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What:“A River Runs Through It” celebration at Hillsborough River State Park. This event wraps up Hillsborough Watershed Awareness Week. The event goal is to teach the public about the watershed through a variety of activities, including a canoe race on the river, hiking and other environmental educational activities focusing on the Hillsborough River. During the event, participants will have the opportunity to sign a watershed pledge and commit to behaviors…

Annually, the fourth Saturday in September is recognized as National Public Lands Day (NPLD)! Founded in 1994, NPLD is the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands, drawing thousands of participants each year. Public lands include national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, forests, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes and reservoirs; as well as state, county and city parks that are managed by federal, state and local governments. These public lands allow…

In April, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will celebrate the Peace River and the Peace River watershed with a series of events along the river.The District’s Peace River Basin Board has declared the week of April 14 through April 21 as “Peace River Watershed Awareness Week.” Participating county governments also plan to recognize this first-of-a-kind event.In conjunction with the awareness week, four events are planned within the Peace…

Twenty Manatee County teachers and one private school teacher are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant…

Pinellas County students at 12 schools will study the issues surrounding our freshwater resources thanks to "Splash! school grants":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The Pinellas County awardees are:* Irene Seybold, *Cross Bayou Elementary*, was awarded $3,000. On a field trip to Fort De Soto Park, students will learn about water quality while discovering how water drains across a watershed and picks up…

Three water management districts — the Southwest Florida, South Florida and St. Johns River — are working together to meet the growing water supply needs of a five-county region in central Florida while also protecting the water and related natural resources. The water management districts approved an action plan for the Central Florida Coordination Area (CFCA), which extends into the three water management districts and includes Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Polk…

The District is building upon the success of its award-winning Water Conservation Hotel And Motel Program (Water CHAMP) by launching a new companion program for restaurants. The Water Program for Restaurant Outreach (Water PRO) was launched in May. Water PRO is a free program that helps restaurants conserve water by educating staff and customers. By implementing Water PRO, restaurant management agrees to only serve water upon request, display water conservation…

 Clockwise from top left: Chair Todd Pressman; Vice Chair Ronald E. Oakley; Secretary Hugh M. Gramling; Treasurer Sallie Parks. Two Governing Board members are moving into new leadership roles this year, while two others have been given their first opportunity to serve as officers. Todd Pressman was unanimously elected by his peers in May to serve as the District’s Governing Board chair. Pressman served as the Board secretary and vice chair before being…

District scientists have completed a second year of setting up wetland monitoring sites as part of a regional monitoring program. The project is part of the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI), a water planning effort among government agencies, water utilities, environmental groups, business organizations, agricultural communities and other stakeholders in a five-county…

Above, plantings at the Tampa office are beyond the building eaves, requiring less irrigation.  Below, fixture supply lines are required to be reinforced. As in most District offices, water-saving fixtures are used.  The Tampa Service Office campus has the first water management district building to be certified under the Florida Water StarSM commercial standard. It’s also only the second government building in the state to be certified…

District staff and vendors walk the bridge at the Deep Creek property. Get inside the Deep Creek Preserve and you’ll feel far from civilization without driving too far from home. The preserve is a short drive from Port Charlotte, but with 2,000 acres of land and nine miles of unpaved multiuse trails, explorers on foot or on horseback can lose themselves…

The Florida Senate has confirmed the appointments of Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director Robert Beltran and seven Governing Board members. H. Paul Senft, Jr., representing Polk County, was first appointed to the Governing Board in 2008 and reappointed in 2012 by Governor Rick Scott. His term expires in March of 2019.Jeffery M. Adams, representing Pinellas County, was first appointed to the Governing Board in 2010 and reappointed by Governor Rick…

The District approved an important water supply plan for Central Florida. The strategy charts a long-term course of more aggressive water conservation, expanded and more efficient water reuse projects and alternative water-supply project options to ensure adequate water supplies for the region through 2035. The plan was developed as part of the Central Florida Water Initiative…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/(District) today approved an important water supply plan for Central Florida. The strategy charts a long-term course of more aggressive water conservation, expanded and more efficient water reuse projects and alternative water-supply project options to ensure adequate water supplies for the region through 2035.The plan was developed as part of the "Central…

Today, the District’s Governing Board voted to return the operation, maintenance and management of the Chassahowitzka River Campground back to Citrus County while retaining ownership of the property. This 40-year agreement will allow the County to holistically manage both the boat ramp and parking area as well as the campground. Residents and visitors will be able to continue to enjoy this popular recreation area with convenient access to the river as they have for the…

Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard calls it “another gem in the crown of Clearwater,” but Kapok Park wasn’t always a beautiful public green space, home to roseate spoonbills, wood storks, sandpipers and many other shorebirds. In December, Representative Gus Bilirakis joined members of the District’s Governing and Pinellas-Anclote River Basin boards, along with the Clearwater mayor and several city staff members, in celebrating the completion of a $19.3 million floodplain…

Volunteers Remove Invasive Plants Volunteers from the Tampa Bay Sea Aquarium, University of Tampa, and Sexton and 74th Street elementary schools picked air potatoes during a recent cleanup event at the park. Twenty-nine volunteers recently plucked potatoes at Sawgrass Lake Park, but these aren’t the spuds you’ll find on your dinner table. Volunteers from the Tampa Bay Sea Aquarium, University of Tampa, and Sexton and 74th Street elementary schools picked…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently honored Marilyn Samaha, as the first Land Resources volunteer of the year.Samaha was recognized for the countless hours she spent developing a recreational partnership between the District, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bypass Canal Rowing Council (TBCRC), which she created and serves as president.The development of the TBCRC to coordinate with the District and the county has resulted in a…

West Hernando Middle School students and teachers will get their hands dirty this month when they work side by side with Southwest Florida Water Management District staff restoring the Weekiwachee Preserve.The student workdays are April 13 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.During the workdays students will plant soft-stemmed bulrush along the banks of several water bodies within the preserve and monitor the water quality. The goal of the project is to revegetate and develop the…

Celebrate February as Florida Hiking Trails Month exploring the more than 850 miles of hiking trails on District lands.  Florida Hiking Trails month, recognized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, encourages Floridians to take advantage of Florida’s extensive trail system. Many trails on District lands are nearby and also are open for related activities such as nature study, bird watching, photography, jogging and backpacking.  The…