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Two events in August allowed District staff the opportunity to interact with District Governing Board officers. Governing Board Chair Heidi McCree attended the biannual employee meetings at each of the District service offices. On behalf of the Governing Board, McCree expressed appreciation for “the tireless work and creativity” demonstrated by District staff. “As a Governing Board chair I have the opportunity to travel around the state and meet with others…

The District’s Governing Board recently voted in a new slate of officers for the 2018-2019 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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Jan. 25-27. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 25 permits for these hunts have been sold. Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located at 15430 SW Highway 484 in Dunnellon. This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to…

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. 11-13. 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…

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. 4-6, 2022. 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…

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. 4-6, 2022 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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Nov. 16-18. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 25 permits for this hunt have been sold. Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located at 15430 SW Highway 484 in Dunnellon. This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to…

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 Nov. 9-11. 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…

Celebrate February as Florida Hiking Trails Month exploring the more than 850 miles of hiking trails on District lands.  Florida Hiking Trails month, recognized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, encourages Floridians to take advantage of Florida’s extensive trail system. Many trails on District lands are nearby and also are open for related activities such as nature study, bird watching, photography, jogging and backpacking.  The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Hampton Tract will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Feb. 13-15. This also includes closed-area tracts at Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 38 permits for these hunts have been sold.The Hampton Tract is located at 18490 Rock Ridge Road in Lakeland.This activity is one of a series of wild hog hunts being held on…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration on Monday, Dec. 18 at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population. What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include six hunts that occur in January and February 2018.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top producer on each hunt of Phase 2 will…

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 March at Annutteliga…

As Hermine descended on Florida’s west coast earlier this month, District staff sprang into action to help respond to and prevent flooding from the first hurricane to hit the state since Wilma in 2005.  With the EOC at a level two activation, it was all hands on deck as employees from across the District got involved.  Flash flood advisories issued in Pasco County had Fleet Services and Field Operations staff working up to 16-hour shifts deploying,…

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 at Annutteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County. Annutteliga…

Surrounding the crystal waters of Three Sisters Springs, visitors could easily spot exposed tree roots and an eroded shoreline. The erosion has caused sediments to enter spring vents and trees to collapse. It has meant a loss of habitat and dangerous conditions for visitors. That’s why the District is restoring the shoreline around Three Sisters Springs. A floating platform was placed inside the spring to allow access to the shoreline, which is surrounded by trees…

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 January through March at the following Pasco County properties:

• Cypress Creek Preserve
• Starkey Wilderness Preserve
• Upper Hillsborough Preserve

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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 November and December on Edward W. Chance Preserve (Coker Prairie and Gilley Creek Tracts), Southfork Preserve, and the Myakka River- Flatford Swamp tract in Manatee County. The Coker Prairie tract is located south of State Road 64, six miles west of Wauchula Road. The Gilley Creek tract is located…

The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict (District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of July, August and September on the Coker Prairie Tract and Gilley Creek Tracts of the Edward W. Chance Preserve, Southfork Preserve, and the Myakka River- Flatford Swamp tract in Manatee County. The Coker Prairie tract is located south of State Road 64, six miles west of Wauchula Road. The Gilley…

From toddlers to grandparents, volunteers of all ages recently planted salt marsh at the District’s Rock Ponds restoration site.  About 275 volunteers from across the Tampa Bay area joined the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program and Tampa Bay Watch in the planting of 32,000 marsh grass plugs. Hillsborough County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped organize the event.  The plants were installed at the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Hampton Tract, including closed area tracts at Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve in Polk County, will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Nov. 15-17. Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 30 permits for these hunts have been sold. The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Hampton Tract is located at 14301 Rock Ridge Road in Lakeland. This activity…