Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities
September 14- Wekiva Wellness: A Guided Walking Meditation
Join the Friends of Wekiva River for a serene start to your day! Master Certified Life Coach, Nicole Ouellette, who specializes in holistic wellness, will lead the meditation. Experience tranquility and rejuvenation with every step. See you there!
Time: 8:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Cost: $15.00 plus $3.00 parking
Location: Rock Springs State Reserve, 30601 County Road 433, Sorrento FL 32776
What to Expect:
A peaceful walk through beautiful natural surroundings
Guided meditation to help you connect with nature and find inner calm
Gentle stretches and mindfulness exercises
What to Bring:
Comfortable walking shoes (or no shoes)
Water bottle
Light, weather-appropriate clothing
Reserve Here!
September 25, 2024 - Monthly Eco Paddle (Event by Wekiva Wild and Scenic River System)
Time: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Wekiva Island, 1014 Miami Springs Drive, Longwood
What to Expect: Learn how to benefit our waterways and see the Wekiva River first hand on a canoe tour! Space is limited; RSVP REQUIRED. Participants should have some prior paddling (canoe, kayak, etc) experience. Contact Elizabeth Stephens for more information (407-665-2457; serv@seminolecountyfl.gov). Please note that this is an educational event, not a clean-up (volunteer hours are not available). A huge shoutout to the folks at Wekiva Islands - we couldn't do it without your generosity!
October 20, 2024- Save the date!
Next week we will announce an exciting event we have planned with an incredible speaker and message for the Central Florida community. Stay tuned, and be sure to pay attention to your inboxes next Wednesday to make sure you can reserve your ticket as there will be limited space. Can’t wait to share this with you all very soon!
October 21, 2024 - Monthly Eco Paddle (Event by Wekiva Wild and Scenic River System)
Time: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Wekiva Island, 1014 Miami Springs Drive, Longwood
What to Expect: Learn how to benefit our waterways and see the Wekiva River first hand on a canoe tour! Space is limited; RSVP REQUIRED. Participants should have some prior paddling (canoe, kayak, etc) experience. Contact Elizabeth Stephens for more information (407-665-2457; serv@seminolecountyfl.gov). Please note that this is an educational event, not a clean-up (volunteer hours are not available). A huge shoutout to the folks at Wekiva Islands - we couldn't do it without your generosity!
November 8, 2024 - Monthly Eco Paddle (Event by Wekiva Wild and Scenic River System)
Time: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Wekiva Island, 1014 Miami Springs Drive, Longwood
What to Expect: Learn how to benefit our waterways and see the Wekiva River first hand on a canoe tour! Space is limited; RSVP REQUIRED. Participants should have some prior paddling (canoe, kayak, etc) experience. Contact Elizabeth Stephens for more information (407-665-2457; serv@seminolecountyfl.gov). Please note that this is an educational event, not a clean-up (volunteer hours are not available). A huge shoutout to the folks at Wekiva Islands - we couldn't do it without your generosity!
December 7, 2024- Wekiva Wellness: Painting Beside the Little Wekiva River with live Harp Music
Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Cost: $15
Location: Little Wekiva River
Stay tuned for more details!
December 7, 2024- Training for Christmas Bird Count
Time: 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Cost: Free
Location: TBA
Resister: Jay.h.exum@gmail.com
Stay tuned for more details!
December 21, 2024- Christmas Bird Count
Time: All Day
Cost: Free
Location:
Resister: Jay.h.exum@gmail.com
January-June 2025 - Ecology of the Wekiva:
Time: TBA
Cost: Free
Location: TBA
What to Expect: A series of field trips to explore and understand the issues of the Wekiva River and its basin. Stay tuned for more details.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Wekiwa Springs Watch
The 3rd Thursday of each month
Time: 8:30 AM- approx. 11:30
Location: Wekiva Island, 1014 Miami Springs Dr., Longwood, FL
Thank you, Wekiva Island, for donating canoes for this activity!
BECOME A CITIZEN SCIENTIST AND HELP MONITOR OUR SPRINGS! SpringsWatch is a citizen science program that provides volunteers with hands-on training in the field. That “field” is Florida’s beautiful springs! Volunteers learn all aspects of water quality monitoring and get to know the wildlife and plants that depend on springs systems. This fun and educational day on the water also contributes to our springs knowledge database as well as that of other environmental agencies across the state.
Currently, the Florida Springs Institute has 11 active SpringsWatch groups across Florida, including Wekiwa Springs. During SpringsWatch sessions, volunteers collect data on water temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, vertical light attenuation, aquatic vegetation, wildlife, and human uses.
SpringsWatch is a great way to get out to the springs, learn, and help generate data that supports them. Email michelle@friendsofwekiva.org if you’d like to join!
Scenes from several Springswatch paddles. Images by Michelle Jamesson and other Springswatch volunteers
SERV Volunteer Opportunities -
Protecting our Natural Resources through Volunteering & Education
Lake Lily Demo Garden
Help start the new Lake Lily Garden on Saturday, 9/7/24! We will be planting native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to attract pollinators and other wildlife. Plantings will demonstrate the use of native plants that require less water to maintain. Read more details and signup on Eventbrite.
Lake Restoration Events
Help Seminole County Lake Management & SERV to plant shoreline vegetation to improve water quality! We'll be working in the water - part of the fun is getting muddy & wet! Links for individual events below, all Saturdays:
Lake Tuskawilla 9/28/24
https://bit.ly/Tuskawilla2024
Springwood Lake 10/12/24
https://bit.ly/Springwood2024
Lake of the Woods 10/29/24
https://bit.ly/LOW2024
