The Natural Area Teaching Lab (NATL) is a 60-acre outdoor classroom half of which is also a public recreational area. Its mission is to provide UF students, K-12 students and the public with information about ecology and biotic diversity in an interactive, outdoor setting that showcases some of northern Florida’s characteristic ecosystems. NATL's public area is comprised of four ecosystems: Upland
Pine, Old-Field Succession, Hammock and the Stormwater Ecological Enhancement Project (SEEP), a manmade wetland. Many of the signs feature QR codes that lead to videos or sound clips when scanned using a smartphone with a QR reader app. We also offer a Top 50 Checklist (available at the Academic Entrance kiosk or online at: http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/naturetrails/top50.php) and a seasonal Scavenger Hunt (available at the front desk of the Florida Museum of Natural History) for both adults and children to enjoy. NATL is located at the Archer Road edge of campus, near the Entomology and Nematology Building on Surge Area/Natural Area Drive. There are three entrances to the public area of NATL: the academic entrance on Natural Area Drive, the Cultural Plaza entrance located beside the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Natural Area Park entrance found within the Natural Area Park, on Natural Area Drive across from the Cultural Plaza parking garage and the Entomology and Nematology Department. For directions, click on the “Location” link to the right – it will take you to Google Maps which will allow you to input a starting address and get step-by-step directions. For more information please visit our website: http://www.natl.ifas.ufl.edu
If you have any questions, please feel free to send us a Facebook message or an email at [email protected]. If you want to share any photos you’ve taken or just want to talk about all the fun you had in NATL, please post to our wall or tag us in your post, and use the hashtag !
