Uncover hidden places, natural wonders to explore this spring in the Big Bend

Longtime residents of Florida’s Big Bend and Panhandle region are well aware that this part of the state is blessed with many parks, nature trails, and other natural areas that are open to the public.

Leon County alone has more than 3,000 acres of community parks, boat landings, greenways, and campgrounds, and the City of Tallahassee currently has 94 parks totaling almost 4,000 acres, with more than 70 miles of recreational trails, and six more parks scheduled to open by 2024.

However, newer residents, especially newly arrived students from other communities, are less likely to know about all the nearby special places just waiting for exploration during the bug-free days of winter and early spring.

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With this in mind, our local Magnolia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society has scheduled a lineup of speakers for its 2023 monthly meetings, who are highlighting the area’s public lands, especially new land acquisitions and parcels infrequently visited.

The Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) is a statewide organization devoted to the preservation, conservation, and restoration of Florida’s native plants and plant communities. With 34 local FNPS chapters scattered throughout the state, each chapter offers a unique opportunity for the public to learn about local natural areas, attend educational programs, and participate in field trips.

Biodiversity, rare plants

In addition, the FNPS website and publications are excellent resources for homeowners and even landscape professionals to obtain information about creating environmentally sustainable landscapes that are appropriate for the location. FNPS also works to protect Florida’s biodiversity and rare plant communities by conducting plant surveys and rescuing rare plants from areas encroached by development.

This year’s meetings of the Tallahassee FNPS Magnolia Chapter include programs about the extensive Leon County Parks system, Florida Forest lands managed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Apalachicola National Forest, and public recreation areas managed by the Northwest Florida Water Management District.

Later in the year, programs are planned about public lands within the Wacissa River floodplain and lands adjoining the Apalachicola River. Another important part of FNPS’s mission is to advocate for preserving Florida’s remaining natural lands through state acquisition and preservation.

Meet an environmental author

In keeping with this mission, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, in the King Building Auditorium on the FSU Campus, the Magnolia Chapter will host noted environmentalist and educator Clay Henderson, author of the book “Forces of Nature: A History of Florida Land Conservation,” recently published by the University Press of Florida.

This book tells the as yet untold story of the people and organizations behind the state’s long history of land acquisition and conservation. Clay Henderson, a well-known environmental lawyer, is well positioned to tell that story having helped to negotiate the acquisition of more than 300,000 acres of conservation lands.

Henderson was also a member of the 1997-98 Florida Constitution Revision Commission and sponsored most of the environmental provisions recommended by the commission, including creation of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Everglades Trust Fund. Henderson is past president of Florida Audubon and executive director of Stetson University’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience.

Based on historical sources, interviews, and his long career as an environmental lawyer and advocate, Henderson recounts the relentless efforts of ordinary citizens and multiple local organizations, which resulted in Florida becoming a leader in state-funded conservation lands.

Because of these efforts, the Sunshine State’s Park system and other public land agencies have received multiple national awards and state-funded land-acquisition programs have added multiple parcels to the federal National Park System and Wildlife Refuges in Florida.

The public is invited at attend Henderson’s presentation and signed copies of the book will be for sale.

Jan Blue is an active member of the Magnolia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and can be reached at doctorsyntax@outlook.com. This is a “Greening Our Community” article, an initiative of Sustainable Tallahassee. Learn more at www.SustainableTallahassee.org.

If you go

What: "Forces of Nature" author Clay Henderson will give talk to Magnolia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. Signed copies of the book will be for sale at the meeting and free parking is available adjacent to the King Building.

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2

Where: Room 1024, FSU King Building, 319 Stadium Drive

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Early spring is prime time to uncover hidden wonders of the Big Bend