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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September at the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve, which includes Green Swamp East Tract in Polk, Sumter and Lake counties, the Hampton Tract in Polk County and Green Swamp West Tract in Pasco County. The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve is located north of U.S. Highway 98 along Highway 471 and Rock Ridge Road between Lakeland and Dade City. Approximately 10,751 acres… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns April through June on the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA). The LHFDA is located south of Cross Creek Boulevard between U.S. Highway 301 and Morris Bridge Road near… Read more

About 50 volunteers recently came out to Conner Preserve in Pasco County to plant 2,000 longleaf pine seedlings over 5 acres of restored sandhill.  Volunteers were members of Lutz Boy Scout Troop 12, the Lutz/Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club and Lutz/Land O’ Lakes Lions Club. The Southwest Florida Water Management District provided the seedlings for the project and Senior Land Management Specialist Allen Milligan demonstrated how to properly plant longleaf pine… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December on the Prairie Shell Creek Tract in Charlotte County. Prairie Shell Creek is… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December on the Deep Creek Preserve Tract in DeSoto County. Deep Creek Preserve is located… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County. The Lower… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December on the Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley Creek Tract (Gilley Creek) in Manatee County… Read more

Audubon of Florida honored a District employee this fall for his role in saving the land that makes Florida a special place to live, work, visit and explore. 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. “In the face of decades of explosive growth, he… Read more

Albert G. Joerger took his oath of office to serve on the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board during the February Board meeting. 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… Read more

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Citrus County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, Sept. 15, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 West Sovereign Path, Room 166Lecanto.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Citrus County. Examples of restoration projects may include, but are… Read more

More than 500 volunteers who spend thousands of hours a year helping the Southwest Florida Water Management District maintain and improve public lands, as well as restore Tampa Bay, were honored this weekend during the District’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day.The celebration was held at the District’s Lake Panasoffkee property and featured an awards presentation, exhibits, live music, a picnic lunch and a nature hike.Approximately 450 volunteers are involved with the… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on the Prairie Shell Creek Tract in Charlotte County. Prairie Shell Creek is located… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on the Deep Creek Preserve Tract in DeSoto County. Deep Creek Preserve is located at… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA) in Hillsborough County. The… Read more

Susanna Martinez Tarokh has joined the Southwest Florida Water Management District as public information officer. Martinez Tarokh will serve as the District's principal representative for the news media and related public stakeholders in the 16-county coverage area, spanning as far north as Levy and Marion counties and south to Charlotte County. She replaces Robyn Felix who is now the District's Communications manager.Before joining the District, Martinez Tarokh spent seven… Read more

Dozens of Lealman residents joined representatives from the District and Pinellas County in September to celebrate the opening of the first phase of the Joes Creek Greenway to the public. The restoration project is a cooperative effort to restore wildlife habitat and improve water quality in Joes Creek through treatment of stormwater runoff, while providing the community access to the greenway for recreation. Lealman is a small community in central Pinellas County… Read more

 Brandt Henningsen, District chief environmental scientist, center, and Dr. Kate Spencer, right, with her students from the University of London. Each winter for the past eight years, Dr. Kate Spencer, a University of London professor, has brought a group of her students to the Tampa Bay area to tour District coastal ecosystem restoration projects and the TECO Manatee Viewing Center. Spencer has been bringing student groups to Florida since 2000, and she… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is hosting two workshops for residents who live along the North Winter Haven Chain of Lakes in Polk County. Lakefront residents of Lakes Conine, Fannie, Haines, Hamilton, Henry, Lowery, Rochelle, Smart and the Peace Creek Canal are invited to attend to learn more about the current structure operational guidelines. The workshops will take place on Thursday, Feb. 8 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 5:… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September at the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve, which includes the Green Swamp East Tract in Polk, Sumter and Lake counties; the Hampton Tract in Polk County; and the Green Swamp West… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency in early spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns November through March 2018 at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is located two miles east of Dunnellon and seven miles northeast of the City… Read more