Photo courtesy of Camp Bayou

Here at Camp Bayou, our goal is to help folks see that with a little thought and planning they can incorporate into their own yards the elements of a healthy habitat needed for wildlife. We have several demonstration gardens that show how native plants can be "semi-tamed" to work within the average suburban lot. People visiting Camp Bayou see first hand bird and bat houses, log piles, tree snags and man-made ponds. We also have an on-site nursery that provides the native materials for them to begin creating their own wildlife-friendly landscape.

Photo courtesy of Camp Bayou

While we focus on a variety of wildlife, we have incorporated a number of bird-related activities into our programming. We have partnered with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Great Backyard Bird Count and a number of other citizen-science projects. In addition, we are a designated site on the West Florida Birding Trail.

Photo courtesy of Camp Bayou

"Celebrate Urban Birds!" coincided with our town's annual festival. About 6000 visitors come to this festival each year. We included a "Birding 101" display and presented a special  talk at the "Watershed Tent" in support of "Celebrate Urban Birds!"

Camp Bayou is an outdoor education and hands-on learning center operated by the Ruskin Community Development Foundation (RCDF) in cooperation with Hillsborough County government. In 1970, Camp Bayou was an RV campground. It is now publicily owned through Hillsbourough County's environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program and managed for public use by the RCDF. It's mission is to preserve a sample of Florida's original habitats in the Little Manatee River Watershed, and to use this Center for the purpose of promoting appreciation and understand of our natural resources and of our local culture and history.

For more information, please visit www.campbayou.org