PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Early Wednesday morning, WPTV went out to the swamp, more specifically the Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area, a natural area in Palm Beach County most don't know about.
Our news crew drove down a dark dark dirt road that felt like miles (it wasn't) with thoughts that possibly we were going to die — possibly by gators (yes, multiple gators) — or maybe we'd be in one of those scenes in a Scream movie.
But instead, we found wonders we would have never of noticed if we didn't slow down and look.
But enough about our fears.
Wildflower honey, hibiscus, lavender, and lemongrass are all ingredients that can be found in and around the Loxahatchee Slough in Palm Beach County.
On Saturday, Aug. 20 from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Twisted Trunk Brewery in Palm Beach Gardens, there will be a limited-time-only beer release brewed with those ingredients called Loxahatchee Lager.
The event's goal is to raise funds to help support education, adventure, and exploration of Palm Beach County’s natural areas.
"This is the seventh year that [Twisted Trunk] has been doing the Night for the Natural Areas and their donation is donated to our natural areas program. But specifically, it's donated to our outreach efforts, which is really important for us. You know, outreach is something that is kind of perennially underfunded. And so what their donation helps us do is fund programs like our Adventure Await series. So this is a guided adventure program that we do year-round," said Benji Studt, the public outreach supervisor for Palm Beach County's Environmental Resources Management.
At the event, $25 will get you a free beer, food from Little Moir’s new Hibiscus StrEATery, and a raffle ticket with chances to bid on local art that features local nature.
ERM's website said, "In 1991 and 1999, voters approved a total of $250 million in bond funds for the purchase of lands for conservation purposes. ERM manages more than 31,000 acres of these conservation lands that are the County’s last wild places open from sunrise to sunset and are free for all to enjoy passive, nature-based activities such as hiking, bird watching, and environmental education."
"I travel all across the country with my wife every year. And I can tell you that where we live is unbelievably beautiful nowhere else in the world do you have these Blackwater swamp systems, a wild and scenic river right on our doorstep and the Loxahatchee River so close to the blue water of the ocean. And that's really what makes our place so special. So preserving these lands allows our community to connect to what Florida really is. And it allows our community I think to have kind of a better sense of place and a better sense of pride and who they are and where they live," Studt said.
