{"id":2343,"date":"2021-03-28T16:53:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T20:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/?p=2343"},"modified":"2021-09-29T18:02:51","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T22:02:51","slug":"brooker-creek-preserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/brooker-creek-preserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Brooker Creek Preserve"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2350 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Entrance - Brooker Creek Preserve\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-750x563.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-800x600.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Entrance-Brooker-Creek-Preserve-600x450.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Finding calm in an urban area isn&#8217;t easy. But discovering nature in the city can be a necessity to some. It&#8217;s easy to find calm at Brooker Creek Preserve in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/breweries-tarpon-springs-palm-harbor-pinellas-trail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tarpon Springs<\/a>, Florida. With over 8,500 acres of wooded areas, wetlands and hiking trails, Brooker Creek is a large part of the area&#8217;s ecosystem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content swift-in-viewport\">\n<div class=\"swift-in-viewport\">\n<p class=\"swift-in-viewport\"><em>This post contains some affiliate links. I may earn compensation when you click on the links. There\u2019s no charge to you and helps keep the site up and running.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2348 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Brooker Creek Preserve Walkway\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-750x563.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-800x600.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve-Walkway-600x450.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Located in Pinellas County, and just north of Clearwater, Brooker Creek Preserve is in the most densely populated county in Florida. You wouldn&#8217;t know it once you enter the preserve. It was originally home to Indigenous People who were part of the area&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indigenous_peoples_of_Florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Safety Harbor culture<\/a> since 800 AD. As Spaniards and Europeans colonized the site, the Brooker Creek area became home for cattle and horse ranchers. In fact, until about 15 years ago, the area was still considered remote. And you can still see horse farms as you drive to the Preserve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Habitats of Brooker Creek Preserve<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are four distinct habitats of Brooker Creek Preserve:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2347 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Brooker Creek - turtle\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-750x563.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-800x600.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-turtle-600x450.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pine Flatwoods where tall, thin pines, saw palmetto and natural grasses grow<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Oak Hammocks consist of tall oaks that provide shade, causing fewer ground coverings allowing animals like white-tailed deer to forage\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Forested Wetlands is the ecosystem that includes Brooker Creek, which eventually flows into Lake Tarpon<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Cypress Domes and Swamps have a variety of flora and fauna, including bald cypress and black gum trees and marsh rabbits, owls, snakes and dragonflies<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">These habitats help create a system that assists with giving animals a place to survive in a shrinking environment, along with a critical ecosystem that protects the area&#8217;s watershed and drinking water supply.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2346 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Air Plant\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-750x563.jpeg 750w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-800x600.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Air-Plant-600x450.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>To Do<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Founded in 1992 by Pinellas County, Brooker Creek Preserve allows visitors to hike its 4 miles of trails. There are also 9 miles of horse trails and an environmental education center. It&#8217;s a great place to go bird watching so don&#8217;t forget your <a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"Binoculars\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/product\/binoculars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">binoculars<\/a>. Also remember your pre-filled reusable water bottle, <a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"Alba Sunscreen\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/product\/beach-accessories\/alba-sunscreen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">sunscreen<\/a> and <a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"Buzz Away Bug Repellent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/product\/beach-accessories\/buzz-away-bug-repellent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bug spray<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are picnic areas available. Also, the preserve offers environmental classes, guided hikes and kid&#8217;s summer camps. Dogs are not permitted in the preserve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Getting There<\/h3>\n<p>Brooker Creek Perserve is located in Tarpon Springs on Keystone Road, just west of the Tampa\/Hillsborough County line. From the Tarpon Springs Spongedocks: head south on US 19 to Tarpon Springs to East Tarpon Springs Rd. Head west on Tarpon Springs Rd for 5 miles and the entrance will be on your right.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Save on Pinterest!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2395\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mycornacopia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve1_Pinterest-500x750.png\" alt=\"Brooker Creek Preserve\" width=\"500\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve1_Pinterest-500x750.png 500w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve1_Pinterest-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve1_Pinterest-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve1_Pinterest-800x1200.png 800w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve1_Pinterest-600x900.png 600w, https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brooker-Creek-Preserve1_Pinterest.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Finding calm in an urban area isn&#8217;t easy. But discovering nature in the city can be a necessity to some. It&#8217;s easy to find calm at Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs, Florida. With over 8,500 acres of wooded areas, wetlands and hiking trails, Brooker Creek is a large part of the area&#8217;s ecosystem.\u00a0 This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,34],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxedesignlab.ca\/cornacopiamarketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}