Happenings Program Guide Fall 2017 | Page 25

“THE MIR ACLE OF LIGHT POURS OVER THE GREEN AND BROWN E XPANSE OF SAW GR ASS AND OF WATER, SHINING AND SLOWLY MOVING, THE GR ASS AND WATER THAT IS THE ME ANING AND THE CENTR AL FACT OF THE EVERGL ADES. IT IS A RIVER OF GR ASS.” – Marjor y Stoneman Douglas EXPLORING THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES December 15-16, 2017 | January 19-20, 2018 | March 9-10, 2018 (2-day/1-night excursion) | $595 per person double occupancy ($685 single occupancy) PRICE INCLUDES A $ 50 TA X-DEDUC T IBLE DONAT ION TO FRIENDS After three sold out trips and a waiting list last season, the Friends of Boca Grande have decided to continue this captivating adventure to the Florida Everglades! While most will describe it as a swamp or wetland, the Everglades is actually a slow-moving river. It is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States, consisting of 1.5 million acres of saw grass marshes, mangrove forests and hardwood hammocks. It is home to endangered, rare and exotic wildlife. The Friends of Boca Grande will take 12 people to explore and discover all three of these wilderness environments . . . by airboat, by tram, and by foot. HIGHLIGHTS • • • • Take an airboat tour of the River of Grass (1 hour) Enjoy a two-hour narrated tram tour of Everglades National Park at Shark Valley, the “heart of the Everglades.” At the halfway point, a 45-foot-high observation deck offers an opportunity to observe the tranquil vistas of the Everglades, extending 20 miles in all directions. Learn about the building of the Tamiami Trail, the opening of Florida’s “last frontier,” at the Collier-Seminole State Park and see the last existing Bay City Walking Dredge — used to construct the Trail through the vast wilderness of the Everglades & Big Cypress Swamp. Visit the Big Cypress Swamp National Preserve, notable for its 500-year-old cypresses whose roots are specially adapted to grow underwater for months at a time, and learn from a ranger about habitat, wildlife and the preserve. ACTIVITY NOTES Will be walking on well-kept trails; some stairs. ITINERARY SUMMARY Leave Boca Grande Community Center at 7:00am sharp. Stay overnight at the Ivey House Inn in Everglade City. Return to Boca Grande by 7:00pm. INCLUDED IN YOUR TRIP • • • • Round trip transportation from Boca Grande in a 14-passenger executive van with bucket seats and extra headroom. All meals, including a wine/beer reception (one breakfast, two lunches and one dinner). Accommodations at the Ivey House Inn. All entrance fees and tour costs. Photo by: JIM NORDLIE F R I E N D S O F B O C A G R A N D E | 9 41. 9 6 4 . 0 8 27 | f r i e n d s o f b o c a g r a n d e . o r g 25