Nature Operations Division

Preserving Gainesville’s Natural Areas for Education, Recreation, and the Future...
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.

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.
The Mason Manor trail within the Loblolly Nature Park is closed until further notice. Sedimentation has lead to the diversion of some of the Hogtown Creek flow at this location. The City's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affiars and Public Works Departments have been communicating with the St. John's River Water Management District about the issue. However, there does not appear to be an easy solution. The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department does have the capability to improve the trail itself for visitor use and will be implementing a plan in late summer through winter. Due to the current unsafe conditions of the Mason Manor trail, it will remain closed until trail construction is completed. Please use the trail immediately to the west that connects NW 8th Ave to NW 16th Ave. If you have questions about the closure of this trail or the status of the project, please call (352) 334-2279 for further information. We appreciate everyone's patience as we move forward with this project.
Click on the image to enlarge. Way to go G’ville! The City of Gainesville Nature Operations Division wishes to thank the volunteers who participated at the 11th Annual Great Air Potato Roundup. Nearly 1,200 eager participants braved the rain to remove 13,270 pounds of air potatoes, 1,740 pounds of other invasive plants, and 1-full 20-yard construction dumpster of trash from sites throughout Gainesville! 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! As homeowners remove invasive plants from their yards— “Go Native” – it’s easy at the 2010 Fall Native Plant Sale at Morningside Nature Center on October 1st and 2nd! Put some zing in your garden and bring the family out to the Native Plant Sale to get native plants for your home. The largest native plant sale in North Florida, offering thousands of ferns, grasses, trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Save the date now for next year's 12th Annual Air Potato Roundup on Saturday, January 29th 2011. Be our fan on FaceBook: Nature Operations Gainesville, FL.