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WELCOME TO YOUR
BEACH!
WE HOPE
YOU'LL VISIT OFTEN...
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Link to:
Collier County Parks & Recreation Website |
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What is Barefoot Beach Preserve? |
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Barefoot Beach
Preserve consists of 342 acres on a barrier island,
separated from the mainland by mangrove swamps and
tidal creeks. It is bordered on the west by
8,200 feet of Gulf of Mexico beach and sand dunes,
and on the east by mangroves and tidal back bays. It
is terminated at Wiggins Pass to the South.
One of the last stretches of undeveloped beachfront
land in South Florida, it remains as natural and
unspoiled as it was hundreds of years ago. Rich
vegetation and wildlife abound. |
Friends of
Barefoot Beach Preserve
P. O. Box 564
~ Bonita Springs, FL 34133
Help Support the Friends:
Be A Friend - Buy A Brick
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News and
Upcoming Events |
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VIEW OUR NOVEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER
Download Membership Application for 2009-2010
See What's Been
Added During the Summer of 2009
2009-10
Seasonal News Updates at Barefoot Beach Preserve |
Nature
Notes - A Weekly Update by Sharon
Truluck, Florida Master
Naturalist
Fall &
Early Winter 2009-10
Weekly
Ranger Led Programs (More
Info)
January 22nd,
2009 - Docent Luncheon at Barefoot Clubhouse
Lecture Series
( 2009-2010 Lecture Series)
March 5th,
2010 -
Next Annual Spring Membership Luncheon
SIGN UP FOR OUR ONLINE
NEWSLETTER |
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Tidbits
from Your President, Margaret Winn
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AN
APPEAL FROM YOUR PRESIDENT
The concept of The Friends of Barefoot
Beach Preserve began in the spring of 1990 when Leon and
Naida Eisenbud and Bobbe Hickman brought together a group to
erect an osprey nesting platform. If you have any pictures
of that time or of Barefoot Beach prior to 1990 please email
them to me at
twwwinn@comcast.net. We are compiling a DVD using
photos; scans from old Friends scrapbooks etc. to show at
the luncheon this year and kick off the celebration of
twenty years volunteer service at Barefoot Beach Preserve.
Please plan to join us at Imperial golf
Course this year and greet old friends.
For future updates of activities the
Friends website at
www.fobbp.org will have photos of events and lectures.
The ongoing success of the Brick Pavers
Fundraising project is exciting and creates many
opportunities for service at the park. The third
installation of bricks is scheduled to occur before the end
of January.
Upcoming opportunities for volunteers
include a series of special programs by Ranger Jim Truluck
and Volunteer Sharon Truluck; Estuary 101, Monday, February
8 from 2-3 pm at the learning center and Plants of Barefoot
on Saturday ,February 20 from 2-3 pm at the learning center.
All are invited to attend a special one
hour talk on February 24 at 1:00 in our learning center by
renowned Gopher Tortoise expert and author, Ray Ashton. He
will present a program to the public entitled Gopher
habits. This talk is in conjunction with a workshop we are
co-sponsoring with the Naples Preserve. This talk is
the only segment open to the public and we urge you to take
advantage of the opportunity to learn even more about our
special animal.
The photos at the top are from last
years luncheon………We would love to see you in them this year.
Margaret Winn,
President- Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve
239-495-9100

RECENT
ADDITIONS AND CHANGES AT BAREFOOT BEACH PRESERVE....
Blue
umbrellas have been installed on the picnic tables near the
Nature Center. This should make for a more comfortable and
enjoyable picnic experience when visiting Barefoot in the
weeks and months ahead. We owe a huge thank you to the Club
at Barefoot Beach for their generous donation of these
umbrellas.
New speed
bumps have been recently added to the second parking lot, to
bring added awareness to the plight of the gopher tortoises.
For sure, you are going to want to slowdown when traversing
this area.
The eroded
end of the Saylor Nature Trail has now been securely fenced
off, to allow for vegetation to be renourished. A new
connecting loop for the Saylor Trail was cut through by a
full complement of the Parks and Recreation Department, and
is now open for foot traffic.

We will continue to need new folks to volunteer at the
preserve; so if you meet or talk to anyone you feel might
be a candidate, be sure and let us know! Perhaps you may
want to get involved yourself, if you are not already on the
schedule. Start out by spending a morning or afternoon with
one of the teams and see what they do. We typically have
all our docents take part in the golf cart ride on the
Saylor Trail with ranger Cindy Kavan. This can be a great
learning experience. Ranger Jim Truluck's talk on the
Boardwalk is not to be missed. And you can always visit
with Ranger Mauricio, asking him whatever questions you
might have. Ranger assistant and Master Naturalist Sharon
Truluck, the author of the Nature Notes has offered to teach
preserve plants to docents who are interested . She offers
a wealth of information on these and other topics .
Volunteers are also welcome to start out as Tortoise
protectors. Simply put , the volunteer wears one of the very
visible yellow aprons and patrols the sidewalks and parking
lots; watching for tortoise that go under cars or out into
the road and making sure the drivers are aware of them. .
It seems there's always something to be done at our
Preserve.
