Special Events for Hillsborough River State Park

• NATIONAL TRAILS DAY WALK IN THE PARK
  Date: June 7, 2008 - 8:30-9:30 AM
  Description: The Suncoast Sandpipers Volkssport Club and Hillsborough River State Park are hosting noncompetitive walks open to everyone. Participants will be given written directions and follow a marked trail. Water will be provided at checkpoints. The event is sanctioned by the American Volkssport Association. Registration will be in the recreation hall at Parking lot #3. Lunch will be on sale after the walk. Camping, a cafe, and swimming pool are also available within the park.
  Fees: Walk fee is $2; children walk for free. Volkssport credit is $1. Walk fee is $2; children walk for free. Volkssport credit is $1. There is a $4 up to 8 people per car charge to enter park. Park Fee: There is a $4 up to 8 people per car charge to enter park.
  Contact: Call the park at (813) 987-6771
  
• 'SUMMER CAMP ON THE RIVER'
  Date: June 9 -13 2008; June 16 -20 2008; June 23 -27 2008
  Registration Deadline May 30, 2008
  Description: A Hillsborough Community College sponsored program. This five day adventure will be an exploration into the heart of the Hillsborough River State Park. This day camp is being offered to children ten to twelve years of age who want to learn about the Hillsborough River Ecosystem and Pine Flatwoods of Florida.
  Fees: Cost $165.00 per week
  Contact: Contact: H.C.C. Peter Rossi (813) 757-2173
  
• INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP
  Date: Saturday - September 20, 2008. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., and the cleanup is from 9 a.m. to noon. (Parking Lot #3 River steps next to Recreation Hall)
  Description: On the third Saturday in September, thousands of volunteers come out to remove marine debris from our shorelines. Our rivers and oceans were once seen as a vast and limitless area that had the ability to absorb the trash we dumped into it. Florida's population increase, combined with a disposable society mindset, has resulted in marine debris continuing to choke our waterways and ruin our pristine shorelines, threatening human health and endangering marine wildlife. Partnering with The Ocean Conservancy and Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, the Florida Park Service tries to help solve the problems of litter.
  
  People are the problem, but people are also the solution. Marine debris is one pollution problem that society can solve with action. The cleanup is about individual solutions to a global problem. Note: Limited to 50 participants
  
  Fees: Park admission is waived for volunteers.
  Contact: For more information & registration (813) 960-5121
  
• 16TH ANNUAL HAUNTED WOODS EVENT
  Date: October 24 & 25, 2008 - 6 - 10 p.m.
  Description: Sponsored by the Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society this event includes the Haunted Woods Trail, Coloring Contest, and Family Tram Ride (Tram runs Saturday Night ONLY!). Refreshments, Games, Goodies, and Moonwalk will also be available for an additional fee. There will be a Costume Contest both nights. All ages - 6:00 pm - Prizes! It is a safe alternative to Trick-Or-Treating! Bring the whole family and come walk through our Haunted Woods for a scary, fun time. Special Notice: Fort Foster Historic Site Tours are cancelled (10/25 Saturday– 10/26 Sunday of this event)
  Fees: Ages 6 and up $5.00/each. Ages 5 and under Free!
  Contact: Call the park for more details 813.987.6771
  
• LEAVE NO TRACE AWARENESS & TRAINER WORKSHOPS
  Date: Nov. 15-16, 2008
  Description: Hillsborough River State Park is partnering with the Leave No Trace Program.
  
  Leave No Trace is an national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations.
  Fees: .
  Contact: Contact the park at (813) 987-6771
  
• LNT TRAINER COURSES
  Date: Saturday & Sunday Nov. 15-16, 2008—Start time: 1:00 PM
  Description: The Frontcountry Program -(Overnight Camping Program)
  
  **Participants will need to provide their equipment**
  
  Where do you normally spend time outdoors? Chances are, you participate in many of your favorite outdoor activities in areas close to home. The Frontcountry Program was established to meet the increased demand for education in day-use areas, which are receiving ever-increasing numbers of visitors, such as your local and state parks, preserves, or open space areas. There are many ways to get involved and trained. There are general frontcountry educational materials or, if you are a land manager, you can develop your own site-specific program to better meet your needs. Leave No Trace Trainer courses are two-day trainings put on in an outdoor setting by Master Educators. Trainer courses are designed to help you better understand and teach Leave No Trace skills and ethics. Participants will need to provide their equipment.
  
  Contact: Leave No Trace Trainer Janet Herrick at GirlPlanet@aol.com for reservations.
  Fees: Free.
  Contact: .
  
• AWARENESS WORKSHOP
  Date: Saturday Nov. 15, 2008--9:00 AM--Recreation Hall
  Description: Regardless of your favorite outdoor activity, Leave No Trace skills are important to learn. Leave No Trace courses function like a pyramid. Master Educator courses are at the top of the pyramid and train people to become comprehensive Leave No Trace educators, or Master Educators. Master Educators, in turn, teach the second level, the Trainer Course, to people who become Leave No Trace Trainers. Trainers (or Master Educators) are then able to conduct our third level of training called Awareness Workshops, which are designed for the general public and promote Leave No Trace.
  
  If you would like to participate in an Awareness Workshop in our State Park, please contact: Leave No Trace Trainer Janet Herrick at GirlPlanet@aol.com for reservations.
  Fees: .
  Contact: .
  

Hillsborough River State Park Ranger Programs

• FORT FOSTER TOURS
  Saturdays 2 PM - Sundays 11 AM
  Park admission plus tour fee of $2/adult and $1/child, ages 6-12. Ages 5 and under are free. Your step back in time will begin at the park's Interpretive Center located in parking lot #1. From there a tram will transport you to Fort Foster where you will see the only authentically reconstructed fort from the era of the Second Seminole Indian War (1830s). Allow approximately one-and-a-half hours for the tour. NO PETS.
  Call Call (813) 987-6771 for more details for more details.
• TRAM RIDE
  Friday Evening - 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM
  Look for the tram and wave! Make plans to join us for a tram ride throughout one of the oldest State Parks in Florida. We would like to show you the points of interest in the park and you can meet some of your fellow campers. So—Finish your dinner and clean your dishes. Grab the kids! The ranger will pick you up at your campsite. Bring a friend and a smile! *Note — All programs are offered weather permitting.
  Call 813-987-6771 for more details.
• CAMPFIRE PROGRAM
  Saturday Evening – T.B.A.
  Time of program is to be announced. Meet at Cedar Landing behind campsite 41 in Rivers Edge campground. Campfire programs are presented by park staff and volunteers, contact the Ranger Station for next scheduled program topic and meeting time. *Note — All programs are offered weather permitting.
  Call 813-987-6771 for more details.