"Give A Day For The Bay" Cleanup Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve

7201 Gunn Highway

Tampa, FL 33625

WHEN: Saturday, November 14, 2009

9 a.m.-noon

WHAT: Air potato removal and trash pickup

SUITABLE FOR: Ages 6 and up. Children under age 15 must be accompanied by a parent.

WHAT TO WEAR AND BRING: Lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and pants, closed-toe shoes (a must!), hat, sunscreen, bug spray, gloves if you have them

WE’LL PROVIDE: Lunch, water bottles, and lots of heartfelt thank-you’s

I will be coordinating this workday, which has us tackling a familiar nemesis: invasive air potato plants. We’ll be working mainly along the Rocky Creek stream corridor, pulling and bagging air potatoes as well as collecting a lot of garbage that has been dumped at this site.

The Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve protects land in the upper reaches of Rocky Creek, an important tributary to Tampa Bay. This site was purchased by Hillsborough County’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Preservation Program (ELAPP) just a few years ago and needs some TLC to fully restore its native habitats. Our longtime friends from Hillsborough’s Conservation Services division will be our partners for this workday.

The Preserve is adjacent to the Upper Tampa Bay Trail, which features a very nice paved pathway, so feel free to bring bicycles or roller blades to explore the trail afterwards.

Please let me know if you would like to help out and how many are in your work party.

General directions to the Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve follow my signature. You may wish to run a map from your specific starting point.

I’m looking forward to seeing many of my old friends on Nov. 14!

Nanette Holland O'Hara

Public Outreach Coordinator
Tampa Bay Estuary Program
100 8th Ave. S.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 893-2765 phone
(813) 428-3182 cell
e-mail: Nanette@tbep.org

DIRECTIONS TO ROCKY CREEK TRAILS PRESERVE

7210 Gunn Highway
Tampa, FL 33625

Take I-275 toward TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Merge onto N. MEMORIAL HIGHWAY/ Fl-60 W toward SR 589 TOLL (NORTH VETERANS EXPRESSWAY/TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT/CYPRESS STREET)

Keep RIGHT to take VETERANS EXPRESSWAY toward AIR CARGO

Stay on the VETERANS EXPRESSWAY for about 7.7 miles

Take the GUNN HIGHWAY/CR-587 N. (0.2 miles)

Turn SLIGHT LEFT to take the ramp toward SHELDON ROAD (0.1 miles)

Turn LEFT onto GUNN HIGHWAY/CR-587 N (0.2 miles)

Turn RIGHT to stay on GUNN HIGHWAY (0.3 miles)

ROCKY CREEL TRAILS PRESERVE is on the RIGHT

Note: The Veterans Expressway is a toll road. To avoid the toll, you may wish to map an alternate route