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Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District staff and approximately 70 childrenWhat: The District’s 13th Annual “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” Students between the ages of nine and 18 will spend the day at the District headquarters and service offices learning about District careers. This year the event will focus on empowering the youth to conserve water.The opening ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m. Following the ceremony, the students will…

Spring is the time when many people start thinking about gardening. This spring, Citrus County residents have the opportunity to learn about Florida-friendly landscaping and water-conserving irrigation practices. A “Florida-Friendly Landscaping 101” workshop will be conducted in Lecanto at the Citrus County Canning Center on April 30, 8 a.m to 2 p.m. The workshop will focus on these topics:Right plant, right placeEfficient irrigation and water useFertilizing…

Sarasota developer Lee Wetherington received special recognition Wednesday for his commitment to water resources from the Southwest Florida Water Management’s Manasota Basin Board.The Manasota Basin Board chose to honor Wetherington for taking the lead in getting Sarasota County’s landscape ordinance passed and adopting Florida-friendly landscaping practices in his developments.Wetherington’s Misner Reserve at Lakewood Ranch was the first Florida Yards and…

Second-grade students from Learning Gate Community School collect specimens at a pond on the school property as part of their 2011 Splash! school grant project. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Office of Environmental Education has recognized three schools in the District with 2011 Florida Green Schools Awards. The Florida Green Schools Awards is a partnership between DEP, the Department of Education, Florida’s Foundation and 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…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us is celebrating February as Florida Hiking Trails Month by inviting the public to ""Get Outside!"(Get outside and explore more than 50 recreation sites on conservation lands)":/recreation/ and explore the more than 850 miles of hiking trails on District lands. The "Florida Department of Environmental Protection(Florida Department of Environmental…

With the arrival of the holiday season, the Southwest Florida Water Management District has many gift and decorating ideas that can save and protect water resources and create new holiday traditions.Here are some gift ideas:* Rain barrels are a great way to conserve water and an inexpensive gift when you pick one up at a local extension office.* Compost bins provide nutrients for a garden and keep food scraps out of the garbage disposal. A garbage disposal uses up to 4…

The Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council will meet on Monday, Dec. 1, 5 p.m. at the Lake Panasoffkee Recreation Center’s West Wing, 1532 CR-459, Lake Panasoffkee.The council will discuss the completion of the lake dredging project, canal cleanup and the future of the spoil area. The public is also invited to share comments.The Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council was created by the state Legislature in 1998 to develop a restoration plan for the lake. The council is…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to an informational meeting on the Chassahowitzka Headsprings Restoration Dredging project. The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, June 13, 2011 at Citrus County's Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path in Lecanto.The District is preparing to conduct a restoration dredging project on the Chassahowitzka Headsprings. The project is…

On Top of the World (OTOW), an active adult community in Ocala, plans for all future homes to achieve Florida Water Star℠ (FWS) certification over the next 20 years, saving residents millions of dollars and millions of gallons of water.   Nearly 5,000 FWS-certified homes will be constructed, using about 240 million gallons of water less per year than traditional construction. In addition, homeowners will spend approximately $530 less on utility bills annually for…

Tampa residents have new living options that offer water efficiency and affordability.District leaders celebrated Earth Day last week by awarding Florida Water Star℠ Community certification to the latest apartment building in the Encore!, a mixed-used redevelopment complex in downtown Tampa. The Reed is the third building in…

           A piece of “Old Florida” sprang to life this October as men and women on horseback drove dozens of cattle across the open-range and dusty trails of the Potts Preserve in Citrus County. The Seventh Annual Cracker Cattle Drive was coordinated by the Hernando Heritage Council and the Citrus County Cattlemen’s Association. Approximately 75 head of cattle were driven across private land and portions of Potts Preserve until they…

The Florida Senate has confirmed the appointments of seven Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board members.

• Bryan K. Beswick represents DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties and his term ends March 1, 2020.
• John Henslick represents Manatee County and his term ends March 1, 2021.
• James G. Murphy represents Polk County and his term ends March 1, 2021.
• Joel Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota…

Approximately 15 volunteers will get their feet wet this Saturday, May 21, participating in a restoration project organized by the Kings Bay Advisory Group.The volunteers will plant a variety of emergent, or water, plants along the Kings Bay shoreline. The goal of this project is to improve the habitat of the hardened shoreline, which will reduce wave action and lead to better water clarity and quality. By planting approximately 160 native plants, volunteers also hope to…

Did you know a family of four could save up to 30,000 gallons of water a year just by fixing leaks and replacing old plumbing fixtures with water conserving fixtures?This is just one of the water conservation tips offered by the Southwest Florida Water Management District this April, which has been designated as Water Conservation Month.The average resident living within our 16-county District uses 124 gallons of water each day and if you haven’t thought about…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District today approved an important plan to coordinate efforts with two other water management districts 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 Action Plan for the Central Florida Coordination Area is a cooperative effort among the Southwest Florida, South Florida and St. Johns River water management districts. The Coordination…

h2. May 8-16 is National Travel and Tourism WeekVisitors to west-central Florida can enjoy the area's natural beauty and still make a difference in preserving its natural resources, thanks to conservation programs developed by the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us. National Travel and Tourism Week is May 8-16, and the District offers many ways to celebrate tourism without sacrificing the…

Two former Governing Board members, Watson Haynes II and Janet Kovach, were honored for their service at a barbecue lunch with District staff and afterward at the April Governing Board meeting. Haynes served on the Board from March 1999 to March 2006. During that time, he served a one-year term as the Governing Board chair, after previously serving terms as the Governing Board’s vice chair and treasurer. “Watson is a dedicated worker for the region and the state,”…

As the Invasive Plant Threatens to Gain a Foothold in the Green Swamp, Agencies Cooperate to Fight It Photo courtesy USDI National Park Service With threats from new invasive plants and animal species continuing to rise in Florida, the District is battling to keep Old World climbing fern from infesting the 560,000-acre Green Swamp. Old World climbing fern, a new invasive vine, is spreading northward from south Florida and has been detected and treated as…

December 2023Q: Why is conserving water outdoors important?A:  Typically, outdoor water use accounts for about 50 percent of water consumed by households, so it’s important to pay attention to your outdoor water use. If using a permanent inground irrigation system, conduct regular maintenance to ensure the system is working properly and make seasonal adjustments throughout the year. If using a non-permanent above-ground…