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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $104,941.81 in grants to 48 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12. Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through…

The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of November and December on Edward W. Chance Preserve (Coker Prairie and Gilley Creek Tracts), Southfork Preserve, and the Myakka River- Flatford Swamp tract in Manatee County. The Coker Prairie tract is located south of State Road 64, six miles west of Wauchula Road. The Gilley Creek tract is located…

The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict (District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of July, August and September on the Coker Prairie Tract and Gilley Creek Tracts of the Edward W. Chance Preserve, Southfork Preserve, and the Myakka River- Flatford Swamp tract in Manatee County. The Coker Prairie tract is located south of State Road 64, six miles west of Wauchula Road. The Gilley…

From toddlers to grandparents, volunteers of all ages recently planted salt marsh at the District’s Rock Ponds restoration site.  About 275 volunteers from across the Tampa Bay area joined the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program and Tampa Bay Watch in the planting of 32,000 marsh grass plugs. Hillsborough County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped organize the event.  The plants were installed at the…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Sumter County's Gant Lake watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Gant Lake watershed are invited to attend an open house on Wednesday,…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Polk County's Mulberry watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Mulberry watershed are invited to attend an open house on Tuesday, January…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Sumter County's Big Prairie watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Big Prairie watershed are invited to attend an open house on Thursday,…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on Potts…

*_Plan Calls for Reducing and Recruiting Staff_*Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director Blake Guillory announced today that the agency will undergo organizational restructuring in the coming months."We are committed to providing the greatest value to the taxpayer," said Guillory. "By implementing new business processes we have found opportunities to improve our efficiency and further reduce our operational costs." The District currently has 617 full-…

A project in Highlands County to educate residents about Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org.Twelve grants were awarded Districtwide this year for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year "Community Education Grants":http://www.WaterMatters.org/CommunityGrants have been available. These grants currently help fund projects that provide communities an…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month during its March meeting. The Governing Board also emphasized that springs are vital to the environment, economy, citizens and visitors of the state. Earlier this month, the District launched an education campaign to help protect the Weeki Wachee River in Hernando County, which begins at the world-famous springs. The Weeki Wachee River education…

h2. District Seeking Public Input on Proposals for Four PropertiesThe Southwest Florida Water Management District recently completed an evaluation of eight District-managed lands to determine if additional hunting opportunities are available. Draft proposals for four of these lands will be presented at a public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 West Sovereign Path, Suite 166, Lecanto. The draft proposals…

Dedication Celebrates Restoration A real time machine converted land back to a beautiful mosaic of habitats…” That’s what Ann Paul, Tampa Bay Regional Coordinator of Audubon of Florida, calls the completion of a restoration project in southeastern Hillsborough County. Paul and many other special guests joined the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hillsborough County in a recent celebration of the completion of the Fred & Idah Schultz Preserve.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is providing children the opportunity to participate in one of two free youth hog hunts at the District’s Edward W. Chance Reserve’s Gilley Creek Tract in Manatee County.The hog hunts are scheduled for Oct.17-18 and Oct. 24-25. All youth hunters must be accompanied by at least one adult. During both hunts, participants will use blinds. Dogs will not be used in either hunt.Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Orlando and…

Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed William Bunch and appointed Candy Nathe to two Southwest Florida Water Management District Basin Boards.William Bunch is the owner of Oysters Restaurant and lives in Crystal River. He was reappointed to the Coastal Rivers Basin Board. Bunch was first appointed to the Board 2001. His current term ends March 1, 2011. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board area includes the coastal regions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.Candy Nathe…

Who: Webster Elementary School teachers and studentsWhat: Save-A-Drop Day celebrates a year of studying the water cycle, watersheds and water conservation. Students will participate in a variety of hands-on environmental educational activities, including watershed model demonstrations and outdoor stations relating to appreciating our water and the plants and animals that depend on it. Students will also take the water conservation pledge.When: Tuesday, April 28, outdoor…

The public is invited to attend a meeting to learn about a proposed pump test at the Morris Bridge Sink.The meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m. at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Tampa Service Office, which is located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North in Tampa.The pump test will take place later this month or in early March and will last 30 days. However, given the severity of the current drought, Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Monday approved the renewal and consolidation of five water use permits (WUP) for Hernando County Utilities’ east service area.The consolidated permit includes an increase of 2,791,817 gallons of water per day (gpd) based on projected population growth in the east service area, which is expected to reach approximately 25,000 residents by the year 2014. The new permitted annual average day quantity for the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of January through March on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 150 acres of land in small, manageable units.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Cheryl Moffat for her outstanding water resources education project, “Water Pollution, Conservation and Wetland Importance.” A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.Moffat’s 2007–2008 Splash! mini-grant project helped Avon Park High School students determine pollution levels at local…