NATL's Self-Guided Nature Trails

NATL has four publicly accessible, self-guided nature trails in the northern half of NATL-west: Upland Pine, Old-Field, Hammock, and SEEP. The first three trails traverse NATL's main upland ecosystems and the fourth features its ecologically engineered storm-water retention basin called "SEEP" (for Storm-water Ecological Enhancement Project). The routes of the four trails are shown on the map below. The red dotted lines are routes between trail heads and between the Cultural Plaza and trail heads. Kiosks are positioned at entry points to the trails. Each kiosk has a 3x4ft panel with information appropriate to that portion of the trail system.

[Click on a "circle-K" kiosk symbol to see its display.]

The public and university community are encouraged to explore the four distinct habitat types that NATL's trails traverse. Three of the trails feature NATL's upland ecosystems: Upland Pine, Old-Field Succession, and Hammock. The fourth trail features the Stormwater Ecological Enhancement Project [SEEP] and has a 500ft elevated boardwalk across this ecologically engineered stormwater retention basin. Each trail is approximately one-quarter of a mile and will take 5-15 minutes to walk-a good lunchtime break. There are picnic tables in Natural Area Park and all trails are easily accessible from the Cultural Plaza with its museums and Camellia Court Café.

The pictures, text, and links below provide detailed information about the nature trails and their kiosks and ecosystems.

The display at the start of the Upland Pine Trail explains that longleaf pine woodlands were once prevalent throughout the Southeast and describes how their perpetuation depends on frequent, low-intensity fires. To learn more about upland pine ecosystems, go to the upland pine photo gallery. Sample trail guide. [Trail guide archive.]

The display at the start of the Old Field Trail describes the expected sequence of biotic communities that occur when farm fields are abandoned in north Florida. Depending on fire frequency, the ultimate community may be either hammock or upland pine. To learn more about old-field ecosystems, go to the old-field succession photo gallery. Sample trail guide. [Trail guide archive.]

The display at the start of the Hammock Nature Trail describes the broadleaved forests of north Florida are diverse and dynamic--partly because of frequent natural disturbances. To learn more about hammock ecosystems, go to the hammock photo gallery. Sample trail guide. [Trail guide archive.]

The kiosk at the west entry to the SEEP Trail is under construction and its display is under development. To learm more about SEEP, go to the wetlands photo gallery.

The kiosk at the north entry to the SEEP Trail is under construction and its display is under development.

Trail users coming from the Cultural Plaza encounter an introductory kiosk with a display that explains the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory (NATL) and its system of self-guided nature trails. To learn more about NATL go to the menu of photo galleries.

Funding: The original proposal (1993) to establish NATL envisioned a system of nature trails through the three upland ecosystems in the public portion of NATL. For more than a decade, no nature trails were established because of a lack of funds and the need to tend to more pressing aspects of NATL's development. In 2005, Student Government and the Administration agreed to use $500,000 from the student-generated Capital Improvement Trust Fund for an Environmental Stewardship project to improve the University's 20-odd conservation areas. The Natural Area Advisory Committee [NAAC] asked for money from this project to establish four self-guided nature trails in the NATL-west Conservation Area--namely, the three long-desired upland trails plus a wetlands trail for SEEP, a stormwater retention basin re-contoured in 1998. In the spring of 2006 NAAC was awarded $100,000 for these trails with the understanding that the SEEP Trail would include a boardwalk. When it became apparent that the cost of the boardwalk and six contractor-built, trail-head kiosks would exceed the amount awarded, additional funds were sought and received from several sources. Furthermore, the Florida Museum of Natural History agreed to help build the kiosks, with NAAC-supplied materials, saving NAAC about $6,000.

Trail layout: It was anticipated that a majority of those using the trails would be visitors to UF's Cultural Plaza and that the Florida Museum of Natural History's Outdoor Nature Programs would use NATL much more than in the past. Consequently the layout of the trails was optimized for access to the trail-heads from the Cultural Plaza and from the adjacent Natural Area Park.

Initial content development: Six graduate students in Susan Jacobson's Fall 2006 class on Environmental Interpretation undertook the development of the explanatory panels for the six nature trail kiosks, for the stand-alone panels along the SEEP Nature Trail, and for the west side of the Natural Area Park kiosk. One trio (Josiah Townsend, Krystal Noiseux, Jeffrey Anderson) worked on the panels for the three upland trails, and the other (Kristine Hoffmann, Fred Fisher, Dara Wald) attended to the panels for the NAP and SEEP kiosks and for the signs along the SEEP Trail. To continue their design work during the Spring Semester of 2007, the two trios applied for and received $500 minigrants.

Personnel: Mark Clark, Advisor to the Wetlands Club, was in charge of the development of the SEEP Trail, and Tom Walker, NAAC Administrative Assistant, saw to the development of the three upland trails. They were greatly assisted by NATL's Graduate Teaching Assistants Kevin Ratkus and Julian Resasco, by Undergraduate Assistants Tim Ruscello and Marissa Streifel, by members of the Wetlands Club, and by others who generously volunteered their time and talents.