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Water Management on the Move A cooperative project between Pinellas County and the District has restored the natural flow of water between two back bays at Fort DeSoto Park near the mouth of Tampa Bay. Restoring the circulation will help improve water quality and habitats in the estuary. When the park was being developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s, a dredge-and-fill project connected a series of small mangrove islands from the mainland to a barrier… Read more

Tom Campbell, Green Swamp marathon winner, planned to bike to Sarasota County after the race. A group of extreme runners known as “Dances With Dirt” (DWD) are considering a return to the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve after holding a series of runs in the swamp in February. “We enjoyed the Florida hospitality and the area’s natural beauty,” said Randy Step, event director. “We hope to make the extreme DWD run in the Green Swamp an annual winter break event,… Read more

District Lands Offer New Features New trail maps and other information have been added to the kiosks on District properties to enrich the experience for guests. The new trail maps were created for 16 of the District’s most popular properties using detailed information including global positioning coordinates. The maps are part of an ongoing effort to update information at District properties. In recent years, land use specialists marked District trails using an… Read more

The contribution of hundreds of District volunteers was celebrated in April with a Volunteer Appreciation Day at the Green Swamp West Field Office. “The District has been around since 1961,” said David Moore, District executive director. “We’ve been working with volunteers since the beginning. They are an important part of what we do.” Approximately 300 volunteers are involved with the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program. More than 850 volunteers are… Read more

Above left: This series of pictures shows the dredging machine, the pipe through the lake that carried dredged material to the spoil site and the spoil site. Above right: Anglers enjoy Lake Panasoffkee. The recently completed Lake Panasoffkee restoration project is being hailed as a huge success by Lake Panasoffkee residents and anglers. The $26.9 million, ten-year project restored Lake Panasoffkee’s historic fish bedding areas and lake shoreline by removing… Read more

Just northeast of the Lake Manatee Reservoir in Manatee County, undisturbed areas of native habitats provide an example of historic Florida palmetto prairie, pine flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods communities. The District’s Gilley Creek Tract, part of the Edward W. Chance Reserve, gives Manatee County residents an opportunity to see Florida the way it used to be. “We have a very good example of an old historic Florida ecosystem at the Gilley Creek property,” said… Read more

Description: There is a place in the middle of the state, far from either coast, where people can go to experience the unaltered natural beauty of central Florida. The 51,000-acre East Tract of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve offers visitors the ability to hike, hunt, bike, camp or fish in a rare wilderness full of local flora and fauna. The Green Swamp East Tract, which stretches across Sumter, Lake, and Polk counties, contains a variety of habitat types —… Read more

Brandt Henningsen, the District’s chief environmental scientist, shows off a freshly planted baby marsh at Cockroach Bay to students from the University of London. As student Bea Nagy inspected a freshly planted baby marsh or marveled at the water fowl dotting Cockroach Bay, she experienced a lesson not found in a textbook. Nagy was one of 17 students from the University of London to recently tour the District’s coastal ecosystem restoration projects such as… Read more

Regionalization and Greater Use of Alternative Water Supplies Will Result Workers install a new two-mile long pipeline in the Citrus Park area. More widespread use of alternative water supplies and a more robust drinking water supply system are in place thanks to a partnership between the District and Tampa Bay Water. The Northwest Hillsborough Pipeline, a two-mile, 36-inch diameter pipeline, now brings up to 15 million gallons per day of water from… Read more

 Sallie Parks, Governing Board member, collects samples from Brooker Creek. Governing Board member Sallie Parks is a “hands-on” person when it comes to water resources. Parks’ dedication to the environment was clear during a Watershed Leadership Program held at the Brooker Creek Preserve. The education section of the Pinellas County Environmental Lands Division developed the Watershed Leadership Program to help decision-makers and elected officials… Read more

Left: Former Governor Bob Martinez discusses environmental issues with David Moore, District executive director, and Heidi McCree, District Governing Board member and chair ex officio of the Hillsborough River Basin Board, at the Nature’s Classroom dedication. Right: Representatives of the District and Polk County broke ground together for the environmental education center at the Circle B Bar Reserve. The District recently helped celebrate the opening of one… Read more

The District recently completed the next phase of the Hunters Cove Restoration Project in Citrus County. Lush mats of eelgrass were transferred to Hunters Cove and placed on the bottom of the cove in sections, similar to planting sod on land. The District had been growing the mats of eelgrass in ponds at the Duke Energy Mariculture Center in Crystal River.  The mats were recently rolled up and transported to the cove, where a dive team carefully placed the… Read more

It started with a single blade of eelgrass, actually thousands of them.  District springs experts are hoping those blades of grass will thrive and grow into dense vegetation that will improve water quality and sustain beneficial fish and wildlife habitats in Kings Bay. The pilot project is part of the District’s Hunters Cove Restoration Project. The first phase of the project is to grow a special type of eelgrass in mats made of coconut coir material. This… Read more

Hernando County students at two schools will study the issues surrounding our freshwater resources thanks to "Splash! school grants":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The Hernando County awardees are:* David Peitzman, *Gulf Coast Academy of Science*, was awarded $1,520. Students will visit several river and spring locations to test water quality and learn about human impacts to Florida's diverse… Read more

Are you counting on the rain to water-in your lawn fertilizer? You may want to reconsider. Save time and money by avoiding the practice of applying fertilizer before a heavy rain.Sometimes Florida yards need fertilizer to help keep them healthy, but applying fertilizer at the wrong time can cause water pollution. You can use Florida-friendly fertilizing practices to help protect water quality while having a beautiful lawn.If you fertilize your lawn before a heavy rain, much… Read more

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District Basin Board members and staff, Friends of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, Yankeetown School middle-grade students, Mayor Dawn Clary and other Yankeetown representativesWhat:The groups are celebrating the grand opening of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, which includes 413 acres of publicly owned land managed by Yankeetown, a boardwalk, hiking trails and an educational building.The event will include a dedication ceremony,… Read more

A Southwest Florida Water Management District project will help a Manatee County citrus grove and sod farm reduce groundwater pumping.The project involves the use of an integrated irrigation system at W.F.A. Land Company, Inc., located on the north fork of the Manatee River. Manatee County is part of a designated water use caution area because it is experiencing environmental impacts due to decades of groundwater over pumping. This project borders the eastern boundary of… Read more

Three Manatee County projects expected to reach nearly 5,000 residents were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants provide up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 38 grants Districtwide for a total of $136,598. This is the 11th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community… Read more

Eight Pinellas County projects that have the potential to reach approximately 298,800 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 32 grants Districtwide. This is the 12th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community… Read more

Dozens of Pinellas County homeowners are taking part in the second phase of landscaping irrigation research project that will help homeowners conserve water while maintaining their lawns. The project will test soil moisture sensor technology on residential landscapes, quantify irrigation water savings and monitor and document landscape quality.The project is a joint effort by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Pinellas County and the University of Florida… Read more