Program areas at Trout Lake Nature Center
The Center's mission is to conserve and protect the natural environment and education about its importance. Programming is provided for students, homeschoolers and youth organizations. School programs include field trips with activities that are correlated to Florida's science education standards and vary by grade level. In-school presentations are provided per grade level on a class by class basis. Concepts such as food webs, adaptations, water quality, vertebrates and invertebrates, classification of species, weather, biodiversity and more are taught through interactive lessons. In addition to teaching science concepts, students and youth make valuable connections to Nature and our natural resources.
The Center's property and facilities (natural history museum, screened in picnic shelter, education building, education dock, boardwalk, foot bridges and trails) are open to the public and guided programs are offered to groups throughout the year. The education building and natural history museum contain mounted specimens of wildlife native to the area. The Center also curates a 1,200-specimen butterfly and insect collection. Children, families, adults and dog walkers travel our trails, use our picnic areas and enjoy Nature and the outdoors. A variety of programs are provided using outdoor teaching areas.
The Center provides regular programs throughout the year for families, children and adults. Some examples are sunday fundays on turtles, reptiles, water and bears, night hikes, friday night naturalist series, monthly pack walks, and a junior master naturalist program along with water color painting classes and others inspired by Nature programming. Other conservation organizations also provide programs to the public. In addition, the Center provides twice a week yoga sessions and monthly Nature sprouts programs for 2 to 5 year olds. Participation ranges from 15 to 100 at the events.