Nature Operations Division is a part of The City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

The Nature Operations Division develops and conducts environmental education programs for the Alachua County school system, community education classes, nature preschool programs, and weekend and summer programs. Its staff is responsible for the development and operation of the City's Greenways and Greenspace Design including the Hogtown Creek Greenway, nature preserves development, and habitat management.

The 13th Annual Great Air Potato Roundup is the largest volunteer/community event for the City of Gainesville!

The City of Gainesville’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs proudly announces the largest volunteer/community event on Saturday, January 28th, 2012. More than 1,000 volunteers will come together for the 13th Annual Great Air Potato Roundup, which is modeled after a litter clean up,  to remove air potatoes and other invasive, exotic plants from Gainesville’s natural areas. After the harvest, volunteers will gather at Morningside Nature Center for a celebration for participants with free event tee shirts, refreshments, music and prizes.  Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera), is a non-native vine that jeopardizes Florida’s natural communities by engulfing native vegetation. The rapid-growing vine produces aerial tubers (hence the common name “air potato”) that fall to the ground in the late fall and winter and produce new vines that sprout in the spring.

Pre-registration for this event was required and is now closed. Volunteers eagerly await the “call to arms” and the opportunity to participate in this family-friendly event that is good for the environment and Roundup T-shirts have become a collector item! Because of its success, the annual event draws significant media coverage and attracts sponsorship from the local business and community. We are very grateful to all our sponsors that help make this event possible!

Come volunteer with
Nature Operation Division
Would you like to find out more about volunteer opportunities with Nature Operations? You can make a difference in your local conservation lands right here in Gainesville!

City of Gainesville Offers Family Fun Naturally!
Providing opportunities for family fun comes naturally for the City of Gainesville's Department of Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs Nature Operations Division. Mark your calendar for the many activities and events.

Discover Florida as it was!
Gainesville's Natural Treasures can be found throughout the city. You can stroll along a trail deep in the woods, walk a boardwalk edging a blackwater stream, take a class to become familiar with the fascinating wildlife, or step back in time over 130 years on a ten-acre Living History Farm. Visit the spring where Gainesville began or ride your bicycle or horse on the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail. Enjoy some of the best bird watching in North Florida, observe butterflies busy at wildflowers, and hear frogs calling for mates.

Nature parks are an integral part of the reason Gainesville is one of the best places in the U.S. to live... there is a sanctuary within minutes of wherever you are in the city. See these treasures for yourself... get to know your nature parks.

May the forest be with you! 

Thank you for your interest in the 13^th Annual Air Potato Roundup! Due to overwhelming community response, registration is now closed.  However, there are other ways you or your group can help Gainesville’s environment. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs offers many other natural resource management volunteer opportunities. Please contact Gary Paul, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at paulga@cityofgainesville.org or (352) 393-8527.

To make a difference in your own yard, please visit http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/133 for specific information on the air potato, or visit http://www.fleppc.org to learn about the air potato and other invasive exotics. “Like” us on Facebook: Nature Operations Gainesville, FL.  

Save the date: “Go Native” – it’s easy at the 2012 Spring Native Plant Sale at Morningside Nature Center on March 30 and 31. Take advantage of the largest offering of native plants in North Florida during the 2012 Spring Native Plant sale on Saturday, March 31 - open to the public from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Cash and checks only! An exclusive member’s sale is on Friday, March 30, 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, and is open to members of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS), and Friends of Nature Parks (FNP) only. Memberships are available at the gate. Only cash and checks are accepted.