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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July on the District’s Upper Hillsborough property in Pasco County.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 3 miles east of Zephyrhills. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the District’s Conner Preserve.The Conner Preserve is approximately five miles north of Land O’ Lakes. Approximately 500 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns…

The Southwest Florida Water Management Governing Board voted today to elect new officers to the board. Randall S. Maggard was elected chair of the Governing Board. Maggard represents Pasco County and is vice president of Sonny's Discount Appliances Inc. in Dade City. Maggard was appointed to the Board in October 2011. Jeffery M. Adams was elected vice-chair of the Governing Board. Adams represents Pinellas County and is an attorney and partner with the law firm of Abbey,…

Albert G. Joerger took his oath of office Tuesday to serve on the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board.Joerger was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist 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. Joerger’s term ends March 1, 2011.The Sarasota resident is the founder and president of the Sarasota Conservation Foundation, which works with…

Advanced technology has reached nearly every single aspect of the District in one way or another throughout the organization’s history, most notably in the past two decades. “The technological changes during my tenure alone were like going from horse and buggy to putting a man on the moon in a very short period of time,” said Pete Hubbell, District executive director from 1988 to 1997. Information Resources In the early 2000s, the District’s operating system…

 The Annutteliga Hammock is an important area for groundwater recharge into Florida's primary drinking water source, the Floridan aquifer system. Situated in the Brooksville Ridge, which runs from northern Citrus County down into central Pasco County, the lands are slightly higher in elevation than the adjacent coastal or central portions of the state. The area within the Brooksville Ridge typically has well-drained soils, karst limerock outcroppings and is dominated by…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted today to elect new officers to the board. *Michael A. Babb* was elected chair of the Governing Board. Babb represents Hillsborough County, and is president of Two Rivers Ranch, Inc. in Thonotosassa. Babb was appointed to the Board in June 2011. He was re-appointed in March 2014.*Randall S. Maggard* was elected vice-chair of the Governing Board. Maggard…

A project in Highlands County to educate residents about Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org.Twelve grants were awarded Districtwide this year for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year "Community Education Grants":http://www.WaterMatters.org/CommunityGrants have been available. These grants currently help fund projects that provide communities an…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month during its March meeting. The Governing Board also emphasized that springs are vital to the environment, economy, citizens and visitors of the state. Earlier this month, the District launched an education campaign to help protect the Weeki Wachee River in Hernando County, which begins at the world-famous springs. The Weeki Wachee River education…

At its Aug. 12 meeting, the Southwest "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Withlacoochee River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.23 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Withlacoochee River Basin Board(Withlacoochee River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/withlacoochee.php area covers portions of Citrus, Hernando, Levy, Marion, Pasco and…

_Water Reuse Workshop to start at 9:00 a.m._The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 25 at 11 a.m. The meeting will immediately follow an information workshop on reuse. Both meetings will take place at the District's Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. To view the Governing Board meeting and workshop online, visit Watermatters.org and click on the "Live Video Stream" link. The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recognized two leaders in landscape education for their efforts to teach residents and landscape professionals about the connection between their landscape and protection of the water resources. The awards were presented Wednesday at the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.

• Dr. Terril Nell, director of the University of Florida’s Center for Landscape…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted unanimously today to approve two agreements that will pave the way for Weeki Wachee Springs to become a state park.The Governing Board approved a settlement agreement between Weeki Wachee Springs and the District that will end four years of litigation between the two parties. In addition, the Board approved an agreement between Weeki Wachee Springs and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (…

The District’s Governing Board approved the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement of more than 1,088 acres of Triangle Ranch in Manatee County, in the upper Myakka River watershed. This action will prevent future development on this property by securing $2 million toward the purchase of the conservation agreement, and is a key part in the permanent protection of this important piece of land. Executive Director Brian Armstrong said the purchase increases the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during December on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve and the Annuteliga Hammock.The Weekiwachee Preserve is approximately one mile west of Spring Hill. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Annuteliga Hammock is approximately five miles south of Chassahowitzka. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is asking for the public’s input on creating a land use and management plan for the Chito Branch Reserve in eastern Hillsborough County.A workshop will be held at Pinecrest Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug. 29 from 6:30 until 8 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The school is located at 7950 Lithia-Pinecrest Road in Lithia.The Chito Branch Reserve encompasses more than 4,100 acres of land, which was purchased by the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will train students at the Academy of Environmental Science to collect algal samples during future algae blooms in Kings Bay in Crystal River.Kings Bay has a history of algae blooms that negatively impact water clarity, cause habitat degradation and result in odor problems. Effective watershed management requires the identification of the types of algae. Due to the limited time frame available for sampling and the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during February and March on two District sites in Hillsborough County. The sites are the Alafia Reservoir property and the Lower Hillsborough property.The Alafia Reservoir property is approximately 2 miles south of Lithia. Approximately 285 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Lower Hillsborough property is approximately 1 mile southeast of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February on the District’s Jack Creek property in Highlands County. The property, which is in the Leisure Lakes area, is approximately 1 mile west of U.S. Hwy. 27, 3 miles south of S.R. 66 and 6 miles northwest of Lake Placid. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 200 acres of land will…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October and November on the Prairie-Shell Creek property. The Charlotte County site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately 8 miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.…