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Members of Gulfport’s Kayak Nature Adventures Paddle Club loaded their boats and headed to Citrus County for a trek into the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. Their quarry: cans and bottles, bags and cups — anything floating or washed up onshore. Kurt Zuelsdorf led the group of volunteers on its mission to clean up hard-to-reach areas along the Weeki Wachee River, with the permission of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). “We were…

  Teams of students tackle questions at the recent 2012 Nature Coast Envirothon at Dade Battlefield Historic State Park. They examined soil, measured trees and got a close look at a snake.   The hands-on tasks were part of the 2012 Nature Coast Envirothon at Dade Battlefield Historic State Park in Bushnell where 260 high school students competed. The competition is a problem-solving, natural resources education program…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for six Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Blichton*, *Martel*, *SR 200* and *Cotton Plant 1, 2 and 3* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the District and Marion County.The District is holding an open house in Marion County to present…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input to determine the priority of minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise this schedule each year. The District will hold a public meeting Aug. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. Members of the public can also join the…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed minimum levels for Crystal Lake and North Lake Wales, both located within the city of Lake Wales, at a public workshop on Thursday, Oct. 14. The workshop will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lake Wales City Commission Chambers, 201 W. Central Ave., Lake Wales.The state Legislature requires the District to set "minimum flows and levels…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2021-2022 term. Kelly Rice was re-elected chair of the Governing Board. Rice represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties and is a small-business owner involved in real estate, agriculture and health care. Rice was appointed to the Governing Board in September 2015 and reappointed in September 2019. Joel Schleicher was re-elected vice chair of the Governing…

 Brandt Henningsen, District chief environmental scientist, center, and Dr. Kate Spencer, right, with her students from the University of London. Each winter for the past eight years, Dr. Kate Spencer, a University of London professor, has brought a group of her students to the Tampa Bay area to tour District coastal ecosystem restoration projects and the TECO Manatee Viewing Center. Spencer has been bringing student groups to Florida since 2000, and she…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted today to increase water restrictions throughout the region. The modified Phase III water shortage order affects counties throughout the District's boundaries including Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter.District hydrologists report a rainfall deficit of 11-inches since the start of the…

The Governing Board declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month at today’s Governing Board meeting. The move is part of the District’s ongoing effort to restore and protect area springs and encourage community involvement. The Governing Board also recognized some of its springs community partners. They are:

• Alys Brockway – She organized the Hernando County Groundwater Guardian Committee since 2002. The group helps educate the public about the…

District Accepting Applications for Community Education Grants Community members who want to make a positive impact on the water resources in their area may apply online for a District Community Education Grant. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in watershed protection through various educational activities. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide…

Ted Gates takes a sixth-grade school group on a tour of Gator Sink. Ted Gates, District professional geologist, recently led Polk County’s Southwest Middle School sixth-grade teachers and students on a field trip to observe a sinkhole firsthand at Gator Sink. Gates was given the opportunity to work with the school after joining the District’s Youth Education Team. Youth Education staff formed the Youth Education Team to provide training and instruction for…

Tampa Bay Water Permit Renewed for Additional 10 Years The Governing Board has renewed Tampa Bay Water’s 90-million-gallon-per-day northern Tampa Bay consolidated water use permit for 10 years while requiring the water supplier to continue extensive environmental monitoring. The consolidated permit renewal includes extensive environmental controls, monitoring and reporting. Some of the key components of the permit include:

• Requirements for when the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region Monday, Aug. 28, at 3 p.m. in anticipation of impacts from Tropical Storm Idalia. Additionally, the District is in the process of cancelling all existing camping reservations through Friday, Sept. 1.For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at …

Representative Mike Grant presented the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board with a ceremonial check for $15 million for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP.)Gov. Charlie Crist included WRAP in his 2008-09 budget request to the Legislature. Rep. Grant is a strong advocate for WRAP and helped secure support among House members, which led to inclusion of WRAP in the state’s budget.“…

Passing the Torch     This spring the Governing Board “passed the torch” to a group of new leaders. The April elections brought about a change in each of the four offices. Thomas “Tom” G. Dabney was elected chair. “It’s an honor to be chosen chair by this Governing Board,” Dabney said. “We face many water resources challenges in our District. Serving as chair, I look forward to working with this excellent Governing Board and District staff…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Sarasota Office will be closed tomorrow, Friday, October 7th in conjunction with Governor Rick Scott's order to close state offices in the area due to Hurricane Matthew. Earlier today, the decision was made to close the Brooksville and Tampa offices due to anticipated sustained tropical storm force winds associated with hurricane. The decision to close the Bartow and Lake Hancock offices was made yesterday. All…

Teachers interested in securing a "Splash! school grant(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants/ for hands-on water resources projects through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us can begin applying online. The application is available on the District's web site at www.WaterMatters.org/schoolgrants/. Grant applications are due Sept. 10, 2010.The District's Splash! grants provide…

To help lower lake levels and prevent flooding, the District recently partnered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and the Panavista Fish Camp to treat and remove hydrilla from the Lake Panasoffkee Outlet River in Sumter County. Water naturally flows out of Lake Panasoffkee to the Withlacoochee River through the Outlet River. Hydrilla, an invasive species, recently grew so dense…

TheDeSoto County Parks and Recreation Department will receive a $5,000 Community Education Grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for a three-part environmental education event at Morgan Park in Arcadia.The event consists of a one-hour educational program, a guided canoe cleanup of the Peace River and the installation of interpretive signs. The event will reduce pollution in the Peace River, as well as teach park visitors about the proper way to dispose…