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The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of October, November, and December on Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and neighboring Schewe Tract. Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, which is jointly owned and managed by the District and Sarasota County, is located between Interstate 75 and US Highway 41. The Schewe Tract, which is located south and north of… Read more

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of October through March at two preserves in Hernando County.Approximately 400 acres at Weekiwachee Preserve will be burned in small, manageable units. The property is located west of US Highway 19 between Spring Hill and Hernando Beach. Some trails may be temporarily closed during prescribed burn events.Approximately 300 acres 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 last year. That’s why the… Read more

An educational workshop on well construction issues will bring together District staff and well construction contractors on September 24 at District headquarters in Brooksville. Sandy Semegen, Brooksville field services supervisor, is facilitating the workshop. During the day, contractors will attend several education sessions, including enforcement and how the District handles cases of well contractor violation; online tools, taught by Steve Camp, professional… Read more

They tackled topics that ranged from soils and forestry to aquatics and wildlife. Hundreds of students from several counties recently participated in the 2015 Nature Coast Regional Envirothon at Crews Lake Wilderness Park in Pasco County.  The competition is a problem-solving, natural resources education program for high school students allowing them to use critical-thinking skills to solve problems or conduct hands-on investigations about current… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Gilley Creek Tract in Manatee County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Jan. 9–11.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 12 permits for these hunts have been sold.The Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley Creek Tract is located at 22310 CR 675 in Parrish.This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to control the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Flying Eagle Nature Center in Citrus County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Jan. 9-11.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 20 permits for these hunts have been sold.Flying Eagle Nature Center is located at 12650 East Boy Scout Road in Inverness.This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to control the… 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 Jan. 2-4, 2024.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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Alston Tract at Upper Hillsborough Preserve in Pasco County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Jan. 2-4, 2024. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 11 permits for these hunts have been sold.The Alston Tract is located at 42144 Deems Road in Zephyrhills.This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to… 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 Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley Creek Tract (Gilley Creek) and Coker Prairie… Read more

Known for being a role model and a leader at the District, Roberta Starks has now received recognition from Hillsborough Community College (HCC). Starks was recognized at the college’s alumni award ceremony in December. The event, which was the first of its kind at HCC, honored 40 alumni in celebration of the college’s 40th anniversary. “The task for selecting only 40 remarkable alumni was a difficult one for our committee,” said Gwendolyn Stephenson, Ph.D., HCC… Read more

Left: Deborah Kynes, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council chair; Sallie Parks, Governing Board member; Kendra Antoine, senior communications coordinator; Maritza Rovira-Forino, Governing Board member; and Manny Pumariega, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council executive director, accept the Future of the Region Award for the “Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week” project. Right: Sallie Parks, Governing Board member; Kurt Zuelsdorf, Community Education Grant recipient… Read more

A soon-to-be-completed restoration project at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park began as an idea Denise Tenuto had several years ago while waiting in the former attraction’s parking lot to pick up her daughter, who worked there as a lifeguard. “As I was waiting for her, I noticed the rain in the parking lot was flowing toward the springs,” said Tenuto, a District environmental coordinator who recently retired. When the District began its springs protection initiative… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is hosting a public workshop Nov. 8 to provide information and get feedback on the Weeki Wachee Natural System Carrying Capacity Study. The purpose of the study is to evaluate how recreational use affects the natural system along the Weeki Wachee River. During Thursday’s workshop, staff from the District, Hernando County and the consultant group will be available to explain the intent of the study and how the data will… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population.What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include five hunts that occur January through February 2024.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top producer on each hunt of Phase 2 will be placed on…

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The District’s Governing Board voted in a new slate of officers Tuesday for the 2019-2020 term. Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The Governing Board sets policy for the District, whose mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks, and ensure the public’s water needs… 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 last spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns in April and May on the Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley Creek Tract (Gilley Creek) and Flatford Swamp Preserve in Manatee County. The Gilley Creek property is located between State… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a management agreement that will allow the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department to develop a 70-acre park within the District’s Lake Panasoffkee project area.The agreement will allow the county to construct and maintain a park that will primarily be used for living history events and displays like a Native American village and pioneer settlement structures. There will… 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 now through December on the Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday agreed to issue a non-exclusive license agreement to the Citrus County Airboat Alliance to Potts Preserve.The agreement will replace a temporary permit and allow the airboat group to continue to use and maintain a remote picnic and camping area located in the northwest portion of the preserve on the North Loop Road for a five-year term with the option to renew the agreement for two additional… Read more