19 distinct stops offered at Extension complex at Twin Lakes Park
A new way has been made available for the public “to learn about a range of landscaping approaches, conservation initiatives, solar options and more,” thanks to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension program of Sarasota County (UF/IFAS): a virtual tour.
“The tour consists of 19 distinct stops — with more to be added — set around the Extension complex at which visitors can use their smartphone, tablet or other web-connected device to watch a short video sharing information about the station,” a county news release explains.
“We’re excited to increase the ways residents can learn about the many demonstration areas around the Sarasota County Extension office and how they could adopt these best practices in their homes or businesses,” said Lee Hayes Byron, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County director, in the release.
The mission of Sarasota County Extension, as a partnership between the University of Florida and Sarasota County, is “to bring the science of the university to educate the community on issues important to residents and businesses,” the release points out. “Extending that education to non-standard hours and through innovative approaches offers more opportunities for a wider audience,” the release adds.
“The virtual tour allows anyone to explore the environmental initiatives and beautiful settings that make the Sarasota County Extension complex special,” the release continues. “Those visiting in person can walk the Extension grounds to locate tour stops, but anyone can find and visit stations virtually using a locator map available at tiny.cc/ufsaraext_virtualtourpage,” the release says.
The Extension offices are in the Green Building at Twin Lakes Park, which stands at 6700 Clark Road in Sarasota, the county website notes.
Each tour stop, located outside the Extension building, is “marked with a distinct sign that features a QR code unique to that station,” the release points out. “QR codes point to YouTube-hosted, 60- to 90-second videos, available for in-person and remote visitors alike, with information about each topic,” the release adds.
“While each stop focuses on a single topic, the overall tour has been organized by broad themes to help navigation and to better showcase the programs and information available through Extension,” the release explains. “Those themes, highlighted in video notes and on the overview map,” are as follows: ecology and natural resources; Florida-Friendly Landscaping™, gardening, horticulture, sustainability, waste reduction, and water resources.
“This initiative is part of a broader effort to increase online access to educational resources, including several story maps connecting people with community and demonstration gardens, natural areas and more,” the release notes. They may be found at tiny.cc/ufsaraext_storymaps.
Start touring at the Extension office or via tiny.cc/ufsaraext_virtualtour. Persons also visit tiny.cc/ufsaraext_virtualtourpage for more information, the release says.
Anyone with questions may call 311 (or, 941-861-5000 outside Sarasota County) or email sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu.