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Students at St. Petersburg College and residents of Seminole now have a new venue to explore nature.

SPC officials opened the first phase of its Natural Habitat Park and Environmental Center on Aug. 31 with a crowd of about 200 on hand who were not fazed by the morning heat.

The park is located immediately north of the school's University Partnership Building and the Seminole Community Library.

The first phase includes a pavilion with seating for 50, a sidewalk out to the park area, a 200-yard boardwalk that meanders between four ponds, a floating dock in one of the ponds and a pair of observation decks at the end of two trails.

The first phase was built at a cost of about $600,000. Of that amount, $475,000 came from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant and $100,000 from the city of Seminole. The remaining $25,000 was contributed by SPC.

The 40-acre park will serve as an outdoor classroom for SPC science students and a quiet, relaxing place close to nature for others.

In addition to the floating dock, there are 12 native plant habitat stations along the walkway. They focus on a wax myrtle, slash pine, red maple tree, pickerel weed, laurel oak trees, pine trees, red bay trees, swamp fern, southern magnolia trees, water oak trees, a wetland habitat and a place to rest and reflect.

The park also includes 185 species of birds, 24 varieties of dragonflies, seven types of butterflies, 24 species of amphibians and reptiles, and nine varieties of mammals.

Mammals include the opossum, raccoon, river otter, coyote, eastern gray squirrel, hispid cotton rat, eastern cottontail, marsh rabbit and nine-banded armadillo.

Second and third phases of the boardwalk are planned at some point in the future. Also planned is an environmental center.

The second phase will wind back toward the library and the third phase will go farther north into the woods.

Each phase will cost about $400,000.

The park is open dawn to dusk, Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m., Sunday.
Article published on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010
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About St. Petersburg College:
In 1927, St. Petersburg College (then known as St. Petersburg Junior College) became Florida's first private, non-profit, two-year school of higher learning located in downtown St. Petersburg. Full accreditation followed in 1931 and in 1948 SPC became a public college.
In June 2001, SPJC officially became St. Petersburg College when Florida's governor signed legislation making it the first community college in Florida to offer four-year degrees. On Dec. 11, 2001, the college received the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' accreditation to offer courses leading to bachelor's degrees.
In 2002, St. Petersburg College began offering courses leading to bachelor's degrees in Education, Nursing and Technology Management. The college's commitment to its two-year curriculum, which has earned it wide recognition and annually wins it high national rankings, remains as strong as ever.
Today, SPC has eight learning sites throughout Pinellas County and recently became the first college in Florida to offer a four-year degree in Dental Hygiene. This program's offerings augment its two-year program, which has been in operation since 1963. SPC added four-year degrees in Veterinary Technology, Public Safety Administration and Orthotics and Prosthetics in 2005.
College Accreditation
St. Petersburg College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associates degrees and to offer courses leading to bachelor's degrees in the following areas: Banking, Nursing, Business Administration, Orthotics & Prosthetics, Elementary/Secondary Education, Paralegal Studies. Educational Studies. Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification. Dental Hygiene. Public Safety Administration. Health Services Administration. Sustainability Management. International Business. Technology Management. Management & Organizational Leadership. Veterinary Technology.

SPC also offers access to junior and senior level courses for bachelors and graduate degrees at the University Partnership Center. The UPC partners with the University of South Florida, University of South Florida at St. Petersburg, Eckerd College, University of Florida, Florida State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Florida A&M University, Saint Leo University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Institute of Technology, Barry University, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Indiana University, and St. Petersburg College.