GRAYTON BEACH — The Tri-County Horticulture Studies Group will meet at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 25 at Grayton Beach State Park.
Attendees will meet at the picnic pavilion/shower area by the parking lot and begin a 10 a.m. walking tour followed by a discussion in the pavilion. Participants unable to walk the trail are welcome to join the post-tour discussion at the pavilion.
Laura Tiu, Marine Science Agent for Walton and Okaloosa County's University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office, will guide the group on a walking tour of Walton County's coastal lines.
Attendees will learn about the “Jewels of 30A," a rare ecosystem that exists in just a few places around the world. In addition, Tiu will discuss the dune lakes' ecology including terrestrial and aquatic plants, fish and wildlife, and the impact of urban growth around these rare ecosystems.
The group's meetings are free for the public to attend. The park is on Highway 30A at 357 Main Park Road in Santa Rosa Beach.
Afterward, participants may join the group for lunch at The Vue on 30A, 4801 County Road 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. Email gbaltz47@yahoo.com or denisetalley99@yahoo.com to make a lunch reservation.
If the weather is poor, the group will meet at the Valparaiso Library, Room 3, to see Elam Stoltzfus' film, “Jewels of Florida’s Emerald Coast,” followed by a discussion with Tiu.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Horticulture group to tour Walton's coastlines