Hillsborough County preserve celebrating 20th anniversary

RUSKIN, Fla. (FOX 13) - Children from the Creative World School are going on an adventure to learn about nature at Camp Bayou, a 160-acre nature park, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

"Camp Bayou is a preserve for outdoor learning," explained Camp Bayou volunteer James Langel. "It is to provide education for the kids, for people to enjoy nature walks on trails around here." 

During a recent visit, kids learned about ants, turtles and observing the surrounding nature.

"I know that ants are a little annoying, and they are kind of tough to spot," said visitor Alexander Boyd. 

Visitor Emma Graggagnino loves the park.

"What I learned is that tortoise and turtles are two, like, completely different species," she said.

The free nature habitat has a lot for visitors to see. 

"I've seen deer, red fox and, plenty of birds, epically during winter time, migrating birds. There are also plenty of bugs. If you like bugs, this is a great place to look at the bugs," explained Langel. 

The site is run entirely by volunteers and is funded by private donors. 

"The habitats are diminishing and it's important to protect the preserve so it can provide homes for the animals," added Langel. 

Camp Bayou is located off 24th Street SE in Ruskin. For more information, visit the county's website.