The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated 2023 Chamber Business Expo, set to take place on September 30th at the Inverness Depot Pavilion from 9am to 1pm. This annual event, designed to bring the community together, celebrates the vibrant local businesses and services available… Read More
We’re looking for the most Cooter-iffic King & Queen to help Emcee our Cooter Music Festival on October 7th and 8th. The Cooter King & Queen Pageant will take place on October 1st at 3 pm at the Valerie Theater. Bring your talent, your style, and your wit — and… Read More
Get ready to experience a tantalizing blend of nostalgia and comedy that’s sure to tickle your funny bone and leave you howling for more as Lewis & Young brings you bring you not one, not two, but three frightfully funny “Old Time Radio Shows” live (or perhaps, undead) on stage. Read More
Join the second annual Multicultural Parade & Festival in downtown Brooksville, done in partnership with Hernando Hispanic Heritage! The fun begins at 11 AM with the parade and the festival starts directly after. Live music, foods of the world, and the new series of Mobile Murals will all… Read More
Two days. Five Bands. ABSOLUTELY FREE. What better way to kick off Cootertober? Join the Twistid Arts Initiative and the City of Inverness, Florida Government on October 7th and 8th for two evenings of music in our beautiful… Read More
Join us for a day of family-friendly carnival fun! Featuring strolling acrobats, free face painting, food trucks, a pumpkin design competition, and tons of carnival games provided by local Citrus County businesses, this event embodies Inverness’s motto of “Small Town Done Right.” Date: October 8th – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Read More
Back by popular demand, the Comedy Magic and Illusions Show is making a triumphant return to the Valerie Theatre for a special Cootertober edition. Professional magician Cesar Domico will leave you awestruck with objects appearing and disappearing before your very eyes. Prepare to be dazzled as Cesar weaves comedy, illusions,… Read More
Get ready to rock as Cootertober presents Zoso live at Liberty Park on October 14th! Since the mid 1990’s, Zoso has performed over 4,500 shows recreating the sound and feel of a live Led Zeppelin concert. Rolling Stone Magazine has called Zoso the… Read More
PLEASE CHECK WITH ANY EVENT BEFORE ATTENDING as we do not always receive notice of cancelation.
Check out all of the fun activities and local businesses in our directory and be sure to tell them that NatureCoaster™ sent you!
After our business meeting, Laura Starkey will tell us a little about the history of the land which Heartwood Preserve now occupies, from her family’s involvement with the land since the 1930s and her childhood in the 70s, up to the present. She will give us a perspective on the area with relation to the intensive development and growth of an area that was once “the boondocks.” We will learn how her connection to this land led her to create the region’s only conservation cemetery, one of only a couple dozen in the nation.
Presenter: Laura Starkey is the founder and Executive Director of Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery; a natural cemetery and nature preserve located in Trinity. A third-generation Floridian, Laura began Heartwood Preserve on a corner of her family’s former cattle ranch as a way to protect an intact longleaf pine flatwoods ecosystem. She is the granddaughter of Jay B Starkey Sr, namesake of the Jay B Starkey Wilderness Park. Laura is a Prescribed Burn Manager, which means she gets to set the woods on fire.
Field Trip: Heartwood Preserve has two primary ecosystems, longleaf pine flatwoods and cypress wetlands.
The flatwoods community is dominated by longleaf pine, wiregrass, saw palmetto, small shrubs and many wildflowers. Wildlife includes gopher tortoises, bobwhite quail, Sherman’s fox squirrel, Florida wild turkey and white-tailed deer. In the cypress dome wetland, rainfall drains and percolates back into the ground to replenish the Floridan aquifer – the underground source of our drinking water.
Field Trip Leader: Richard Stauffer – well known member of our chapter – became interested in native plants after meeting Mike Kenton and helping him survey the plants in the Aripeka area as part of a grant application for the Gulf Coast Conservancy. Through Mike he got involved with FNPS and his interest in Florida natives grew by attending field trips to the many diverse areas in our state. Currently he is working on restoring a portion of the five acres where he lives. He’s always curious to learn more about the whole life of the plants and how they fit into the ecosystem.
Telephone inquiries are taken by Molly at (813) 469-9597.
Nature Coast Chapter: naturecoastfnps@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PascoNativePlants
NatureCoaster.com and our partners provide this calendar of events as a community service. We do our best to provide accurate information in each listing, but we are simply publishing the information and cannot be responsible for inaccuracies or errors. Please contact event promoters from their event listings for more details about any specific event. We do not cover political events.
