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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Brooksville office will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 13 due to impacts from Hurricane Irma. All other District offices will be open. Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District's website at WaterMatters.org. As a reminder, you can find the latest information on…

A group of kayakers armed with gloves and garbage bags launched their vessels from the Clam Bayou Nature Park. The volunteers, led by Kurt Zuelsdorf, were on a mission to collect trash from the mangrove-lined Clam Bayou. Zuelsdorf was able to bring together this eco-minded band of volunteers through a District Community Education Grant he applied for and received this spring. The $3,512 grant was used to pay for the volunteers’ kayak rentals, trash bags and equipment…

Maritza Rovira-Forino, Governing Board member, assists visitors at the District’s display. The District celebrated the Hillsborough River and the Hillsborough River watershed by holding a series of events along the river during “Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week” in October. The District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board and the participating city and county governments declared the week of October 20–27 as Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week…

District Senior Water Conservation Analyst Anthony Andrade (far right) stands with members of Boy Scout Troop 311 of San Antonio. Torrential rains only added to the adventure for members of Boy Scout Troop 311 of San Antonio on their recent camping trip to the District’s Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve’s West Tract. The troop set out on Friday, Sept. 11, for the property’s Cumpressco campsite. “We were really happy with the site,” said Randy Emberg,…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized the Southwest Florida Water Management District for its part in the Three Sisters Springs land acquisition project. Eric Sutton, former District Land Resources director, and Gary Williams, District senior environmental scientist, were among the 18 individuals and organizations who recently received the Regional Director’s Conservation Award for their roles in the land acquisition project. “It’s great to have the…

Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed William Bunch and appointed Candy Nathe to two Southwest Florida Water Management District Basin Boards.William Bunch is the owner of Oysters Restaurant and lives in Crystal River. He was reappointed to the Coastal Rivers Basin Board. Bunch was first appointed to the Board 2001. His current term ends March 1, 2011. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board area includes the coastal regions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.Candy Nathe…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of January through March on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 150 acres of land in small, manageable units.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of November and December on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 150 acres of land in small,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the July and August on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 250 acres of land in small, manageable units.The scheduled,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of April and May on the Deep Creek property.The property is located along the Charlotte and DeSoto County line, with most of the property in DeSoto County. The parcel is east of Kings Highway, also known as County Road 769, west of the Peace River and north of Deep Creek Estates.Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of April and May on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 250 acres of land in small, manageable units…

The Florida Audubon Society has recognized a Southwest Florida Water Management District employee for his extraordinary contribution to saving places that make Florida special.Henry Dean, Audubon Board member and former Executive Director of the St. Johns River and South Florida Water Management Districts, presented the Florida Audubon Special Places Award to Fritz Musselmann, land resources director, during Audubon’s Annual Assembly.The award was presented to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of October and November on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lake area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 200 acres of land in small, manageable…

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…

Homeowners and gardening enthusiasts are invited to play in the dirt at the Florida Yard Fandango. This Florida-friendly gardening event is being held at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on May 6, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.The Florida-friendly workshop is partially funded by a $5,000 Community Education Grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board.The goal of this event is promote Florida-friendly landscaping and lawn…

A series of workshops aimed at familiarizing seasonal residents of Crystal Springs and Zephyrhills with Florida habitat and Florida-friendly landscape practices will begin March 6 at the Crystal Springs Preserve.The series of “Welcome to Our Watershed” workshops will encourage residents to take an active role in protecting the portion of the Hillsborough River watershed that travels through their neighborhoods. Participants who complete the workshop series will…

Butterfly lovers will have a weekend to explore the Museum of Science and Industry’s (MOSI) Bio Work’s Butterfly Garden at no charge.Butterfly Weekend at MOSI is being held Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday Sept. 25. The Bio Works Butterfly Garden will be open to the public, free of charge, on both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Besides exploring the Bio Works Butterfly Garden, attendees will also be able to participate in several hands-on activities on Saturday, Sept. 24.…

Spring has sprung in Florida and that means gardeners and proud homeowners are busy sprucing up their lawns and gardens.By following Florida-friendly lawn and garden practices, “weekend warriors” can spend less time working on their lawns and more time enjoying the fruits of their labor.Fertilizers applied improperly can run off lawns into local springs, streams, lakes, rivers, and, ultimately into the gulf or ocean and harm our water resources. Proper…

The District has added several new members to its Springs Team, which is leading the effort to improve water clarity and habitat in west-central Florida’s springs. The team includes a diverse group of scientists and engineers representing a wide range of water resource disciplines. The team’s knowledge is based on decades of research and development, pilot projects and complex groundwater models. Meet the newest members of the team: Anthony Andrade…

The Southwest Florida Management District recently signed two agreements with Sarasota County to move forward on projects that will help reduce flooding associated with heavy rains in the Hudson Bayou and Matheny Creek watersheds.Hudson Bayou WatershedThe Hudson Bayou Watershed spans approximately 3.8 miles in Sarasota County and includes the South Pelican Drive area, which experiences chronic flooding.The project will construct a pond downstream of the area to provide…