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Membership Application - Please join the Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club.
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The Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club plans several events each month for exploring and appreciating nature. Some of these last a day, some last a week or longer. They are local and they are long-distance. Activities include kayaking and canoeing, backpacking, hiking and biking, snorkeling, car camping and wilderness or river camping. In addition, we have monthly meetings at Okeeheelee Nature Center with guest speakers on environmental and other topics of interest.
This site and these events are functions of Palm Beach Pack and Paddle Club. In addition to these activities, our Conservation Committee raises funds to send children to summer nature camp and donates to local organizations that help to preserve our unique Florida environment.
You're welcome to attend our Meetups and be a Meetup Member only, but we would like you to become a member of our club. The cost is only $20 a year. Most of our trips are on the Meetup site, but there are many trips available to club members only, particularly those that involve long-distance travel or overnight stays. There is never a charge by the club for any of our activities.
If you wish to join Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club, the application link is above. You may join by mailing the completed application (above) with a check payable to Palm Beach Pack and Paddle Club to the address at the bottom of the form. Or, come to an event, join and pay in cash, or, use the Paypal link below.
Pay Pal Payment
You can also use Zelle for paying membership dues and making donations to the club and its conservation efforts. Use PalmBeachPackAndPaddle@gmail.com in your bank's Zelle transfer feature. Please put your email address in the memo line so we can greet you and send you a newsletter and activities list. Thank you.
We hope you will become part of our Club family. Bruce, Gerry & Geoff
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Paddle "Wild & Scenic" Loxahatchee RiverRiverbend Park Canoe Launch, Jupiter, FL
The Loxahatchee River is our own "land of enchantment". Designated a "Wild & Scenic River on May 17, 1985, it winds northward from Riverbend Park in Jupiter, to Jonathan Dickinson State Park in southern Hobe Sound.
We will do a Paddle of the Lower Loxahatchee River from Riverbend Park downstream past the Lainhart Dam and then to the fallen tree or Masten Dam. We will then do the return upstream to where we started.
Paddle may be changed to the Upper Loxahatchee if the group deems that the water levels are very high which in turn creates dealing with a very strong current on the return. Paddle is not a beginner paddle when water levels are high and current is swift to paddle against. All paddles are dependent on weather.
Meet at Riverbend Park’s canoe launch at 9:30 am to be ready to launch at 10:00 am.
Bring water, snacks and/or lunch.
If you don't have your own kayak, you can rent onsite and kayakers with their own equipment will connect with you at the rental site, which is different from the put-in for kayakers with their own boats. (Let us know you’re coming!)
If renting, you must reserve with Jupiter Outdoor Center,*** https://www.jupiteroutdoorcenter.com.
Contact trip leader, Rachel, with any questions in the either in the Comments Section below or can text/call at 561-358-9568.
Please read entire description of event before you RSVP. By signing up for this trip you acknowledge that you are fully responsible for your own safety and hold Palm Beach Pack and Paddle harmless for any injuries or damage to your equipment. Also note that properly fitted and properly worn PFD’s are required to participate in this paddle.
Riverbend Park is at 9060 W. Indiantown Road, Jupiter. Bathrooms are available at the launches and at Masten Dam.
How to get there: from I-95, go west on Indiantown Road a short distance. Look for the brown park sign in the median. Enter Riverbend Park on the south side of road (left). Proceed to canoe launch area, or, if renting, rental area which is near the first parking lot.
- Learn about an area Seagrass Restoration Project at P&P meeting Saturday, May 10Okeeheelee Park Nature Center, West Palm Beach, FL
Michael Yustin, a Senior Project Manager in the Martin County Environmental Resource Division, will be the guest speaker at the Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club’s meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Okeeheelee Nature Center, part of Okeeheelee Park, 7715 Forest Hill Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL 33413.
The meeting is free and open to everyone -- current and former club members, club visitors and guests and the public. Attendees are encouraged to arrive for socializing starting at 1:30 p.m.
Michael’s topic: “Martin County's Seagrass Restoration Project”
Description: Martin County's Seagrass Restoration Project addresses the decline of seagrass populations in the Indian River Lagoon over the past decade due to poor water quality and algal blooms.
Martin County recognizes that restoring seagrass habitat requires improving both water column conditions and sediment quality. As a result, the project includes a strong research component with activities such as planting seagrass, removing the benthic cyanobacteria that carpets seagrass meadows, seedbank analysis, clam restoration and monitoring sediment and water column conditions.
The overarching goal is to test a variety of restoration strategies to guide future efforts.
The mission of Martin County’s Environmental Resource Division is to preserve, restore, maintain, and enhance the county’s environmental resources. This is achieved through the restoration of native habitats, water quality improvement projects, and the development of appropriate public access to conservation lands.
The division manages approximately 35,000 acres of environmentally sensitive lands, implementing projects that meet community needs while ensuring compliance with water quality requirements and promoting ecological restoration.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michael Yustin is a Senior Project Manager in the Martin County Environmental Resource Division, where he leads environmental restoration efforts across conservation lands from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Okeechobee.
With a master’s degree in Environmental Science from Florida Atlantic University and over 20 years of experience, he has managed large-scale projects including wetland hydrology restoration, invasive species control, rare habitat replanting and the development of Stormwater Treatment Areas to protect river systems from polluted runoff.
