When visitors arrive at the Brooker Creek Preserve, their education begins the minute they leave their vehicles. A series of interpretive signage now lines the main trail between the parking lot and the environmental education center.
Additional signs are located at key locations, including the butterfly garden and a mini wetland.
The Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center is located within the Brooker Creek watershed, which covers 39 square miles in northern Pinellas and northwestern Hillsborough counties. The environmental education center is equipped with an auditorium that seats 250 people and has three fully equipped classroom/laboratories, an exhibit gallery with hands-on displays and a system of boardwalks and trails that will provide wilderness experiences to approximately 50,000 visitors each year.
Funding for the signs was divided among Pinellas County, the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and other sources. Pinellas County contributed $60,000 and the District contributed $30,000. The environmental education center received $42,400 for the project from other sources.
For more information about the Brooker Creek watershed, visit BrookerCreek.org. For information about the programs at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, visit www.pinellascounty.org/environment/ or call (727) 453-6800.