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Getting to the Preserve? |
2009-10 Lecture Series
Schedule |
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Barefoot Beach Preserve is located along the Gulf of
Mexico in the Northwest corner of Collier County. From
either I-75 or Tamiami Trail (US 41), take Bonita Beach
Road, west. Just before reaching the Gulf, turn left
(South) onto Barefoot Beach Blvd. Pass through the
gate (a stop is not required, except for commercial
vehicles) and continue South through the residential area to
the Preserve's North entrance gate. All vehicles
except Collier residents displaying a permit are required to
pay a small parking fee.
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Each Saturday morning
during season, at
10 AM, the Friends of Barefoot Beach are pleased to present
lecturers on a variety of topics. All lectures are held in
the Friends Learning Center and attendance at the lectures
is free of charge and open to the public. Plan to come
early, as seating is limited, and often means that
latecomers will be left with standing room only. Check Out
our schedule of lectures for the 2009-2010 season. |
| Who Are "The Friends?" |
What Is Our Purpose? |
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Our organization is appropriately named,
as it had its origin among friends and neighbors, Leon and Naida
Eisenbud and Bobbie Hickman, Walking in the beach in the spring of
1990, they noted some Osprey's valiant efforts to build nests close by,
and decided to help. A team effort that soon included the utility
company, and a local builder, resulted in a platform nest atop a pole
that was quickly occupied by an Osprey family. They decided they
could do more, the Friends was born, and has been a growing team ever
since; joined by any and all who are concerned with preservation of our
precious marine and wetland environment.
Today the Friends of Barefoot Beach is a non
profit organization of over 400 families, each of whom pays
annual dues, and who are concerned about the preservation of
the precious marine and wetland environment. Recently,
a Foundation was established to help insure the financial
base for many years into the new millennium.
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 | To preserve, protect and enhance
natural features of the Preserve. |
 | To foster research and education
endeavors at the Preserve. |
 | To secure volunteers to assist the
County at Barefoot Beach Preserve. |
 | To distribute literature relating to
the Preserve. |
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| What Can You Do?
We'd love for you to be a FRIEND! |
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Join "The Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve!" or
"Be A Friend - Buy A Brick."
Your charitable gifts and dues can help to preserve
this natural seashore ~ a home to creatures of the
land, sea and air. There are also a
great many opportunities to volunteer. Whether
you'd like to volunteer or become a member, won't
you print out a copy of our application form, and
send it in today? (Download
Membership Application) |
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What are we doing? |
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Saylor Nature Trail ~ A mile long
trail winding through the trees to Wiggins Pass provides the chance
to view over 30 species of native vegetation all tagged and
identified by the Friends. Friends members regularly groom the
trail, clearing out exotic plants and replacing them with
natural species. They've also erected directional signs,
provided benches
to sit, relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the trail as well as
the Gulf, and identified vegetation and provided a descriptive
booklet, with detailed trail maps. manual. |
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Education ~
The Saturday morning
lecture series features guest speakers who are experts on subjects ranging from shells to dolphins, eagles to tortoises, and early
Florida Indian culture. For years, these popular lectures have
played to overflow crowds. Other educational offerings include
nature walks, canoe trips, guided cart tours for the physically
challenged and elderly along the Saylor trail, all of which help to
provide recreation and education on diversified subjects, primarily
related to environmental topics for the benefit of thousands of
local residents and visitors of all ages. |
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Learning Center ~ Located in the
heart of the Preserve, this structure is full of displays and
literature, including an extensive shell collection. Built and
maintained through private contributions, this structure has
been built, staffed, and maintained by the Friends of Barefoot
Beach, without the use of County, State, or Federal tax dollars. |
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Displays ~ Individual members
have developed posters and displays which are exhibited on
wall-mounted cases and in free standing cabinets all year round.
Unique shell collections are on permanent display. Plant
specimens from the trail and marine species from the beach are
displayed. |
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Library ~ Maintained for the use of
visitors who wish to identify specimens and explore books of
interest for adults and children on elements of this natural
habitat. |
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Tortoise Sanctuary ~ We are
continuing an ongoing study of population, distribution and habitat
of the gopher tortoise, a threatened species which is protected from
the inroads of civilization in the Preserve. |
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Osprey Platforms ~ Three poles and
platforms for Ospreys have been constructed and installed. In
addition, ospreys have established a nest on the trail in a dead
tree. Ospreys have taken possession and reared families in all
the nests. You can see and hear them, as the call to one
another, fish for food, and feed and raise their fledglings. |
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Aquatic Butterfly Garden ~ Dedicated
to founders, Naida and Leon Eisenbud, with ponds and waterfall, a
beautiful butterfly garden that was constructed, planted, and
is maintained with mostly native plant materials that attract
butterflies of many species. Each spring, following a lecture
on butterflies, additional specimens are released in a spectacular
display. Thanks to a few dedicated volunteers, the garden is
flourishing. More helping hands, however, are always welcome. |
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Xeriscape Cactus Garden ~ Just to
the South of the Nature Center, in vivid contrast to the Butterfly
Garden, the friends also maintain a xeriscape (dry or cactus)
garden, |
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Cleanup ~ Friends regularly
assist the County with Beach Cleanup.
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