VERO BEACH — The 16th Annual EcoFest Celebration at the Environmental Learning Center will take place Sunday, March 4 from Noon to 4 p.m. Gather up the family and head to the ELC for the Open House Extravaganza. Admission is free.
There will be live animals, music, crafts, and educational booths. Food choices from local vendors will be plentiful and affordable. For the second year, the Vero Beach Power Squadron will be cooking and serving hot dogs and hamburgers while donating the proceeds to the ELC.
This year’s theme is “Crustacean Celebration.” Want to know what a crustacean is? Come discover fascinating facts about many of the local crustaceans living in the Indian River Lagoon. This event is great for the whole family.
There will be crafts including Crabby hats and fans, canoe excursions (weather permitting), fly tying lessons, dip netting in the pond, face and hand painting, educational games, music by the River Rats Band and much more.
Friends from the Treasure Coast Herpetological Society will be there with some of their favorite snakes and reptiles you won’t want to miss. Naturalists from the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center will once again be at Mardie’s Hut with many exciting wild animals just waiting for visitors.
One of many new activities this year will be a Matching Crab Game presented by the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program. You will have an opportunity to drop in at the Discovery Station to see what lagoon critters are living in the largest brackish water aquarium in Indian River County, while taking time to discover the various hands-on educational exhibits.
Winners of the Making a Difference in My World School Contest will be announced on the main stage. The K to 2nd grade winners will be announced at 1 p.m.; 3rd to 5th grade at 3 p.m. This is always an exciting time for the students as well as their proud parents.
Parking is free along the Wabasso Causeway with additional parking in a lot located at the southeast corner of US 1 and 510. Free shuttle buses will transport visitors to and from the ELC campus from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. so you may choose to stay for part or all of EcoFest. We have arranged for an additional shuttle this year to make transportation easier. With so many fun-filled activities, you’ll want to spend the entire afternoon at the ELC’s Crustacean Celebration!
EcoFest is chaired by Pat Casselberry. Committee members include Linda Clerch, Tamara Garcia, Jan Garrison, Jody Harley, Jackie Jurgensen, Susan Levin, Art Meyer, Jim Reukauf, and Paige Visser.
The Environmental Learning Center is located north of Vero Beach off County Road 510 at the western end of the Wabasso Bridge. Its 64-acre island campus includes wooden boardwalk trails meandering through the mangrove forests, native plant gardens, a butterfly garden, picnic facilities, and a visitor center with a gift shop. A listing of ELC’s EcoVentures can be found at www.DiscoverELC.org.
