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Annual Event Has A Ripple Effect

Crystal L. Lauderdale/Tampa Tribune

Steve Warren and his son Caleb paddle down the Hillsborough River during a canoe tour at Hillsborough River State Park's A River Runs Through It event

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By PAUL CATALA, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 3, 2007

THONOTOSASSA - As visitors and campers walked around the exhibits, the real star of the show was about 100 yards behind them.

Placidly flowing along, the Hillsborough River and its sources were the focus of a day of fun and education Oct. 27 at Hillsborough River State Park.

For the third consecutive year, the park was the site of A River Runs Through It, an event to highlight the river, its watershed and it.

This year, about 800 people visited its educational booths and participated in seminars, workshops and hands-on activities, including how to grow a Florida-friendly landscape, snake identification, a home water-conservation demonstration, a Florida Trails hiking display, a river ecology canoe trip and an outdoor cooking program.

Joe Maniscalco showed a group of about 10 how to cook complete dinners in the wild. The menu included corned beef and cabbage and blueberry pie.

Most of the displays were related to nature and the watershed, which covers 675 square miles in three counties, including Hillsborough.

Chris Rusnak, a teacher at Nature's Classroom - an environmental education Hillsborough County schools program - showed visitors a variety of wildlife, including gopher tortoises, nonvenomous snakes and baby alligators.

Rusnak said events such as A River Runs Through It are the best way to inform the general public about the river, its watershed and ecosystems.

"We just want to spread more knowledge about our programs, and we want people to associate nature with a pleasant experience, especially the kids," he said.

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