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Community Briefs 8/11/16

Clay Today
Posted 8/10/16

Hike the haunted trail in the moonlight at Gold Head Branch State Park KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Gold Head Branch State Park will host its …

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Community Briefs 8/11/16


Posted

Hike the haunted trail in the moonlight at Gold Head Branch State Park
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Gold Head Branch State Park will host its seventh annual Haunted Hike on Saturday, October 15.
Ticket sales begin at 7 p.m. with the hike starting at approximately 7:30 p.m. Cost for the hike will be $5 per person. This event will be sure to get you in the mood for Halloween and send you running for the exit!
Hike along a one-mile haunted trail in the moonlight through the woods of Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, 6239 State Road 21, Keystone Heights.
You never know what ghosts and goblins will come greet you. The hike will be scary, please use discretion in bringing young children. To ensure the safety of all participants, strollers and pets are prohibited on the hike. Participants should meet in the picnic area.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase before and after the hike. All proceeds will benefit the Gold Head Branch State Park citizen support organization, Gold Head Associates Inc. and will provide support to the park otherwise not provided by regular state funding.
We are still looking for volunteers and haunters. Anyone interested should contact Wesley Collins at (352) 473-4701.

UNF Alumni Association Accepting 2017 Alumni Recognition Award Nominations
JACKSONVILLE – The University of North Florida Alumni Association is seeking nominations for its 2017 Alumni Recognition Awards. The awards recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional accomplishment or service and philanthropy that positively reflect the prestige of UNF.
Any individual or group may submit a nomination about an individual worthy of the following awards:
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award: This is the highest honor given to a graduate of the University who has made significant contributions to his or her profession, community and/or society, and consistently maintained the pursuit of excellence as a representative and graduate of UNF.
Young Alumni Achievement Award: Presented to an alum for outstanding professional achievement, contributions to the community and exemplary service to the University. Nominees must have completed his/her degree at UNF within the past 10 years and be 35 years old or younger as of Saturday, Dec. 31.
Alumni Service Award: An honor given to an alum who has demonstrated outstanding volunteer service on a local, state, national or international level, including time at the University, through clubs, service organizations or other community involvement.
Honorary Alumni Award: Presented to friends and supporters of UNF for exemplary service to the University. Nominees must not be a graduate of UNF.
A complete list of nominee criteria and the nomination forms are available at http://www.unf.edu/alumni/Alumni_Recognition_Awards.aspx. The form, along with required documentation, must be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15.
Award recipients will be announced during the 2017 Alumni Recognition Dinner and Awards Ceremony, scheduled to take place Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, during UNF’s homecoming week.

Tennis court upgrades completed
PENNEY FARMS – A tennis court renovation project at the Town of Penney Farms is now completed.
Funded with a $50,000 grant from the Florida Recreation Department Assistance Program, the courts located at 4100 Clark Ave. are open are ready for play, stated a town press release.
Town officials said players are enjoying the new cushioned surface, which is much kinder to knee joints.
The courts are open daily and for evening hours under the lights. Players are asked to follow the posted rules to ensure this special surface is maintained for many years.

TD Charitable Foundation Supports Early Learning Coalition
ST. AUGUSTINE – The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank recently donated $2,500 to the Early Learning Coalition of North Florida.
ELC manages and evaluates early child care and education programs through a quality school readiness delivery system in Clay, Nassau, Baker, Bradford, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
“We are thrilled to have the TD Charitable Foundation support ELC for the 3rd year with such a generous donation. Watching the kids’ faces light up when they receive their bag filled with books is priceless,” said Joan Whitson, ELC’s early literacy coordinator.
The Foundation has made more than $157 million in charitable donations since its inception in 2002 in the areas of affordable housing, financial literacy and education and the environment.

Help report and prevent algal blooms
JACKSONVILLE – The St. Johns Riverkeeper continues to receive reports throughout the summer of algal blooms in the St. Johns River and her tributaries.
Biolgists recently took samples of an algal bloom in Doctors Lake in Clay County. The test results detected total microcystin toxin levels at 2473 micrograms per liter, or more than 120 times higher than the recommended recreational exposure threshold of 20 micrograms per liter from the World Health Organization.
In every state that has established Harmful Algal Bloom response guidelines and criteria to protect the public from potential exposure, these toxin levels would mandate a public health advisory. Unfortunately, Florida is not one of those states.lgal blooms often occur as a result of an excessive concentration of nutrients. Too much nitrogen and phosphorous in our waterways can feed the uncontrolled growth of algae, depleting oxygen in the water that is needed by fish, reducing light that is essential to submerged vegetation, and threatening the health of both humans and aquatic life. Excess nutrients result from failing septic tanks, manure, wastewater discharges, stormwater runoff, and fertilizers that regularly wash into the river.
Blue green algae sometimes produce toxins that can result in ear, eye, or skin reactions and hay fever-like or flu-like symptoms. At high levels, these toxins can affect the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and nervous system.
As a result, do not swallow, swim, or wade in water where blooms are present, and don't eat fish caught in the same vicinity of an algal outbreak.
Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you come into contact with a bloom.
The Riverkeeper urges residents to help by reporting algal blooms to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection at (855) 305-3903 or online at www.reportalgalbloom.com. Also, send pictures and info about blooms to Lisa@stjohnsriverkeeper.org. Follow “River Friendly Yard” practices, by using less fertilizer, conserving water and preventing runoff into our waterways.
Riverkeeper is hosting an algal bloom sampling workshop at Black Creek Outfitters on Aug. 17.