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The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Hampton Tract, including closed area tracts at Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve in Polk County, will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Jan. 31 through Feb. 2. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 30 permits for this hunt have been sold. The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Hampton Tract is located at 14301 Rock Ridge Road in Lakeland. This…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Hampton Tract, including closed area tracts at Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve in Polk County, will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Feb. 1-3. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All permits for this hunt have been sold. The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Hampton Tract is located at 14301 Rock Ridge Road in Lakeland. This activity is one…

From left: David Moore, District executive director; Olivia McLean, director of emergency and security management for the South Florida Water Management District; and Eugene Schiller, District deputy executive director of the Division of Management Services, discuss incident command management. This August, the District’s emergency operations staff completed two required courses that will help the District respond more efficiently and effectively to emergency…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Alston Tract at Upper Hillsborough Preserve in Pasco County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Nov. 9-11. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 11 permits for these hunts have been sold. Alston Tract is located at 42144 Deems Road in Zephyrhills. This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to…

The "Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ (District) adopted a proposed FY2015-16 millage rate of 0.3488 mill, 4.6 percent lower than the current fiscal year. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $34.88 a year, or about $2.91 per month. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, 2016. The total FY2015-16 proposed budget…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Flying Eagle Nature Center in Citrus County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Nov. 2-4. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 20 permits for these hunts have been sold. Flying Eagle Nature Center is located at 12650 East Boy Scout Road in Inverness. This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) successfully collaborated with the City of Mulberry to approve a new conservation ordinance based on Florida Water Star℠ (FWS) standards. FWS is a water conservation certification program…

Students at Dunellon Middle School believe “there ought to be a law” to better protect Florida’s springs and their surrounding watersheds.The seventh and eighth-grade students will present their case Thursday morning to Representative Larry Cretul, who represents parts of Marion, Levy and Alachua counties. The presentation will take place at 10 a.m. in the school’s auditorium. Cretul invited students to come up with a proposal they believe should be…

This year District volunteers will take part in the 14th Annual National Public Lands Day, a yearly opportunity for Americans to improve and enhance the public lands they enjoy. The event, which is Saturday, Sept. 29, is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort. District staff and volunteers will be conducting a beach cleanup at the District’s Piney Point Tract, which is located in southern Hillsborough County. For more information and to learn how you can…

As citrus greening becomes an increasing problem across Florida, the District is working with growers that are exceeding their permitted water quantities due to the disease plaguing their groves. Citrus greening, formal name Huanglongbing, is a bacterial disease that causes trees to produce sour, deformed fruit. Citrus greening has spread to all of the state’s 32 citrus-growing counties. University of Florida economists estimate the disease has caused $4.5 billion in…

Nestled just north of the Inverness city limits in Citrus County is 8,500 acres of pristine Florida wilderness with more than 30 miles of trails and four camping areas where you can hike, camp, bike, boat, fish — even bring your horses. Freshly restored to its historic natural flow patterns, Potts Preserve is bordered by the Hernando pool of the Tsala Apopka Lake system to the west and the Withlacoochee River to the east. Purchased by the District to protect the area’…

The District is observing Water Reuse Week as it’s essential to ensuring safe, clean and sustainable water resources. Gov. Rick Scott proclaimed Florida Water Reuse Week May 19-25 to highlight the importance of it to the sustainability of Florida’s water supply and ecosystem. The state began celebrating the week in 2007 after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Reuse Program as a national leader.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Flying Eagle Nature Center":http://hoghunts.watermatters.org/mcgregor.php will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Dec. 14-16.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The Flying Eagle Nature Center is located at 12650 East Boy Scout Road, Inverness.This activity is one of a series of wild hog hunts being held on District…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Green Swamp – Hampton Tract will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Dec. 4-6.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The area is located at 18490 Rock Ridge Road in Polk County, north of Lakeland and east of Zephyrhills.This activity is one of a series of wild hog hunts being held on District lands in an effort to control…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Deep Creek Preserve":http://www2.swfwmd.state.fl.us/hoghunt/deepcreek.php will be closing early to the public for hog hunts Nov. 27-29.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The Deep Creek Preserve is located at 10797 SW Peace River Street in Arcadia.The hunt is one of a series of hog hunts being held on District lands in an effort to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Flying Eagle Nature Center will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Nov. 23-25.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The Flying Eagle Nature Center is located at 12650 East Boy Scout Road, Inverness.This activity is one of a series of wild hog hunts being held on District lands in an effort to control the damage being…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Conner Preserve":http://www2.swfwmd.state.fl.us/hoghunt/conner.php will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Nov. 6-8.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold."Conner Preserve":http://…

Twenty-one Polk County teachers and four private school teachers 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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Hampton Tract will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Feb. 13-15. This also includes closed-area tracts at Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 38 permits for these hunts have been sold.The Hampton Tract is located at 18490 Rock Ridge Road in Lakeland.This activity is one of a series of wild hog hunts being held on…