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The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve – East Tract":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/greenswamp-east_tract.html in Polk County.Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve – East Tract is located in the northwest corner of Polk County. Approximately 1,500 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part… Read more

It was all treats and no tricks as the District, Polk County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection celebrated the grand opening of Polk’s Nature Discovery Center at the Circle B Bar Reserve on Halloween. “This twenty-first century facility will give children who are not exposed to the environment an opportunity to touch and feel nature,” said David Moore, District executive director. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests toured the Nature… Read more

The "US Fish and Wildlife Service(US Fish and Wildlife Service)":http://www.fws.gov/, the "Friends of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge(Friends of Chassahowitzka)":http://friendsofchazz.org/ and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ are holding their last public open house of this manatee season at the newly acquired Three Sisters Springs property on Saturday, Feb. 26, from 8 a.m. to noon."This will be the last… Read more

For the second year in a row, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pinellas County Parks & Recreation Department will join forces to “Perk Up a Park.”The “Perk Up a Park” cleanup and interpretive sign unveiling will happen Saturday, June 25 at Philippe Park, located in Safety Harbor on Philippe Parkway between Main Street and State Road 580.This event is open to anyone who would like to volunteer. The volunteers will be asked to… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July on the District's Annutteliga Hammock in Hernando County.Annutteliga Hammock is located in the Royal Highlands area of northwest Hernando County, just south of Citrus County's Sugarmill Woods development. Approximately 120 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Citrus County. Residents living in the North Citrus Withlacoochee River watershed are invited to attend an open house June 29 at 4 p.m. at the Coastal Region Library, located at 8619 W. Crystal Street in Crystal River. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas, explain the basis behind the… Read more

The Communications Department recently won state-level awards from the Florida Public Relations Association for two District campaigns. The “Skip a Week” public service advertising campaign received an Award of Distinction in the Public Relations Programs — Public Service category, and the “Get Outside!” campaign received an Award of Distinction in the Public Relations Programs — Institutional category of the association’s Golden Image Awards competition. The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during November and December on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of US 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. According… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during June, July and August on the Deep Creek property in DeSoto County.The site is east of Kings Highway, west of the Peace River and north of Deep Creek Estates. Approximately 500 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to District Land… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during September and October on the Deep Creek property in DeSoto County.The site is east of Kings Highway, west of the Peace River and north of Deep Creek Estates. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to District Land… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the Deep Creek property in DeSoto County.The site is east of Kings Highway, west of the Peace River and north of Deep Creek Estates. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to District Land Manager… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a public meeting to inform citizens about the upcoming restoration work the District will be doing at Three Sisters Springs. The meeting will take place at Crystal River City Hall, located at 123 NW Highway 19 in Crystal River, April 12 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.The project involves repairing erosion as well as preventing future erosion along the shoreline and the improvements will benefit the Crystal River/… Read more

Ramon F. Campo, left, and Edward W. Chance, right. Two former Governing Board members who recently passed away will be remembered for their dedication to the District. Ramon F. Campo An oak tree was planted at the Tampa Service Office this February in memory of Ramon “Ray” F. Campo, who served on the Governing Board from 1991 to 1999. “Many of the philosophies and programs the District employs today sprang from the efforts and vision and… Read more

District staffers and Board members who participated in the Hillsborough River & Waterways Cleanup spent their Saturday cleaning up the shoreline at DeSoto Park on McKay Bay. More than a dozen District employees and Board members recently took part in one of Tampa’s largest volunteer events — the 20th Annual Mayor’s Hillsborough River & Waterways Cleanup. The District joined forces with more than 1,200 volunteers to scour the banks of the Hillsborough… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Chito Branch Reserve in Hillsborough County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Feb. 25-27.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 10 permits for these hunts have been sold.Chito Branch Reserve is located at 11254 Browning Road in Lithia.This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to control the damage being… Read more

Above: New observation tower at the preserve. Below: The view from the tower. Outdoor enthusiasts have a new preserve to visit in Levy County. The Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve is 413 acres of publicly owned land managed by Yankeetown. Preserve visitors can enjoy a boardwalk, hiking trails and an education building. There is also an area to launch kayaks located on a half-mile portage trail. Boaters should be… Read more

With spring break season approaching, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, wants to remind Weeki Wachee River visitors about the recreational best practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts.  A recent ecologically based study found direct links between recreational use on the river and environmental damage. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the river have… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) has closed on the purchase of Boat Spring, which is part of the headwaters of Hammock Creek spring system, located in the historic community of Aripeka, on the Gulf of Mexico at the Hernando and Pasco County line. The Hammock Creek spring system includes Boat, Magnolia, Aripeka 1 and 2 springs which all flow into Hammock Creek that connects with the Gulf of Mexico. The acquisition… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, launched the Chassahowitzka River Education Campaign to inform river visitors about the recreational best practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts.  Recreational activities can have a direct impact on the health of the river. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the river have trampled vegetation and eroded riverbanks.… Read more