Our Mission
The mission of the Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society, Inc., is to enhance and perpetuate the Hillsborough River State Park and the Fort Foster State Historic Site.
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Hillsborough River State Park Wins Multiple Outdoor Recreation Awards
~Hillsborough River State Park recognized as an America's 'Top Spots' by ReserveAmerica~
Landing Zone Evaluation
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Aviation Support Unit & Florida Park Police supported the park by identifying a new, primary landing zone for the state park. This new GPS landing zone will be utilized for future medical transport flights near our ½ acre pool area and will provide regular assistance to ground units for search & rescue operations on our trail systems.
2010 Get Real Program
Park Ranger Kate Smithson leads the Get REAL!, which stands for Recreational and Environmental Adventures in Learning, focuses on using Florida State Parks as "classrooms without walls." The initiative builds on the parks' broad multicultural, educational and recreational programs to enrich learning and integrate the use of state parks with local community programs. This is the fourth year that Hillsborough River State Park and the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Dept. have partnered together to provide the Get REAL program for school-aged children, to boost interest and participation in outdoor recreation. (Fishing, Camping, Hiking and Canoeing.)
Wanted: Creatures of the Night Volunteers
For some, Halloween is an excuse to dress up in costumes and have a good time with friends; for others it is also an opportunity to volunteer. Halloween this year is no exception. There are several opportunities to partake in, ranging from a children's coloring contest, tram rides in the park, spooky displays on the hunted trail or guiding tours through haunted trail. "There is a lot to do right now. It is a great time for community service," said CSO President Dan Casella. If you desire a more interactive and ghostly experience, volunteer at the Haunted Trail. Volunteers are needed to set up and take down decorations, lead tours, and dress up as the ghosts of virulent patients and sketchy, uncertified doctors. We also need event support volunteers on Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23 working the main entrance. Those interested can attend Haunted Woods planning meetings on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, Thursday Sept. 30, 2010, Tuesday, October 5, 2010, Wednesday, October 13, 2010 and Thursday, October 21, 2010. All meetings will be at 7:00 pm at the recreation hall (parking lot#3) at Hillsborough River State Park. All volunteers will need to submit a Florida State Park Volunteer application to participate in this event:
Stampede of Service
Hillsborough River State Park (HRSP) participated in the University of South Florida's (USF) Stampede of Service on Saturday, January 16, 2010 in-park area clean-up in preparation for our District IV Volunteer Appreciation in March 2010. Hillsborough River State Park will be the site location to host this important annual volunteer event. Stampede of Service was founded in 2006 by a student, Maxon Victor, who wanted to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. It has now become one of the largest traditions that University of South Florida has to offer. This one day community service celebration is led by students to get the word out about volunteering. In 2009, 2600 students participated in the event. Students are assigned a social issue and sent throughout Hillsborough County learning and engaging in service for the day. HRSP hosted 75 student volunteers for this annual one-day 2010 event. HRSP gives on-going resources to various organizations to participate in community service on a constant basis. The purpose of partnering with community organizations is to get the younger generations involved in environmental issues!
Ft. Foster Historic Site at Hillsborough River State Park
By: Elaine Lund, Hillsborough County Historic Preservation Program and TPI's Cornerstone newsletter. Hillsborough County's archaeological resources include prehistoric campsites, burial mounds, shell middens, quarries and manufacturing sites for tools, along with historic archaeological sites, such as Fort Foster. Scattered artifacts, usually tools or fragments of pottery, are the most common indicators of an archaeological site. Most of the identified archaeological resources in Hillsborough County date from the Archaic Period (7500-500 BC). The second most common type of identified archaeological resources in this County dates from the historic periods.
Statewide Eagle Scout Award
Matthew Boggs was named Florida State’s Youth Volunteer of the year for his Eagle Scout project at Hillsborough River State Park. He designed and built trail kiosks and placed station trail markers along two of HRSP's trails. The station markers were GPS mapped so hikers along the trail can be easily located in an emergency.
“Old into New” at Hillsborough River State Park
Hillsborough River State Park in the past years has received a new and improved park concession called the “Spirit of the Woods” Cafe’ and gift shop. With that being said the old park concession “Outpost” was standing vacant. The question was “What do we do with the old park concession?” Park Manager Kim Tennille and Volunteer Dave Moulton came up with a creative idea to breathe new life into this old structure.
Converting a U.S. Military 6x6 into a Type 5 Wild Land Fire Engine
Hillsborough River State Park has taken advantage of the Federal Excess Personal Property Program to gain additional fire fighting equipment. This program was authorized under terms of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949. It is a low-cost approach to acquire additional fire protection equipment from the Division of Forestry and is on loan to support rural and wild land fire protection programs. Hillsborough River State Park/Fort Foster Historic Site has received collaborative agency assistance from local area Division of Forestry supervisor Patrick Keogh and FPS “finest” Rosi Mulholland our Division Fire Coordinator to build and create a Type 5 fire fighting unit. Having these additional resources within our park will aid in our on-going burn program and helpful in the event of a possible wildfire situation.
Join/Donate
Your support is essential to continued preservation and protection of this natural treasure.
Hillsborough River State Park & Fort Foster Historic Site
Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society
P. O. Box 6568
Brandon, FL 33511-6568
(813) 987-6771 contact@historyandnature.org
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