There are cleanups, night hikes plus some day and night paddles coming up this fall. Enjoy some fun activities at the Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center this season.
On Saturday, October 19, at 7 p.m. will be the Observe the Moon Night Paddle event (postponed from September). Explore the Little Manatee River after dark — without flashlights. The tour is $25 if you need to use one of its canoes or kayaks, but $5 if you bring your own. Registration is required; to register, call 813-641-8545.
Camp Bayou continues to offer day paddle trips as well on the first and third Saturdays of each month at 9 a.m. The tour is $25 if you need to use one of Camp Bayou’s canoes or kayaks, but it is $5 if you bring your own. Registration is required; to register, call 813-641-8545.
For those who are interested in helping with registered groups, Camp Bayou is looking for enthusiastic volunteers who love the outdoors and want to pass along that passion to others through hands-on activities, walks and canoe tours, as well as to help with maintenance and exhibits. Contact Becki at 813-641-8545 or fill out the form at www.campbayou.org. It is mainly looking for folks to help teach K-6 school groups, but there are other opportunities as well.
The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is neither a campground nor a summer camp. It was an RV park before Hillsborough County’s ELAP program purchased the land, but it is now open to the general public for day use only. Through volunteers, donations, supporters and grants, the managing nonprofit, Bayou Outdoor Learning and Discovery Inc. (BOLD), offers preregistered programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families. The center is open from Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. for passive recreational pursuits, such as wildlife watching, nature photography and trail walks. General admission is still free.
The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is a public-private partnership between BOLD and Hillsborough County Conservation & Environmental Lands Management. Camp Bayou is located at 4140 24th St. SE in Ruskin, 3 miles south of State Road 674 at the end of 24th Street SE. For more information, visit its website at www.campbayou.org, check out the Camp Bayou Facebook page at www.facebook.com/campbayou or call 813-641-8545.
