Westgate residents enjoy free fun, win Thanksgiving turkeys at Annual Turkey Shoot

On November 12, families took to Westgate Park and Recreation Center to enjoy a night of free games, activities, and a chance to win Thanksgiving turkeys at the 12^th Annual Westgate Turkey Shoot. Kids and adults participated in games for all ages – the turkey hunt, turkey pop, turkey sack race, basketball free throw shooting contest, three-point shooting contest and family shooting contest.

Turkeys were given to the first place winner of each age category – male and female. Twelve turkeys were awarded to participants, on behalf of the Westgate CRA and Rodriguez Charities.

“It brings the community together, they get a chance to see each other, normally they don’t see each other on a regular basis – and some of them win a free turkey for Thanksgiving,” said Lee Powell, Westgate’s Facility Manager.

Westgate Park and Recreation Center is located at 3691 Oswego Avenue in West Palm Beach and is owned and operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. Amenities include two lighted basketball courts, a lighted multipurpose field, a playground, a soccer field, splashpark, game room, gymnasium and more. Staff at the facility regularly provide for youth enrichment, sports, and athletic programming for the Westgate Community by offering events like the Turkey Shoot, as well as after-school activities and sports leagues on a regular basis. To view the facility’s gym schedule and to find out what free events are happening at Westgate Park and Recreation Center, click here.

One of the core services of the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department is to provide for youth enrichment and sports/athletic programming and facilities. For more opportunities, visit www.pbcparks.com.

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Living History Day attracts almost 1,000 to “Old Florida”

Guests took an unusual step back in time on Saturday, November 14 during Living History Day,  a combination of two events typically held on separate days: The Fall Muster at Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park, focused on battlefield education, and the Pioneer Family Farmstead at Riverbend Park, focused on pioneers and homesteaders education. Both events were free to the public.

The Fall Muster transported participants back to 1838, while the Pioneer Family Farmstead event recreated a typical day on the farmstead during the late 1800s to 1920s. Combining both events into one larger event provided an ideal opportunity for visitors to fully experience “Old Florida” through education about battles that took place at the parks, as well as how the settlers used the land after those battles.

When guests stepped foot on the period farmstead in Riverbend Park, they were welcomed to live folk music, a sugar cane press, sawmill demonstrations and gained an appreciation  and understanding of how pioneers spent their time on the land.  Afterward, they boarded shuttles and were taken to adjacent Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park where they experienced period army and Seminole camps, re-enactors, guest speakers, historical preservationists, weapon demonstrations, battlefield tours and gained and understanding and appreciation of how the militia and Seminoles lived and learned about the wars between them.

“The point behind the event and the parks is for people to come and have a feel of the history and experience how Old Florida use to be,” said John Welch, Riverbend Park naturalist.

Since acquiring the land, the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department’s goal has been to preserve the natural, archaeological, and cultural significance of these properties and to provide access and education to the public. The Loxahatchee River, the first nationally designated wild and scenic river in Florida, passes through both parks, contributing to the environmental importance. The parks are also officially recognized as sites of two Second Seminole War Battles, and were home to pioneers and farmsteaders after those battles.

Riverbend Park and Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park are owned and operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and are located at 9060 Indiantown Road in Jupiter, Florida. One of the core services of the Parks and Recreation Department is to promote stewardship of natural, archaeological and cultural sites. For more opportunities, visit www.pbcparks.com.

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Okeeheelee Nature Center assists with Gray Fox release

In September, three Gray Fox kits were released into the wild at Palm Beach County’s Okeeheelee Nature Center in Okeeheelee Park, as part of a joint effort between Palm Beach County and the South Florida Wildlife Center.

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The Gray Fox Kits

Before arriving at Okeeheelee Nature Center (ONC), the three fox kits were taken in as orphans by the South Florida Wildlife Center (SFWC).

Two of the foxes were sisters, arriving at SFWC in May 2015 from Hollywood Hills High School at just a month old and weighing about 300 grams each. They were bright, alert and responsive. The other fox was picked up – also at a month old – from Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in June, having been found at an unknown location in Miami-Dade County. He had a degloving wound on his tail, whereby the skin and fur are essentially torn off the bone. The wound was treated for about a month. All of the foxes were treated for parasites, vaccinated and hydrated.

