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Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed a new member to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Henry Paul Senft of Haines City was appointed to a newly created seat. The Governing Board was previously made up of 11 seats. Last year the State Legislature added two new seats for a total of 13.His term began March 7 and ends March 1, 2011. Senft is the owner of Townsend-Senft Consulting and Insurance Inc. He will also be appointed by the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a parcel of land in connection with the Lake Hancock Project. The property is an important part of the creation of a greenway link.The parcel is approximately 590 acres of land and is located along the eastern shore of Lake Hancock. Located west of Thornhill Road, south of the Polk Parkway and State Road 540, the property is being purchased for $5,225,000 from Tom and Tham… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will treat hydrilla on selected areas of Lake Panasoffkee.Approximately 200 acres of the 4,000-acre Lake Panasoffkee will be treated May 9-11. Treatment involves applying the aquatic herbicide Aquathol K from the air.Maps of the treatment areas will be posted at local fish camps as well as on floating buoys… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board approved the purchase of a 153-acre parcel of land in Hillsborough County. This acquisition will be added to the 4,367 acres that the District owns within the Tampa Bay Estuarine Ecosystem project.The property, commonly known as the Fulkerson Road shell pit, is located about one mile north of the Hillsborough/Manatee County line and just west of U.S. Hwy. 41.The property is being purchased for $828,000 from… Read more

table(webalert). |Who:|"Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ and volunteers.||*What:*|The District has organized volunteers to plant *several hundred trees*, including *long leaf pines* and *live oaks*, at the District's "Lake Panasoffkee property(Lake Panasoffkee property)":/recreation/areas/lakepanasoffkee.html located in Sumter County west of Wildwood.Volunteers will *break ground at 10 a.m.*, planting saplings in and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Jan. 12-14. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All permits for these hunts have been sold.… Read more

Scientists with the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ "Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/swim/ released the results of the 2012 seagrass mapping study showing a 4.4 percent increase in seagrass coverage in Charlotte Harbor. The District maps seagrass in five estuaries spanning the five coastal counties of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hampton Tract will be closed to the public March 24-26. The District is limiting access to the property to prepare for an event that allows disabled hunters the opportunity to experience the outdoors.The hunt, which is organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation/Wheelin’ Sportsmen, is one of more than 24 events the group holds throughout Florida each year. Other outings include fishing events, recreational… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be holding a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Nov. 17-19. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All 20 permits for these hunts have been… Read more

About 120 volunteers helped plant 9,000 marsh plugs at Cockroach Bay, provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission About 120 volunteers recently got messy and muddy for a marsh. The volunteers helped plant 9,000 marsh plugs at Cockroach Bay as part of the final phase of restoration of the tidal lagoon borrow pit. The project is part of the Cockroach Bay Ecosystem Restoration Project, one of the most complex coastal ecosystem projects… Read more

h2. *_Charlotte Harbor Shows Rebound After 2008 Decline_*Scientists with the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program(SWIM)":/projects/swim/ have recorded increases in seagrass presence in Lemon Bay, Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor over the past two years.According to the "District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ 2010 seagrass mapping study, seagrass acreage in the three water bodies has… Read more

A Sarasota condominium association received statewide recognition for a project it completed with the help of a Southwest Florida Water Management District Community Education Grant.The Pelican Cove Condominium Association was one of nine condominium and homeowners associations recognized at the Florida Community Association Journal’s Florida Communities of Excellence Awards. The associations were honored for their achievement in addressing the needs and concerns of… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ has reopened off-road bicycling and hiking trails and the parking area within the "Wilderness Park Off Road Trails System(Wilderness Park Off Road Trails System)":/recreation/areas/lh-offroadloop.html, also known as the Morris Bridge Bicycle Area.Trails were scheduled to be closed intermittently through Dec. 23 to allow staff to establish fire lines in preparation for prescribed… Read more

Three Marion County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to… Read more

Festival coincides with first Springs Awareness WeekThis year’s Marion County Master Gardeners’ Spring Festival, which is being held March 14 – 15 at the Marion County Extension Service Office in Ocala, coincides with the first Springs Awareness Week.The Southwest Florida Water Management District has partnered with Citrus and Marion counties and the cities of Crystal River and Dunnellon to proclaim March 14-21 as Springs Awareness Week. The goal is to… Read more

Are you looking for a quiet place for a bike ride, a hike or just a peaceful picnic? The Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is a great choice. The District’s sole Marion County property with regular public access, the preserve is named after Seminole leader Hálpata Tastanaki (Chief Alligator) who, along with Osceola, Jumper and approximately 1,000 warriors, took part in the largest battle of the Second Seminole Indian War in 1836. The preserve is located on the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has closed all District managed campgrounds throughout our 16-county region during Florida's wildfire emergency event.The following District managed campgrounds are closed until further notice:•Cypress Creek Preserve•Deep Creek Preserve•Flying Eagle Preserve•Green Swamp – East Tract•Green Swamp – Hampton Tract•Green Swamp – West Tract•Lake Panasofkee•Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve•Potts Preserve•Starkey… Read more

The new year kicks off with a new District program aimed at recognizing outstanding stewards of Florida’s water resources. This new program is known as the Water Stewardship Awards. “Florida’s watersheds are being protected by people and entities that care about what happens to our freshwater supplies,” said Communications Director Linda McBride. “That’s why the Governing Board initiated this program, to recognize and award those who are impacting our water resources… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be holding a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Jan. 14-16. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All permits for these hunts have been sold.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be holding a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Nov. 19-22. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All 20 permits for these hunts have been… Read more