February 11 & 12 – Love on the Lagoon – Celebrate Valentine’s Day 2021. This year Valentine’s Day may look a little different, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate your love! Fall in love with nature as you glide through our enchanted mangrove forest lit with lights on a half-hour guided canoe ride. The perfect way to celebrate with your someone special.
Details
Dates: February 11 & 12, 2021
Time: 6 – 8 pm, trips run every half hour
Place: Environmental Learning Center, 255 Live Oak Drive, Vero Beach
Each launch time can accommodate up to 20 guests. The quick canoe trips are roughly 30 minutes in length and take you on a tour of our lit mangrove trails.\
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your selected trip timeframe to allow time to check-in. Closed-toe and closed-heel shoes are recommended. In order to protect ELC representatives and guests, masks are required when in the canoes and a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained. All canoe participants must be at least 5 years of age.
Book early as spots are limited! https://www.discoverelc.org/post/love-on-the-lagoon-canoe-trips-for-valentine-s-day
February 12 & 20 – Jungle Trail Bike Tour – Take a comfortably paced bicycle tour of the Historic Jungle Trail. Tour starts and ends at Captain Forster’s Hammock Preserve on the Jungle Trail.
Bike Tour Details
2021 Dates:
Fridays – January 22, February 12, March 12 from 9:00-11:30 am
Saturdays – February 20 from 3:00-5:30 pm
Place to meet: Tour starts and ends at Captain Forster’s Hammock Preserve on the Jungle Trail. 8610 Jungle Trail, Vero Beach, FL 32963 (South of 510 on the Jungle Trail)
Bicycles are not provided. Participants should bring their own bicycles or rent from Orchid Island Bike Rentals.
COVID precautions – Masks are not required while riding the bikes. Masks are required within 6 feet of other guests on stops.
A Ride Through Natural History
The Jungle Trail Bicycle tour is a comfortably paced eight mile tour of the Historic Jungle Trail. The tour starts and ends at Captain Forster’s Hammock Preserve and includes several interpretive spots where you will learn about the history of the Jungle Trail, Capt. Forster’s Preserve, and more.
The bicycle tour is designed such that people with a basic level of fitness can complete the entire tour in the time allotted. The Jungle Trail is open to automobile traffic and biker must be able to pedal for two hours (with stops). However, if you are not able to complete the tour, the entire length of the route is accessible by motor vehicle and either your emergency contact or a guide will be able to rescue you and your bicycle by motor vehicle after the tour has ended. Our guides are able to fix most common problems like flat tires and broken chains. If, however, a problem arises that cannot be fixed, the same rescue procedure as described above can be used.
What to Bring
Bicycle w/1.5”-wide tires or larger
Bicycle helmet* and sunglasses
Water bottle, snack, sunscreen, bug repellent
*We recommend everyone wear a helmet. Riders under 16 years of age are required to wear a helmet under Florida law: A bicycle rider or passenger who is under 16 years of age must wear a bicycle helmet properly fitted, fastened securely upon the passenger’s head by a strap and that meets the federal safety standard for bicycle helmets, as defined by the Code of Federal Regulations (16 C.F.R. Part 1203). The term passenger includes a child riding in a trailer or semi-trailer attached to a bicycle.
Please check your bike the night before to make sure it is in good working condition, including properly inflated tires.
https://www.discoverelc.org/post/bike-tour-of-the-historic-jungle-trail
February 13 – Galentine’s Word on the Water – Ladies, grab your besties or make some new friends and come explore the “feminine” side of Nature, yourself, and the power of words. Canoes, kayaks, and the beautiful Indian River Lagoon set the stage for an inward journey of self-love and self-care. Carve time out so that focus words which foster your unique feminine nature might be revealed.
Details
Date: February 13, 2021
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $55
What’s your Wellness Word?
Join a group of “Gals” guided by Wellness Wonder Woman, Sonya Louise, and for a day of nature and self-exploration:
*Enjoy a morning kayak/canoe on the Indian River Lagoon.
*Explore the “feminine” side of Nature, yourself, and the world of Words.
*What do self-love and self-care look like in Nature and in me?
*What Words support my sacred feminine nature?
Includes a guided paddling excursion, floating meditation practices, and a free charm bracelet hand-stamped with your special Word.
https://www.discoverelc.org/post/gal-entine-s-word-on-the-water-wellness-event-for-women
February 20 – Photography Scavenger Hunt – Get your camera and join J. Scott Kelly from Island Images Professional Photography Studio at the ELC for an outdoor nature Scavenger Hunt. Find all of the letters of the alphabet in the foliage and landscape of our lagoon island campus and enter to win fun prizes!
Details
Date: February 20, 2021
Time: 9 – 11:30 am
Cost: $10
Photograph with a Pro
Join photographer J. Scott Kelly from Island Adventure Professional Photography for a photography scavenger hunt around a lagoon island.
All photos must be taken between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 20th, 2021. This is an active game and team building activity or you can go it alone. Recommended teams are two to four people. You can each use your own cameras or just one camera, but all of a team’s photos must be submitted (ONLY ONE IMAGE PER ITEM ON THE LIST) to the judges by 11:59 p.m. the same day of the event. Subject matter must be clearly visible and the judges reserve the right to make final rulings on whether or not points are to be given for each photo.
Find the alphabet in Nature
For this creative exercise, the subjects are the letters of the alphabet. The subject you photograph must look like the letters from A – Z, you may only provide 1 picture per letter. (You may shoot more than one image of any letter but you may only submit what you feel is the best one)
https://www.discoverelc.org/post/photography-scavenger-hunt-in-vero-beach
February 27 – Hook Kids on Fishing – Join Anglers for Conservation for this fun-filled, educational event for kids ages 5-15. Future anglers will learn fishing essentials from the pros and receive a free rod, reel, and tackle box for only $3.
Details
Date: Saturday, Feb 27th
Time: 9 -11 am
Cost: $3 per student
Fishing for kids in Vero Beach
The Anglers for Conservation has teamed up with the ELC to offer a ‘Hook Kids on Fishing’ event. Taught by professional guides and knowledgeable anglers, this hands-on, conservation-minded, and educational fishing program teaches kids:
- casting
- fishing safety
- knot tying
- tackle box essentials
- catch & release tactics
- fish habitats
- conservation practices
- and much more!
Parent/guardian must accompany children at all times and a waiver must be completed in order to attend. Waivers can be downloaded from the Anglers for Conservation website when registering or at the event.
Fishing equipment is NOT needed to attend. Kids will receive a free rod, reel and tackle box.
Please arrive 10 minutes early to get signed in.
Space is limited, so register early! Interested in volunteering or sponsorship? Please contact Mike Conneen at Mike@AnglersForConservation.org
https://www.discoverelc.org/post/hook-kids-on-fishing-at-elc
The Environmental Learning Center is a 64-acre 501(c)(3) not-for-profit nature center. Our mission is to educate, inspire and empower all people to be active stewards of the environment and their own well-being. The ELC serves the community through school field trips, camps, lecture series, professional development and more. Our campus includes native plant gardens, boardwalks, kayaks, canoes, a pontoon boat, children’s play area and many other amenities that help increase access to nature for people of all ages.