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The Trailhead is located in Lake County, Florida. map

For more information, please contact info@scrubjaytrail.org
(352) 429-5566

open:
sat - wed : 8:00-5:00

Email photo contributions
of wildlife or plants seen
on the trail to this address: photos@scrubjaytrail.org

July 25, 2009 Trailday Newsletter
Hello Trailblazers!
Scrub-Jay Trailday Christmas in July

Scrub-jay Trailday Christmas on July 25th, 2009  8am-11am

Since we missed the June Trailday, due to the death of our friend and colleague Craig Tufts, we are going to make up for it this July. Speakers, new gardens, and pot luck "Christmas in July" Celebration.

Special guest speaker and Trailblazer, Chris Parker, will be giving a presentation on
the three volunteer experiences that she has participated in over the past two years at the Disney Wilderness Preserve. Deer and hog track count, seeding, and the scrub-jay monitoring program. She will also discuss training and other projects that take place on the preserve.

In Memory of Craig Tufts, Chief Naturalist with National Wildlife Federation we will be creating a new addition to the trailhead. One of many issues that Craig spoke about was the importance of pollinators. We thought it was quite fitting to add a pollinating trail adjoining the NWF Kiosk. So bring your gloves, shovels, hat's and sunscreen and let's create the most beautiful pollinating garden in honor of Craig.

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Two New Juveniles
This year our Scrub-Jay family had two new juveniles that are thriving. Come see how they mimic Mom, Dad and their younger sister. Very gregarious!

Banding babies and parents/siblings
Our search continues to find an available bander to band our five jays at the Trailhead. Most of you who volunteer here regularly know the importance of the banding program. This is one of the critical aspects of knowing where your birds travel and why. It is also an integral part of the restoration process. If you or someone you know is permitted to band Scrub-Jays in Lake county please get in touch with us.

                                               see more Juvenile pictures in the Gallery

Lake County Scrub-Jay Survey
The Nature Conservancy along with Lake County and Lake County Water Authority have wrapped up this years "Jay Watch" program. This is the first county wide survey since 2003. Jay Watch is a citizen science program monitoring threatened Florida scrub-jays with the goal of providing information for more high-quality habitat for more scrub-jays. Results from the survey will be forthcoming.

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Our extra special guest was Lake County Commissioner Elaine Renick, who took time out of her busy schedule to pitch in and support this very important community service. Thank you Elaine for getting down and dirty with the rest of us.

After 3.5 hours of hard work, a big pat on the back for a great deed is deserved by all. We gathered 18 garbage bags. Some of the items found were 2 car bumpers, TV, PVC pipes, baseball, golf ball, grease gun, a letter from a teacher, and the winner of the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail T-Shirt went to John Thomton for the most unique item of the day...a totally burned out cell phone.

All that fun was followed by lots of incredible food! Thank you for all the delightful food you created and served.

Our efforts couldn't have been better timed. On Monday morning, the county had picked up all the bags and immediately behind them came the mowers. Thank you Lake County.
A much safer environment for the people mowing as well as for the cyclists and cars that ride by these mowers. For those of you who came from Orlando and other far away areas, we thank you. You should be very proud!

A special thank you to Lou Anne Rossdeutscher who took all the Day-Glo vests home and hand washed them and hung them to dry! Now, if we aren't the most spiffy street crowd on the block! Thanks Lou Anne!

Our next scheduled Florida Scrub-Jay Trail "Adopt A Roadway" Clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, September 12th from 8am-11am followed by a cookout.
And mark your calendars for the last clean-up of the year on November 14th, 8am-11am.
Vests go fast so get your RSVP In ASAP.

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Saturday, August 1st marks the next Free Scrub-Jay Trail orientation from 8am-11am.
If you or someone you know has not had the opportunity to tour the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail, this is a good opportunity to get out and see what the hoop-la-la is all about. Share this event with everyone you know and care about that has a love for birds and the outdoors. Last month we had so many requests we had to add extra tours. The event is free however we do request you RSVP as we like to keep the group small.

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Please contact   info@scrubjaytrail.org   for ideas on your next community project. The birds will thank you and you'll feel very good about your contribution.

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Please RSVP if you plan to attend the pot-luck Christmas in July this Saturday, July 25th.
It is not required that you bring a dish, however if you'd like to, please let us know what you plan to supply. Also equally important is how many people in your party. Everyone always wants to know how many people they are feeding and ideas on what they can bring.

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