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"Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District land during the 2013-2014 feral hog dog hunt season to help reduce the wild hog population. The District will implement a three-phase hunting system. The first two phases of hunts will have separate registration processes. Top producers from Phase 1 will be awarded free hunts for Phase 2; top producers from Phase 2 will be asked to…

Two additional events are being added to the list of hands-on activities and workshops taking place during Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week, which runs Nov. 15-22.The new events include a shoreline cleanup on Nov. 15 and a Frog Listening Network presentation on Nov. 20. Details for all of the week’s events are listed below.The Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week is a cooperative effort between the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s…

Volunteers who take part in the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program are a valuable resource. In fact, three groups who were honored for their voluntary efforts during last week’s Governing Board meeting in Brooksville saved the District between$50,440 and $91,044.According to the Points of Light Foundation, a nationwide volunteer network clearing house, volunteers save the District between $10 and $18 an hour in labor…

C.A. “Neil” Combee, Jr., was unanimously elected Tuesday by his peers to serve as Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Other Governing Board officers selected today include Todd Pressman, vice chair; Jennifer E. Closshey, secretary; and Ronald E. Oakley, treasurer.Chair Neil CombeeCombee of Lakeland was appointed to the Governing Board in April 2005. He is also co-chair ex officio of the District’s Peace…

The District is refurbishing a flood control structure in Citrus County that will improve reliability and the life of the structure. The S-353 flood control structure, which is located on the Tsala Apopka outfall canal, was originally built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of maintaining proper water levels and flood control.  The refurbishment began in December and will end June 1. It will improve the reliability of remote communication by…

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, University of Central Florida researchers, and volunteers from the local chapters of the Audubon Society and the Florida Ornithological SocietyWhat: This is the second year the District is coordinating a bird banding day at the Weekiwachee Preserve, which is located along the Hernando County Coast, west of the Weeki Wachee River. The volunteers will help District staff net sparrows and…

Animal Assistance Some people panic when they hear disaster is heading their way; others mobilize and see what they can do to help. When Leigh Rogers, a regulation processing specialist at the District’s Sarasota Service Office, heard that Hurricane Charley was going to hit Florida’s west coast, she began looking for ways she could lend a hand. “I have always been interested in volunteer work,” said Rogers, who first looked into volunteering for the District’s…

The District celebrated the Peace River and the Peace River watershed by holding a series of events along the river during “Peace River Watershed Awareness Week” in April. The week was recognized by the District’s Peace River Basin Board, the state legislature and participating county governments. Each of the four events within the Peace River watershed was designed to create watershed awareness, showcase the commitment to protecting the watershed and foster proper…

Who: Suncoast Earth Force, Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, educators and approximately 600 students from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, 21 local environmental agenciesWhat: 9th Annual Youth SummitThe annual summit is sponsored by Suncoast Earth Force, a Tampa Bay area nonprofit educational organization.The summit brings together hundreds of youth, educators and community partners who have been involved in Earth Force programs during the past…

Talmadge G. Jerry Rice Tuesday was unanimously elected by his peers to serve as Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Other Board officers selected include Judith C. Judy Whitehead, vice chair; Jennifer E. Closshey, treasurer; and C.A. “Neil” Combee, Jr., secretary.Chair Jerry RiceRice of Dade City was appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003. He was elected the Boards Treasurer in May 2004. Rice is also…

District Outreach It flew with the troops fighting in Iraq. Now it serves as a big “thank you” to staff at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Bartow Service Office for their generosity. Staff Sergeant Anthony Pieske presented an American flag to the Bartow employees while on leave from the 332nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. Anthony’s wife, Samantha, is a field technician in Bartow. The Bartow Service Office serves residents in Polk, Hardee, and…

It’s not every day someone receives recognition from the President of the United States. However, an equestrian volunteer group and two off-road bike volunteers who take part in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program have received such an honor. The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation recognized the South Creek Equestrian Club and Jonathan and Sharon Noll from the Wilderness Trails Association for each group contributing more than 4,000…

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.…

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.…

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update flood hazard maps in DeSoto and Hardee counties.Governments, insurance companies and individuals all use FEMA flood insurance rate maps, or FIRMs, to identify flooding risk and to plan for potential flooding. With the updated flood maps, communities can better manage development in and around floodplains and prepare for and mitigate against flood disaster…

Judy Whitehead, Governing Board chair and chair ex officio of the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board, and her husband, Don, enjoy spending time with their grandsons, Pierson and Daniel. Judy Whitehead was surprised and gratified that her fellow Governing Board members thought enough of her to elect her as their chair. “I’m not particularly brilliant or knowledgeable. I’m just a small-town grandma,” she said. Despite her modesty, her fellow Board members…

Four Governing Board members have the opportunity to lead the Board this year; three of whom will be taking on new roles. Judith C. “Judy” Whitehead was unanimously elected to serve as Governing Board chair. She previously served as Board vice chair and looks forward to her new role. “We have a wonderful cross section of representation and I am grateful that such intelligent, cooperative people have been chosen to serve on the Board. I’m gratified that…