During their 6-month stay in the rehabilitation facility at SFWC, the foxes learned essential survival skills  in their enclosure and were regularly vaccinated. Human contact was very limited to avoid imprinting, which is a serious problem when wild animals become accustomed to humans and lose their fear of people. Imprinted animals cannot be released into the wild and must spend the rest of their lives in captivity.

The Soft Release

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The fox kits were 7 months old when they arrived at ONC in September 2015. They were released that same month in an area on the nature center’s 90-acre preserve. The release was coordinated by SFWC’s Release Specialist, Shelby Proie, as well as ONC’s Manager, Callie Sharkey.

The “soft release” process involved putting a temporary enclosure in the area where the fox kits were located, and feeding them for two to three days. During this time, the kits became accustomed to their new surroundings, allowing them to easily establish a territory soon after the doors open.

Wildlife trap cameras were put up inside the enclosure, as well as on a nearby tree in order to track the fox kits’ activities. When the doors opened, the foxes left after about 15 minutes. One fox returned three days later to observe the space, but didn’t stay. Volunteers and staff have seen tracks in the area, but not the actual foxes – which is a very good sign of their successful transition into the wild.

A release of this kind was a first for Okeeheelee Nature Center. Okeeheelee’s pine flatwoods habitat made it an ideal location for the fox release, since it’s reasonably protected and there’s plenty of food for the foxes to hunt and forage to survive on their own.

Okeeheelee Nature Center is owned and operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and features 2.5 miles of trails winding through 90 acres of pine flatwoods and wetlands. Highlights of the center include hands-on exhibits, animal encounters, and more. Guests can marvel at birds of prey, touch a live snake or prowl for owls during one of the many programs scheduled throughout the year for families, youth and adults.

This was a pre-approved and joint effort by the South Florida Wildlife Care Center, which is affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States. Palm Beach County’s three nature centers DO NOT serve as rehabilitation centers, nor can they accept injured or stray animals on site. Please contact the South Florida Wildlife Care Center directly [954-524-4302] if you find an injured or stray animal.

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation awards check to local organization

It was an exciting day for one local organization as they accepted a check for more than $19,000 from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Endless Possibilities for the Disabled is a local non-profit group that provides social experiences through sports and recreation to improve the quality of life for persons living with disabilities. Their sports include boccia, goalball, handcycling, power soccer, sitting volleyball, sled hockey, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby, and are often played at Palm Beach County’s Therapeutic Recreation Complex in Lake Worth.

On October 20, the group was awarded a grant check in the amount of $19,500 from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

The night included a speech from Alan T. Brown, the Director of Public Impact with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, a check presentation, and a photo shoot with athletes from Endless Possibilities. After the presentation, the athletes wheeled around the court showing off their basketball skills in the wheelchairs.

“We just want to make sure that Chris and Dana’s dream of what they wanted for this community stays alive… and I’m honored to be here to give this check to Endless Possibilities and to make sure that there’s sports going on in Palm Beach County that weren’t normally here,” said Alan Brown.

By purchasing the basketball wheelchairs, the organization will now be able to start a basketball program. “To do the program before, we had to take money out of our own pockets, which is very minimal. This allows us to do so much more, to reach more people, to provide more programs,” said Endless Possibilities’ secretary, Charlie Brown.

The money will also be used to pay for ice time for the Sled Hockey team. “They reach so many people with paralysis on a daily basis, and that’s what we want to do, we want to make sure that this equipment is getting used and the ice time is getting used, that people are going to have a better quality of life.”

The county’s Therapeutic Recreation Complex has been beneficial in helping to fulfill the goals of Endless Possibilities. It provides the services and equipment necessary to provide adaptive sports to everyone, regardless of ability. “When the county built this property, it opened the lives for so many more people… they get active and they become part of society,” Charlie Brown said about the TR Complex.

The CMAA Therapeutic Recreation Complex is located at 2728 Lake Worth Road, and is owned and operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. For more leisure opportunities, visit www.pbcparks.com.

Endless Possibilities meets at 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Therapeutic Recreation Center.