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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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Don’t miss Hillsborough County’s hiking spree featuring numerous District lands. The hiking spree encourages residents and visitors to get out and explore the county’s parks. Edward Medard Conservation Park,…

The Southwest Water Management District (District) will host an open house and community meeting regarding the Medard Reservoir Thursday, Jan. 23, at Durant High School located at 4748 Cougar Path in Plant City. The open house portion of the meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by a presentation from 7 to 8:30 p.m.During the open house, District staff, along with representatives from Hillsborough County and the National Weather Service, will be available to answer…

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…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Duck Lake watershed are invited to attend an open house on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria of Pasco High School, located at 36850 State Road 52 in Dade City. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas, explain the basis behind…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Public Affairs Bureau recently received top honors at the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) 60th Annual Golden Image. The winners were announced last week at the Association's 79th annual conference in Orlando. Recipients of this prestigious awards competition demonstrate the very best examples of innovation, planning and design in public relations. The Golden Image Awards have become a standard of public…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Anclote West watershed are invited to attend an open house on either Monday, Aug. 7 or Friday, Aug. 11 at 4:00 p.m. The meetings will take place in the cafeteria of J. W. Mitchell High School, located at 2323 Little Road in New Port Richey. District representatives will present preliminary data for…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Brooksville office is now fully operational and will reopen on Friday, Sept. 15 following Hurricane Irma. All other District offices remain 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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Double Hammock Creek watershed are invited to attend an open house on Monday, June 26 at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at Pepin Academies, located at 9804 Little Road in New Port Richey. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas, explain the basis behind the…

_*Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 Activation*_Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring a series of wildfires throughout our 16-county region and have raised the activation level of the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. This action is consistent with the State of Florida's level of EOC activation, and the District will coordinate with the State Emergency Response Teams to direct District resources and…

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,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Sumter County. Residents living in the Bushnell watershed are invited to attend an open house on Thursday, September 1, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Bushnell Community Center, located at 407 E. Belt Avenue in Bushnell.District representatives will present preliminary flood prone area information, explain the basis…