On September 29, 2012, 164 volunteers from all over Central Florida and of all ages participated in the Ridge Rangers’ National Public Lands Day event, spread across five conservation sites on the Lake Wales Ridge:
- Archbold Biological Station
- Highlands Hammock State Park
- The Nature Conservancy’s Tiger Creek Preserve
- Bok Tower Gardens
- FWC’s Hilochee Wildlife Management Area
The theme of the event was helping our conservation areas by removing invasive plants. At the five sites, the participants removed:
- Well over a ton of air potato plants!
- 35 garbage bags of rosary pea!
- 30 garbage bags of natal grass and many, many buckets of natal seed!
Photos from 2012
Heading out to the work area to remove natal grass at Hilochee Wildlife Management Area. (photo by Mike Blondin)
Searching for air potato bulbs in the ground cover at Highlands Hammock State Park. (photo by Bill Parken)
Removing natal grass seeds along a firebreak at Tiger Creek Preserve. (photo by Steve Morrison)
A JROTC Cadet grabs a fistful of air potato at Archbold Biological Station. (photo by Kevin Main)
Handing out tools to cut rosary pea at Bok Tower Gardens. (photo by Heidi Mandelin)
More pictures from the day are online on the Ridge Rangers Flickr Site 
at http://flic.kr/s/aHsjCk8LY9
2012 Event Locations
If you’re interested in participating in the our 2013 event on Saturday, September 28; please contact us at ridgerangers@myfwc.com.
2013 will be the 20th anniversary of NPLD!
Persons with Disabilities