field trip program. The
on-site stormwater pond serves as an outdoor classroom. Pretests that evaluate knowledge of, attitudes toward, and
behaviors about water resources will be completed prior to visiting the Center. Posttests will be completed after the
visit to document any knowledge increase as well as attitude and potential behavior change.
Benefits
This project enhances the District's watershed education efforts by addressing key objectives for watershed education
through the following messages: water is a limited resource, good stewardship of water resources begins in one's own
backyard, everyone lives in a watershed, and wildlife diversity depends upon healthy wetlands and good water quality.
It is anticipated that 12,650 people will visit the Circle B Bar Reserve annually. The middle school field trip program is
estimated to reach 7,000 seventh-grade students in Polk County schools. Existing District educational publications and
tools will be used as supplemental material, along with the new exhibits Everyone Lives in a Watershed, The Green
Swamp and The Lakes. Students will be introduced to hydrological concepts through interactive curriculum activities.
Using the location of the center, which is adjacent to a marsh system that flows into Lake Hancock, field activities will
reinforce key water resource concepts. Lake Hancock has been identified as a major source of pollutants to the Peace
River. Reducing the pollutant load to the river and ultimately to Charlotte Harbor has been a goal of the District. Direct,
hands-on water resources education will enhance a deeper understanding of the water issues of today and in the
future.
Costs
The total cost of the FY2010 project is $65,000, with the District contributing $32,500 (Alafia River $4,225;
Hillsborough River $5,200; Peace River $23,075). District funds will be used for bus transportation for field trips to
the center. The field trip program is projected to reach 7,000 students per year at a cost to the District of $4.64 per
student. The budget lines below include costs for staff to manage the project.
Additional Information
The total cost of the FY2009 program is $44,666 (Alafia River $5,807, Hillsborough River $7,147, Peace River
$31,712). This funding pays for the development of a field trip program for Polk County middle school students. The
field trip program is planned to reach 5,150 students per year at a cost of $8.67 per student.
020 - Peace River Basin 26