Barefoot Beach Preserve is a beautiful 342-acre Collier County beach park located in Bonita Beach on the Gulf coast, just a bit north of Naples. A luxury housing development known as Barefoot Beach borders the park to the north, and Wiggins Pass defines its southern boundary.

The park has been adopted by a wonderful group of volunteers known as Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve, which began in 1990 as an effort to build osprey nesting platforms. The volunteers work to help keep the park beautiful, maintain a butterfly garden, and they bring in guest speakers to present interesting lectures on nature topics Saturday mornings at 10.

Guest lectures are free; upcoming lectures include:

• Jan. 10 - Florida's Animals, presented by David Piper
• Jan. 24 - Sea Turtles, presented by Phil Allman, Ph.D.
• Jan. 31 - Bats, presented by John Fitch, Ph.D.
• Feb. 7 - Wading Wonders, presented by Larry Richardson.

Visit the Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve web site for more information about the park, volunteer opportunities, and for more information about upcoming lectures and other events you may enjoy.

In addition to more than a mile of white beaches, there is a nature trail. I like to walk the nature trail south to Wiggins Pass, and then return by way of the beach.