The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a virtual public meeting at 4 p.m., Thursday, July 25, to discuss updates to the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Land Management Plan.
The District adopts land management plans to ensure its public conservation lands are being managed in ways that are consistent with Florida Statutes and the District’s mission. District lands are acquired to preserve and protect water resources and natural systems while also providing public access for recreation. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the public about updates to this plan, to solicit input from stakeholders, and to incorporate feedback from the public and stakeholders into the development of the new 10-year plan.
Members of the public may participate in the meeting via Microsoft Teams at https://bit.ly/GreenSwampLMP. A draft of the management plan update and a virtual comment submission form are available at WaterMatters.org/LMPUpdates. The public comment period will be available from July 15-29.
The preserve lies within the larger Green Swamp region, which is approximately 560,000 acres and includes portions of Polk, Lake, Sumter, Hernando and Pasco counties. This region contains significant water resources as it is the source of four major rivers in Central Florida and is also known as the heart of the Floridan aquifer.
District policy requires management plans for District-owned conservation lands be reviewed and updated every 10 years, unless otherwise directed by the District’s Governing Board. District lands are open to the public and community input is vital in determining how these lands are managed and used. The proposed land management plan for the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve will be presented to the District’s Governing Board in August for consideration.