| Air Potato Raid January 21 10 am-Noon Spring Hammock Preserve (bring water and gloves) |
| After the Air Potato Raid there will be an open house, $5 for families, $2 individals. The Nature Store will be open, and barbecue will be available for sale. Also, a limited selection Environmental Art will be for sale. |
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Travel Country Outdoors presents check to at the School Board Meeting to Benefit the Seminole County Environmental Center  Travel Country Outdoors Donates a Kayak to Benefit the Seminole County Environmental Center  Presentation of Kayak to raffle winners Gloria, Matt and Aiden Eby, and Big Check to Friends of the Environmental Studies Center for Travel Country's Donation of $4,500 for 2011. Left to right, Vicki Barnes, Pat Burkett, Karen Almond, Amy Givens, Andy Younger, Matt and Aiden Eby, Gloria Eby, Carolyn Milhan holding Otus, and Tammy Potosky. Pictures by Steve Barnes.    Pictures from Left to Right:Andy Younger and Winners, Gloria and Matt Eby and son Aiden, Kayak Winner Matt Eby holding son Aiden reaching for Otus the Owl held by Environmental Studies Center Teacher Carolyn Milhan. Andy Younger from Travel Country Outdoors looking on,and Karen Almond holding the baby alligator Please join us Tuesday 1/10/12 for the presentation of the check to the School Board. |
2011 Fun Run Thank
you to all the participants in the 5K Fun Run. The run was a success
and that we ran out of numbers at 200! We will post the final tally
when it is available. Thanks to all the volunteers.Fun Run Photo Gallery |
Lemonade Stand for the Mudwalk What do a fourth grader and a second grader do when they hear the Environmental Studies Center is in trouble, and they want to try to be sure there is a Mudwalk for them? They raise money and donate it to the cause! These two Lawton Elementary students set up and ran a lemonade stand in their Winter Springs neighborhood this summer. A nearby garage sale brought people to the area. According to mom Renee (left), who watched over the process, people were more  than generous when they learned the girls were earning money to save the Environmental Studies Center. Sydney and Dani wanted to give the money directly to the Center themselves, so they came in person their last "Free Friday". They presented the envelope with $65 directly into the hands of Environmental Assistant Carolyn Wertz, while Dannie Quinn and Francie Willow beam in appreciation. |
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| Environmental Studies Center Student Volunteer receives The Prudential Spirit of Community Award for his work at the Center. We are very proud of Matt Gerken and thank him for all his support. |
| Thank you to the 245 Volunteers that collected 2881 pounds of Air Potatoes on Jan 22, 2011 |
 2010 Air Potato Raid Thank you to all the volunteers. Volunteers collected and removed almost 5 tons (9,480 lbs to be exact) of air potatoes from the Spring Hammock Preserve. Over 1,000 lbs more than last year! Total volunteers that helped was 1,079! (Over 400 more volunteers than last year!) Most collected by an individual: 108 lbs by Kathy Tighe Most collected by a small group: 197 lbs by the Wise Family Most collected by a large group: 871 lbs by the students at Full Sail University |
Congratulations to three members of the Friends of the Environmental Studies Center, Maggi, Pat, and Peggy.
The team's entry placed 2nd in the 2009 Rachel Carson – Sense of Wonder contest Photo Category. The entry consists of a photo taken by Maggi and a narrative of how the three "Share Environmental Interests Across Generations". To see all the winning 2009 entries please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/thesenseofwonder/2009/index.html
Our Purpose
- to Save the Seminole Mud Walk
- to bring back the First Grade programs
- to keep the Seminole Mud Walk an Experience of a Lifetime, as it has been for hundreds of thousands of Seminole County fifth graders over the last 30 years.
- We are seeking funds to keep the Center and the programs for the 2011-2012 school year.
- We are seeking funds to keep the Center and the programs for the 2011-2012 school year.
Find out more. Explore this site to find out about us, about the problem, about the solution, and —most important—how you can help.
Fifth Grade Seminole Mud Walk Needs Your Help
The Friends of the Environmental Studies Center, a group of concerned citizens, and School officials are working to save the Environmental Studies Center programs. They have started community fundraising events, seeking corporate assistance and looking for individuals who are willing to help bring back the full curriculum for both fifth and first graders county-wide.
A school facility in a public park, The Seminole County Environmental Studies Center is a joint effort of the Seminole County Public Schools and the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners. It is located in Soldiers Creek Park, part of Spring Hammock Nature Preserve, on County Road 419 near Highway 17-92. The trails and picnic areas in the park are open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day. A mile walk or bike ride down the main trail leads to a boardwalk that winds through a swamp to a view of Lake Jesup. |   |
How can you help? Click on the “Join a Committee” and “Donate Now” tabs
Visitor Count
 | Anyone who grew up in Seminole County in the last three decades remembers the fun and the excitement of going to the Seminole County Public School’s Environmental Studies Center to learn about the environment and have an absolutely filthy fun time sloshing through the mud, the highlight of their fifth grade program lovingly known as, “The MudWalk.” First Graders enjoy their own exciting program, with glimpses of what is to come as they see the fifth graders return, laughing and comparing MudWalk stories. |