Originally opened in 1992, The Back Woods at MOSI contain an unusually large variety of plant and animal communities for its limited acreage in its urban setting. Included are a sink hole and populations of protected gopher tortoises among communities of pine flat woods, turkey oak sandhills, oak hammocks, and wetlands. In conjunction with its $35 million expansion in 1995, The Back Woods were renovated with $150,000 funded using a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the "Save the Manatee" and Florida panther license plates to enhance the existing nature trails. Highlights include: An access trail for multi-able accessibility, an authentic Seminole Indian Chickee shelter/nature classroom that acts as a window to the wetlands, brochures available in English, Spanish, and German, cassette players and an audio tour, "Ecology to Go" tool boxes containing head sets, binoculars, microscopic viewers, field guides, and identification cards.
Originally opened in 1992, The Back Woods at MOSI contain an unusually large variety of plant and animal communities for its limited acreage in its urban setting. Included are a sink hole and populations of protected gopher tortoises among communities of pine flat woods, turkey oak sandhills, oak hammocks, and wetlands. In conjunction with its $35 million expansion in 1995, The Back Woods were renovated with $150,000 funded using a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the "Save the Manatee" and Florida panther license plates to enhance the existing nature trails. Highlights include: An access trail for multi-able accessibility, an authentic Seminole Indian Chickee shelter/nature classroom that acts as a window to the wetlands, brochures available in English, Spanish, and German, cassette players and an audio tour, "Ecology to Go" tool boxes containing head sets, binoculars, microscopic viewers, field guides, and identification cards.