Michael is also deeply involved in Martin County’s seagrass restoration efforts in the Indian River Lagoon, working to restore vital underwater ecosystems and improve water quality through both technical and community-based approaches.
MEETING REMINDER
--Who: Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club
--What: May club meeting
--Speaker: Michael Yustin, a Senior Project Manager in the Martin County Environmental Resource Division
--When: Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.
--Social time: Starts at 1:30 p.m.
--Where: Okeeheelee Nature Center, 7715 Forest Hill Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL 33413
--Directions: From Jog Road, take Forest Hill Boulevard 1.2 miles west to Eshleman Trail (the second Okeeheelee Park entrance). Turn right (north) and follow the signs and road 1.6 miles to the Nature Center, which is in the back of the park.BRING YOUR PRODUCE!
Please bring your extra produce to each meeting. Produce can be placed on the table in the back of the meeting room.
(Note: Please do not bring citrus or iceberg lettuce.)
Produce donations help to feed animals throughout the beautiful natural area at the park. And our club receives credit for our produce donations! Our largest donation to date: $50 worth of produce on Dec. 11, 2023.
Reminder: We also have a donation jar on the table. Any monetary donations will be used to purchase produce for the next monthly meeting.
The Nature Center gratefully thanks you for your generous donations at each meeting.
EVENTS PREVIEW SLIDE SHOW
Near the end of the meeting, we will view Michael Barr’s slide show presentation of upcoming events and trips that will include comments from trip organizers!
We will learn about events and trips for the next four weeks – plus trips that you will need to plan for far in advance!
QUESTIONS?
For questions about the Pack & Paddle Club meeting, please call or text 561-312-2765.
Monthly meetings: The Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club meets on the second Saturday afternoon of each month (during the season) from September through May at the Okeeheelee Nature Center.
Speakers: The meetings feature experts speaking on nature-related subjects and other topics of interest.
WANT TO JOIN THE PACK & PADDLE CLUB?
Renew your P&P membership – or join for the first time!
The Palm Beach Pack and Paddle Club’s annual membership drive for 2025 began on October 1, 2024.
WHERE TO FIND MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS:
--Pick up a membership application at a club meeting or event.
--If you are a Meetup member, click on this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12PZ0uoq5SE90o2qugXXoOGNlFUpHOCaY/view
HOW TO TURN IN FORMS, MAKE PAYMENTS:
--IN PERSON: Bring your completed form and payment in cash or check to one of our events or meetings.
--VIA U.S. MAIL: Send the completed form with check payment enclosed to this address:
Palm Beach Pack and Paddle Club, Inc.
P.O. Box 16041
West Palm Beach, FL 33416--VIA EMAIL: Send the completed form as an email attachment to:
palmbeachpackandpaddle@gmail.com
Note: If sending an email application, payment will be required in person, mail or via PayPal.
--PAYMENTS VIA PAYPAL: Submit the form in person, via email or mail, then pay by PayPal at this link:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/wpbpnp
PALM BEACH PACK & PADDLE CLUB INFORMATION
The Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club, founded in 1975, plans several events each month for exploring and appreciating nature.
Trips last a day, a weekend, a week or longer. They are local, within Florida and long-distance. Activities include kayaking and canoeing, backpacking, hiking and biking, snorkeling, car camping and wilderness or river camping.
In addition, club meetings are held on the second Saturday afternoon of each month from September through May at the Okeeheelee Nature Center in Okeeheelee Park, with experts speaking on nature-related subjects and other topics of interest.
VISIT US ONLINE
Meetup:
www.meetup.com/Palm-Beach-Pack-PaddleCONTACT US
President
561-312-2765Membership Chair
Home: 561-582-3653 (leave message)
Cell: 561-602-7502Mail membership forms, checks to:
P.O. Box 16041, West Palm Beach, FL 33416
(Forms can also be turned in at club meetings.)Club email:
palmbeachpackandpaddle@gmail.comNewsletter Editor
804-869-6228--Email newsletter submissions, photos to: newsletter.pbpp@gmail.com
--Deadline for newsletter submissions is the 23nd of each month.
- Celebrate Buddha's Birthday at Norton's Art-After-DarkNorton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL
The Norton Museum of Art has special hours, exhibits, activities, music and prices on Friday nights from 5-10 PM.
This Friday, May 16th, the museum will Celebrate Buddha's Birthday. We can participate in the sacred tea ceremony with calligraphy in the Great Hall, view special exhibits, enjoy a movie on the life of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, in the theatre, as well as create a fan of our own in the artist's studio, and participate in a short Tai Chi lesson in the Korman Room.
For more information and the times and location of each activity, highlight and click on this link: Norton Art After Dark Buddha, then click Open Link in New Tab, then scroll down past the general information to May 16.
Art-After-Dark Art is free to museum members, with the special price of $10 to the public and $5 for students. Some street parking is available and the lot across the street costs $6 for the evening.
I will be at the entry at 5:30 and will wear a blue and white dress. Please respond if you plan to go, then I will email everyone a few days before the event with a list of times I plan to be at each activity and optional times so you can choose. This will be an enjoyable evening. I hope you will join me. Gerry
