The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized three Citrus County projects as outstanding school, community grant or volunteer programs that focus on water resources education. A total of 52 projects were recognized during the October 7 Reflect, Connect, Celebrate Water Resources Education Conference at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in Tarpon Springs.
To select the awardees, District staff reviewed grants applied for by teachers through the Splash! mini-grant program and grants applied for by community members, local governments and non-profit groups through the community education grant program. District-sponsored programs that use volunteers to educate others about water conservation were also considered.
Many of the District’s grant projects focus on various aspects of all four of the District’s areas of responsibility water supply, water quality, natural systems protection and flood protection.
Here are the Citrus County recipients grouped by the appropriate Basin:
Coastal Rivers Basin
The Coastal Rivers Basin includes portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties.
The Kings Bay Association, Mayday Hang-up Project
The project provided 5,000 households in the Beverly Hills area with easy-to-act on tips on landscaping best management practices (BMPs) and septic tank maintenance on an eye-catching and easy-to-read door-hanger. The goal was to encourage residents to impact local water resources in positive ways by practicing the BMPs. The door-hangers were
hand-delivered by 18 volunteers, who also produced an article in the
association’s newsletter on the same subjects.
Withlacoochee River Basin
The Withlacoochee River Basin includes portions of Pasco, Sumter, Hernando, Citrus, Marion, and Levy counties.
Citrus Springs Elementary, Little Author’s View of the Water in the City/Box City
Students wrote their own hard cover book after building a box city and completing research to help them identify the features, including water-related features, of a city. Students learned about the water cycle, the uses of water, how water gets to their homes and how water is cleaned.
Citrus County Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program
This program educates homeowners, irrigation and landscape professionals and students on Florida-friendly landscaping and how by following the nin – principles, residents can act in ways that protect the watershed in which they live. This program is located in the Coastal Rivers and the Withlacoochee River basins.