County officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 24 to commemorate the opening of phase I of Canyon District Park, located at 8788 Senator Joe Abruzzo Avenue, west of Boynton Beach. The event will take place immediately after Palm Beach County’s Canyon Branch Library groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for 9:00 a.m. at 8802 Boynton Beach Boulevard.
Continue reading Canyon District Park Opens September 24
PBC Parks participated in the national Parks for Pollinators campaign, which was aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of pollinators and positioning parks as national leaders in advancing pollinator health. Organized by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA), the Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz event was held during the month of September.
We created a project – named Parks for Pollinators 2021: Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation – in the iNaturalist app, which was shared with NRPA and added to the national campaign. Participants used the iNaturalist app and website to record and identify observations of various plant and animal pollinators found in parks, natural areas, backyards, and other locations throughout the county.
The PBC Parks project recorded about 1,500 observations with more than 500 species identified. More than 200 identifiers and nearly 250 observers participated using the iNaturalist app.
“I really enjoyed looking for as many pollinators as possible in the one-month span. I know I definitely won’t stop looking for them any time soon!” said Mikie Green, PBC Parks Volunteer.
Mikie was recognized with observing the most species in the county during the event on iNaturalist (username coolcrittersyt), with over 80 species of pollinators.
Parks play a key role in protecting and preserving pollinators and their habitats, and BioBlitz events are designed to create a literal snapshot of plants, insects and animals to see what wildlife is present in local parks. The activity not only let participants safely explore their local parks and learn more about the species through the iNaturalist mobile app, the information gathered also provided specific data on the species located in the parks — which can help park and recreation professionals manage those spaces for biological diversity and build ecological resilience.
In addition to featuring the project on PBCParks.com, BioBlitz activities were conducted at events, like the “Palm Beach County Library System Park(ing) Day”, in order to provide the community with more ways to understand the importance of pollinators and their impact on the environment.
Welcome to Power of Parks, a podcast produced by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, where we share inspiring stories from people who have benefited from nature, parks, and recreation.
Episode 19 features Sandi Schwartz — a Palm Beach County resident and author of “Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities to Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer.” She’s also a passionate environmentalist, and spent years working in the environmental field and she’s dedicated to helping others recognize the ways nature can help minimize stress and increase happiness.
History Comes Alive at Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park features different topics from reenactors at the annual Battlefield Reenactment event. On this episode, Archie Marshall, Mark Lutz, and Matt Milnes represent U.S. Infantry Soldiers and demonstrate weapons and battle tactics during the Second Seminole War.
Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation 