FWC Youth Conservation Centers
-
Everglades Youth Conservation Camp
The Everglades Youth Conservation Camp (EYCC) programs feature conservation education with outdoor adventure activities in south Florida’s unique Everglades ecosystems. The facility is 252 acres located in the 60,000 acre J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area in western Palm
Beach County. The site features 10 air-conditioned cabins, two bath houses, an air-conditioned dining hall, an aquatic activity lake for swimming and paddle sports, a fishing pond, archery and shooting ranges, Campfire Island, a 1.3 mile boardwalk trail and other hiking trails.Associated Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
-
Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center
The Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center (JBYCC) is located just outside Tallahassee, in the midst of the Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area. JBYCC staff provides students the opportunity to learn about aquatic ecology in a natural, outdoors setting. Our aquatic education programs are designed to give students a chance to experience aquatic habitats first-hand, and enhance their appreciation of proper environmental management.
JBYCC also offers an archery complex with olympic style and 3-D targets; kayaking, canoeing, and jon boat activities; and, many miles of scenic nature trails for both hiking and horseback riding.
Associated Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
-
Ocala Conservation Center and Youth Camp
The Ocala Conservation Center is on a 57-acre peninsula, rich in history and wildlife in Marion County in north Central Florida. It is 20 miles east of Ocala, on Lake Eaton, in the heart of the Ocala National Forest. The facilities feature air-conditioned cabins and dining hall. Outdoor classrooms are fishing piers, shooting ranges, nature trails, Lake Eaton and the vast Ocala National Forest.
The Center has offered action-packed summer adventures for more than 50 years. Every year, the camp’s programs provide hundreds of campers the necessary skills and knowledge to become better sportsmen and women, while instilling an awareness of firearm safety and wildlife stewardship.
Associated Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
-
Suncoast Youth Conservation Center
The Suncoast Youth Conservation Center will be the newest and only marine-focused center.
Programs will provide hiking and paddling excursions through the mangroves of Newman Branch Creek and into Tampa Bay along with marine and coastal education programs focused on science based natural resource management. Age-appropriate programs that meet Florida’s Core Curriculum standards will be made available during the school year, and fun-filled summer day camps that show case Tampa Bay and the science and research being conducted in the area will also be offered to the public. We hope to inspire visitors of all ages with experiences that lead to a lifelong support of fish and wildlife conservation.
Associated Agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission