With a little over a month left of school, it is crunch time for many USFSP. Final papers, exams, and the threat of unemployment can all create a lot of stress. But you can take a break from it all at one of St. Petersburg’s best parks.
Only a few minutes south of campus sits Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. With over 200 acres, Boyd Hill is filled with diverse eco systems, plant life and animals. For $3, visitors can enjoy all that the park has to offer. All of the proceeds collected help maintain the grounds as well as the bird of prey aviary. At the aviary, visitors get an up-close look at some of Florida’s most common and most endangered birds of prey.
There are over three miles of trails and boardwalks that wind throughout Boyd Hill, providing a tranquil break from the city. Lake Maggiore borders the preserve, which gives visitors a chance to see alligators, turtles and a number of Florida’s unique birds. If you are lucky, you may stumble upon one of the park’s many gopher tortoises. In Florida, gopher tortoises are on the endangered species list and considered to be a threatened species.
If being too close to the wild life scares you, or if you just want to learn more about Boyd Hill, you can take a guided tour around the park. For an additional $2 donation, park volunteers take you on a golf cart tour pointing out the major flora and fauna. Visitors learn about the different eco systems and why controlled burning is vital to the growth of the tortoise population. An important message throughout the tour is the impact that people have had on these environments.
Some people come to visit Boyd Hill and decide they want to help maintain the park and educate others about its importance. Stephanie Coutant, an environmental science major at USFSP, works as a cashier at the park’s environmental center.
“Anybody can volunteer here at any time and any age,” Coutant said. “We actually just opened a garden for young children and their parents to come out to and work on together.”
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is opened Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about the park, visit stpete.org/boyd.
Top photo: Boyd Hill offers more than 3 miles of walking trails including two boardwalks that wind their way through different ecosystems.
Photos by Daniel Mutter
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