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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…

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…

Today is National Camp Day and the perfect time to reflect on the ways we can connect with the great outdoors. Whether you’re an avid camper, a hiking enthusiast or simply looking for a peaceful retreat, the District offers a variety of natural spaces and activities to help you refresh and reconnect with nature.  The District provides numerous campgrounds, each…

Whether your favorite outdoor activity is camping, kayaking, hiking or horseback riding, the District has the place for you to get outside and do your thing. The District owns a variety of properties that include more than 343,000 acres of land open for public recreation. And while about 2.5 million people visit these properties each year, many people don’t realize these recreational opportunities are located just minutes from their homes. That’s why WaterMatters…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region at 3 p.m. in anticipation of impacts from Tropical Depression Fred. For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at WaterMatters.org…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Aquifer Resource Weekly Update provides information to the public about the health of the water resources.Aquifers are underground layers of rock and sand that hold water. In southwest Florida, more than 80 percent of the water supply comes from aquifers.The Aquifer Resource Weekly Update contains two sections: Aquifer Levels and Rainfall. Levels and rainfall are provided for three regions: north (Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Aquifer Resource Weekly Update provides information to the public about the health of the water resources.Aquifers are underground layers of rock and sand that hold water. In southwest Florida, more than 80 percent of the water supply comes from aquifers.The Aquifer Resource Weekly Update contains two sections: Aquifer Levels and Rainfall. Levels and rainfall are provided for three regions: north (Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Aquifer Resource Weekly Update provides information to the public about the health of the water resources.Aquifers are underground layers of rock and sand that hold water. In southwest Florida, more than 80 percent of the water supply comes from aquifers.The Aquifer Resource Weekly Update contains two sections: Aquifer Levels and Rainfall. Levels and rainfall are provided for three regions: north (Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream…

Above left: This series of pictures shows the dredging machine, the pipe through the lake that carried dredged material to the spoil site and the spoil site. Above right: Anglers enjoy Lake Panasoffkee. The recently completed Lake Panasoffkee restoration project is being hailed as a huge success by Lake Panasoffkee residents and anglers. The $26.9 million, ten-year project restored Lake Panasoffkee’s historic fish bedding areas and lake shoreline by removing…

Just northeast of the Lake Manatee Reservoir in Manatee County, undisturbed areas of native habitats provide an example of historic Florida palmetto prairie, pine flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods communities. The District’s Gilley Creek Tract, part of the Edward W. Chance Reserve, gives Manatee County residents an opportunity to see Florida the way it used to be. “We have a very good example of an old historic Florida ecosystem at the Gilley Creek property,” said…

Chassahowitzka Property Offers Much to Do at an Outstanding Waterway Camping, hiking, boating, freshwater and saltwater fishing; a full range of outdoor activities are available at the District’s Chassahowitzka River and Coastal Swamps property in southwestern Citrus County. Purchased in the early 1990s, the…

FY2012 Budget Is 44.4 Percent Below FY2011 Levels The District’s Governing Board adopted a FY2012 millage rate of 0.3928 mill and a budget of $155.5 million at its September final budget hearing. The millage rate and budget take into account the merger of the budgets of the District’s eight Basin Boards into the Governing Board and the $107.8 million cap on ad valorem property taxes levied, which was passed by the Florida Legislature. This millage rate, combined…

Description: There is a place in the middle of the state, far from either coast, where people can go to experience the unaltered natural beauty of central Florida. The 51,000-acre East Tract of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve offers visitors the ability to hike, hunt, bike, camp or fish in a rare wilderness full of local flora and fauna. The Green Swamp East Tract, which stretches across Sumter, Lake, and Polk counties, contains a variety of habitat types —…