For the second year in a row, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pinellas County Parks & Recreation Department will join forces to “Perk Up a Park.”
The “Perk Up a Park” cleanup and interpretive sign unveiling will happen Saturday, June 25 at Philippe Park, located in Safety Harbor on Philippe Parkway between Main Street and State Road 580.
This event is open to anyone who would like to volunteer. The volunteers will be asked to help remove invasive plants and cleanup the area. Some of the invasive plants targeted for removal include Wild Taro, Boston Fern and Air Potato.
Water will be provided to volunteers, but it is recommended they wear closed-toes shoes and bring their own hat, gloves, sunscreen, insect repellent and other non-alcoholic beverages. Participants are asked to meet at 8:30 a.m.
Organizers will also unveil interpretive signage that explains watershed management and how to control invasive plants. It also illustrates the native plants and wildlife that can be found in and around the pond.
After the cleanup Kay Roberts of the Florida Native Plant Society will talk about how you can “Invite Wildlife to Lunch,” and how native plants benefit wildlife. Information about invasive plants and native plants will also be available.
The Pinellas County Parks & Recreation Department received $3,980 for this project through a 2005 Community Education Grant from the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.
Last year the Parks & Recreation Department focused clean up efforts on Lake Seminole Park.
The Community Education Grant program, which currently is in its eighth year, provides funding to hands-on, community-based projects that focus on educating adults about water-related issues. This year, the Community Education Grant program funded 29 grants throughout the District’s 16 counties. To find out more about the District’s Community Education Grants program, or to receive free water conservation publications, please call 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4775.