Loaner Optics Program


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Loaner Optics Program

photo of binoculars with tags on a table
The Great Florida Birding Trail Loaner Optics Program

The Great Florida Birding Trail offers a free loaner optics program at each of our nine gateway sites, and at sixteen additional sites. Sites with the loaner optics program feature a staffed visitor center or office where birders can stop in and borrow a pair of binoculars for free in exchange for a driver's license or credit card which is kept as collateral until the optics are safely returned.

The loaner optics program has been operating since the East section opened in 2000, and has been well-received. The optics are very popular and the collateral system has worked well. To date, optics have been generously donated by Eagle Optics, Redfield, Simmons, Weaver, and Pentax. In exchange for promotional opportunities, sponsors are credited on our website and each pair of optics is labeled with a modified "luggage tag." Each label includes the brand logo, brand name and model, size and power specs, features, approximate price, contact website and toll free number. Site staff also use loaner optics for guided walks and educational classes.

Selected sites in the Panhandle also feature loaner optics trunks with field guides and educational materials. We thank the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Kenn Kaufman for their generosity.

photo of a loaner optics trunk
An example of a loaner optics trunk with field guides, binoculars, birding calling cards, and more!

Visit the following Great Florida Birding Trail sites to check out optics:

East Florida Section:

Ft. Clinch State Park (Fernandina Beach) *Gateway
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Titusville) *Gateway
Tenoroc Fish Management Area (Lakeland) *Gateway
Silver River State Park (Ocala)
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge (DeLeon Springs)
Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (Vero Beach)
Highlands Hammock State Park (Sebring)

West Florida Section:

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (Gainesville) *Gateway
Ft. De Soto Park (St. Petersburg) *Gateway
Ladell Brothers Outdoor Environmental Center (Madison)
Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park (New Port Richey)

Panhandle Florida Section:

Big Lagoon State Park (Pensacola) *Gateway
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (Tallahassee) *Gateway
Rocky Bayou State Park (Niceville)
Gulf Islands National Seashore: Fort Pickens Area (Pensacola)
Blackwater River State Park (Harold)
Henderson Beach State Park (Destin)
Grayton Beach State Park (Grayton Beach)
Lynn Haven Sports Complex and Nature Trail (Lynn Haven)
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park (Port St. Joe)
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (Apalachicola)
Three Rivers State Park (Sneads)

South Florida Section:

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Naples) *Gateway
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (West Palm Beach) *Gateway