Classes

Saturday, October 13, 2012   Times TBA

$25 members; $35 non-members

Increasingly, Grand Bay is becoming the Gulf Coast’s model for how the region once operated, and what it originally looked like. This long and complex intersection of forest, marsh, open water and seagrass supports what may be one of the best preserved and most diverse maritime forests and shallow-water marine environments along the entire Northern Gulf Coast. The spread of it is breathtaking – marsh and native tidal forest as far as you can see.

Grand Bay is home to some very beautiful and interesting plants you are unlikely to see anywhere else in the wild, including the rare golden canna and the Florida soapberry tree. We’ll wade through all these beautiful environments, from the longleaf pine savannas with their pitcher plants, down through the tidal slash pine grasslands and oak cheniers, and out into the open marsh and salt pannes, where the willets make their strange, operatic calls.

Come prepared to hike and to get wet, up to your knees or so. Open sandals are NOT allowed, and rubber boots are a nuisance. We highly recommend sturdy old tennis or athletic shoes that drain reasonably well.