We have Solutions for YOU

Ramona Madhosingh-Hector,
Urban Sustainability Agent

Did you make your New Year’s resolution? Are you on your way to a great start? No matter your goal, Pinellas County Extension can help you accomplish it. We offer a range of information on healthy living, family finances, nutrition, and youth development. And, Pinellas County Extension offices are closer than you think – we are located in mid-county at 12520 Ulmerton Road with satellite offices at Weedon Island Preserve and Brooker Creek Preserve. Each of our outstanding facilities offers traditional and non-traditional educational opportunities.

If your goal is to get fit this year, join us for regular Saturday morning hikes at Weedon Island and Brooker Creek Preserve. These facilities also offer special guided hikes for bird enthusiasts and photographers. The Extension Office in Largo offers guided garden tours once a week and each facility has boardwalks, walking trails, and amenities to help you stay on track.

If you set your sights on eating healthier, our Family Consumer Science expert can provide you with healthy eating tips and new recipes that will encourage you to try out new foods. Pinellas County Extension also provides information about farmers’ markets and home gardens so that you can eat healthier from start to finish!

If you pledged to become more eco-conscious in 2013, sign up for classes in energy efficiency, rain harvesting, or composting. Most of our classes are free and open to public - saving the environment couldn’t be easier and you will pocket the savings!

If you are looking for educational opportunities for you and your family, each of our locations provides ongoing learning through hands-on classroom activities or week-long training sessions. Salty Topics, Going Coastal, Nature in the Classroom, and Brooker Creek Explorers offer programming for young and old alike on the marine and natural environment in Pinellas County. Our Master Volunteer programs provide more in-depth knowledge and training in specific areas. You can become a Master Gardener, Master Money Mentor , or a Sustainable Floridian!

Solutions for Your Life is a mouse-click away when you visit www.pinellascountyextension.org. We look forward to serving you in 2013!

Pinellas County Extension celebrates 150 years of Solutions for your Life

One hundred and fifty years ago, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the land grant university system which set the stage for Extension outreach education to local communities. This law directed states to create institutions of higher learning for the study of agricultural science and engineering, providing 30,000 acres of public land to each state for that purpose. Land grant universities support outreach activities through their Extension Services. The University of Florida has 67 county Extension offices throughout the state; Pinellas County Extension is located at 12520 Ulmerton Road next to Heritage Village in Largo.

Saturday, Sept. 15, has been set aside for Pinellas County Extension to showcase the Lawn and Garden Help Desk, which has provided county residents with horticulture and commercial lawn care expertise since the 1970s. Residents are invited to enjoy the celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Staff will be on hand to answer horticultural questions. Spin the wheel and test your knowledge about Extension for a chance to win an LED flashlight. Come early and enjoy an informative tour through the Natural Areas at 9 a.m., registration at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4211085470 , or a Rain Harvesting Workshop from 9 to 10:15 a.m. with rain barrels available for only $10. Advance registration required on-line at www.eventbrite.com/event/4038870370/eorg.

Florida Botanical Gardens joins in the celebration by having their volunteers and Master Gardeners offering thirty-minute tours through the garden’s formal and Florida-friendly garden areas.

On Saturday, Sept. 22, Pinellas County Extension invites residents to enjoy a hike through the natural area of Brooker Creek Preserve. Certified interpretive guides will lead visitors through ecosystems that transform with the slightest changes in elevation. Along the way, guides will explain the ecological and historical variations they experience. The tour begins at 9 a.m. and registration is available online at www.eventbrite.com/event/3715972574/eorg. Plan to stay after the hike and cool down inside the Education Center while exploring a variety of interactive and educational exhibits.

The following Saturday, Sept. 29, Pinellas County Extension will add to the 150th Land Grant anniversary by recognizing National Public Lands Day and National Estuaries Day at Weedon Island Preserve. There will be a guided tour of the coastal mangrove hammocks as well as the opportunity to get down and dirty with the Pinellas Sea Grant on the canoe and kayak coastal cleanup. Both the hike and cleanup begin at 9 a.m. At 2 p.m. the interactive marine learning stations welcomes visitors and guests. Don’t forget to bring a plain t-shirt to make a fish-printing keepsake. Register for events online at www.weedonislandpreserve.eventbrite.com.

Pinellas County Extension is a partnership between Pinellas County government and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences as part of a nationwide network of land grant universities. The University of Florida is an equal access/equal opportunity institution.

The mission of Pinellas County Extension is to provide research-based knowledge and education programs enabling people to make practical decisions to improve their quality of life and the world around them. Education focuses on sustainable living, lawn and garden, families and consumers, and 4-H youth development.

Pinellas County Extension offers programming at the Extension office, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, (727) 582-2100; at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, 3940 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs, (727) 453-6800 and at the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, (727) 453-6500. For information, visit www.pinellascountyextension.org and find Pinellas Extension on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in classes you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. At least seven days prior to the class, please contact the Office of Human Rights, 400 S. Fort Harrison Ave., Suite 500, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 464-4062 (Voice/TDD).

For the Love of Weedon

Mary Campbell,  
Extension Director  
UF/IFAS Pinellas County  


This spring take time to visit beautiful Weedon Island Preserve located in St. Petersburg along Tampa Bay. It has a rich cultural history and over 3,700 acres of natural areas and coastal ecosystems. Almost a quarter million people visit the preserve each year and walk the boardwalks to discover the natural treasures. Several years ago a historical treasure of an ancient canoe was unearthed within the preserve. It will be preserved as a display at the Weedon Island Education Center.

Weedon Island Preserve's rich human history began with prehistoric peoples who thrived on the abundant fish, shellfish, plants, and mammals of the wetlands, islands, and estuaries of Tampa Bay. These people evolved into the Weeden (alternate spelling) Island culture that lasted some 800 years. Their social structure included ceremonial and artistic pottery and modes of burial with associated goods. The colorful history of Weedon Island continued with the arrival of homesteaders, speakeasies, a Hollywood movie studio, and a 1930s airport. Come explore " A Place to Remember" through the publication entitled The Weedon Island Story (2.8M).

What was once a true island during high tides is now a low-lying peninsula surrounded by several small islands. Most of the Preserve is dominated by aquatic and wetland ecosystems that include miles of mosquito ditches dug in the late 1950s. The upland ecosystems comprise the remaining 1,100 acres of relatively flat, dry lands.

Memories abound about the colorful history at Weedon Island. On Saturday, February 11th , many people who have connected with this land attended the event, “For the Love of Weedon,” at Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center. You can enjoy the event through videos on YouTube:

Part 1

Part 2

Gopher Weedon 7 Km Trail Run

Gopher Weedon 7 Km Trail Run Benefits the Friends of Weedon Island Saturday, November 19th, 2011; 8:00 AM 
Tired of pounding the pavement on the same ole’ 5K race course? Go-pher something different and enjoy 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) of natural trails through one of Tampa Bay’s hidden gems! 
The Gopher Weedon 7 Km Trail Run will wind runners and walkers along well-maintained dirt and boardwalk trails through mangrove forest and scrub habitat, including gorgeous water views. This unique, professionally-timed race will be held on Saturday, November 19th at Weedon Island Preserve - a 3,700 acre preserve nestled along Tampa Bay in northeast St. Petersburg. Space is limited, register online today.
Proceeds will benefit the Friends of Weedon Island, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting environmental preservation and education at Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33702. 
Registration ($30) includes a 1-year membership to the Friends of Weedon Island, Inc. (FOWI) and a race T-shirt. Special thanks to our sponsors: Publix, Farese Physical Therapy, Road ID, The Fresh Market, and Progress Energy.