Girls Join Gulf Coast Staff for Hike of a (Young) Lifetime

Imagine being born and raised in Florida and never seeing an alligator? It’s probably more common than you realize, but one young Sarasota girl recently spotted her very first gator in the wild—thanks to an immersive nature experience provided in part by Gulf Coast. And that was just one of countless “wow” moments enjoyed throughout the day.

Last week, a dozen middle-school girls from Girls Inc. of Sarasota County joined staff from Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast for a hike through Oscar Scherer State Park. Led by Conservation Foundation’s Sabrina Cummings, the excursion is part of the Youth in Nature initiative, providing memorable activities in local parks and preserves for youth who might not otherwise experience them.

This particular outing was funded by Gulf Coast as part of our 25th anniversary celebration. Eight members of the Gulf Coast team joined too, contributing some of the 25 hours that staff are encouraged to volunteer with community partners in honor of the milestone. The Gulf Coast group included seven strong women, who served as excellent role models and companions for the girls, and one ringer—Jon Thaxton, a noted naturalist who knows the wilds of Oscar Scherer was well as his own backyard.

A walk in the woods

The steamy mid-morning hike began with the not-unexpected grumblings of a mostly novice group of hikers (adults as well as youth):

“It’s really hot!”

“I’m afraid of squirrels!”

But soon after setting out from Lake Osprey onto the park’s Yellow Trail, the hikers settled into a rhythm fun interaction and quiet observation punctuated by a-ha discoveries.

Walking through mesic pine flatwoods and hardwood hammocks, Jon shared ongoing commentary about nearly everything the group saw, heard, and smelled. He showed them a tiny oak toad they never would have seen without his trained eye. He handed them a shiny horned beetle that was half as big as some of their palms. They spotted 23 different species of bird, from pine warblers to red-shouldered hawks. (Jon called through the trees to his beloved Florida scrub jays, but it was too warm for them to fly over and land on their old friend like in the famous photos from National Geographic.)

Jon wasn’t the only font of knowledge either. Sabrina expertly kept her charges safe, engaged, and happy over several hours under the bright sun. And the girls proved they knew a thing or two. When Jon asked if anyone knew why the sand on the trail was white, young Miranda deftly explained how land masses like the Appalachian Mountains were weathered down in the Pleistocene Epoch and produced quartz crystals that washed down rivers and settled in Florida. “I take advanced Earth Science,” she added to a deadpan but duly impressed Jon. 

Other lessons learned and sights seen included the reasons behind prescribed burns in the park’s forests, an abundance of brightly colored butterflies, and, of course, that first-ever alligator sighting when the group reached Big Lake.

Natural connections

When the girls made it back to home base at Lake Osprey, another surprise awaited: colorful cupcakes to celebrate Gulf Coast’s upcoming 25th “birthday”! As the hikers ate and laughed, they recounted highlights of their day. One girl was happy she simply “survived the long, hot walk.” Another’s favorite thing was bonding with Gulf Coast’s Kelsey Kern. And for Gulf Coaster Kristin Taylor, it was hands-down just watching and listening to her colleague Jon in his element.

Later that day, the launch of a new nonprofit sustainability initiative was hosted at Girls Inc. headquarters. All of the girls were there, as were several Gulf Coast staff members. The girls were excited to see their new friends again (now in dresses or a shirt and tie for the event). They also got to connect the natural oasis they had experienced earlier with the ambitious environmental conservation work that Gulf Coast, Girls Inc., and other partners were promoting that evening.

Girls Inc. program coordinator Alyssa Sweeney told us later: “I cannot express enough how great this experience was for our girls! Every single one of you made it such an amazing day for them, and they were all able to take a unique and special experience away with them.”

The same goes for our Gulf Coast team. This was the first of several partner-appreciation field trips planned for our anniversary year. We can’t wait for our next outing!