ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - In conjunction with the Cinema Verde Environmental Film & Arts Festival, the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will be conducting a free public tour of Hogtown Creek on Sunday March 20, 2011 at 1 p.m. in northwest Gainesville. The 3-hour tour will begin in the Big Lots store parking lot located at 2400 North Main Street. Participants will meet at the south side of this large parking lot, adjacent to NW 23rd Avenue. The tour will end at the Loblolly Nature Center located at 3314 NW 5th Avenue just off NW 34th Street. There will be several stops on the tour. Participants can reach the stops by car (carpooling is encouraged) or bicycle.
"This tour will showcase both challenges and opportunities for Gainesville's largest creek," explained EPD Director Chris Bird, "Local experts will provide interpretations of key features of the Hogtown Creek watershed, including natural assets, legacy environmental damage, and ongoing restoration efforts."
The tour will include; a review of creek restoration efforts near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site and the Gainesville Mall, demonstrations of water quality and biological monitoring, stormwater management, stops at historic Glen Springs and Ring Park, and a special appearance by author Marjorie Abrams discussing the setting for her fictional story, "Murder on Hogtown Creek".
For more information on the Cinema Verde Environmental Film & Arts Festival, click here.
For more tour information and a map of tour stops, click here and/or call Chris Bird at 352-264-6801.