Limited spots available for the November 5 tour of the sandhill ecosystem and the swamp forest
Flagler County Land Management will host a guided nature walk at Princess Place Preserve on November 5, focusing on rare sandhill habitat and the Hominy Branch floodplain.
The tour is part of “A Walk in the Park in the Woods,” a limited guided tour series now in its third year. Only eight people can register for the two-hour hike.
Tour Details
The walk begins at 9:15 a.m. sharp at Princess Place Preserve, located at 2500 Princess Place Road in Palm Coast. Participants should arrive early for a safety briefing and additional details about the hike.
The trail is described as easy, with flat, level terrain and wide, well-maintained paths. Forestry Supervisor Ralph Risch will guide the walk.
What Participants Will See
The tour will explore overgrown sandhill habitat that has become upland hardwood hammock, as well as areas undergoing restoration.
“Sandhill is a unique and increasingly rare Florida habitat due to fire suppression and conversion to citrus,” Risch said. “We will examine the plant species typical of sandhill, such as wiregrass and turkey oak and longleaf pine, and discuss some of the animals that can be found there.”
One notable animal in the area is the striped newt, a threatened amphibian. Princess Place Preserve and the adjacent Pellicer Conservation area contain the third largest population of striped newts in the world, based on the number of breeding ponds these animals use.
“We will also look at the floodplain swamp forest of Hominy Branch creek,” Risch said. “Many autumn migrant birds will be there as they stop to forage on their way north.”
The walk also offers a chance to see three species of carnivorous plants.
How to Register
Participants must register through the Flagler County catalog website under “A Walk in the Park.” An account must be created, and participants must sign two waivers: a liability waiver and a photo/video release form.
The meeting time is 9:00 a.m. for the safety briefing, with the hike starting at 9:15 a.m.
What to Bring
Participants should:
- Expect a two-hour hike
- Bring a water bottle
- Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes
- Use sunscreen and insect repellent as preferred
- Bring binoculars for bird watching
- Dress for weather conditions (could be cold and rainy or warm and sunny)
Directions
To reach the meeting location:
- Take U.S. 1 to Old Kings Road and turn there, or take Matanzas Woods Parkway east from U.S. 1 and head north on Old Kings Road
- Turn east at the Princess Place Preserve sign
- Drive east about one mile to an open gate through a wooden fence (do not drive through)
- On the right, look for a wooden sign pointing to the Hominy Branch trailhead to the right (south)
- Turn right at the sign and drive 2/10 of a mile to the parking area
The post Guided Nature Walk Explores Rare Florida Habitat at Princess Place first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
