News, meetings and notices
Announcements
Temporary website outages
We want your visit to floridaswater.com to be a positive and productive experience. At times, we will need to perform routine hardware and software maintenance that may cause some areas of the site to be intermittently off-line. We do apologize for this temporary, but necessary, inconvenience. We are working diligently to quickly restore complete functionality to the site.
Next scheduled outage:
None at this time.
Office closures
None at this time.
District lands
Following is a list of properties that are closed or have portions closed due to ongoing land management activities. We regret the temporary inconvenience, but the closures are necessary for public safety. If you have concerns or comments about any of these activities, please contact us at landmgmt@sjrwmd.com or (386) 329-4404.
Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve — new group campsite now open [Updated on 06-14-2010]
The group campsite at Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve has been relocated to the northern portion of the property and is now available for use. To make a reservation, please visit our camping reservation system.
Newnans Lake Conservation Area — 2009–2010 timber harvest [Updated on 06-02-2010]
In December 2000, the District purchased more than 3,000 acres from a private timber company that was subsequently added to the Newnans Lake Conservation Area. Acquisition costs were lowered because the private company retained timber reservations (they own the trees) on more than 900 acres with the condition that the reservation period expires in 2012. The company has decided to remove the remaining 680 acres of timber in 2009–2010.
The areas will be clear-cut. During the logging operation, both the red and white hiking trails will be closed starting Nov. 7, 2009, until the logging is complete.
Once the timber harvest is completed, District staff will commence restoring the area into a longleaf pine-dominated natural community. The restoration process began in early June by spraying herbicides to control competing vegetation; a process that will cause the vegetation to turn brown and will prepare the site for prescribed burning. The burning is scheduled between July and early December, depending upon weather conditions and other site factors. Other steps in the restoration process will include harvesting standing hardwood trees for fuelwood and raking scattered logging debris into piles. Trails will reopen after all the phases of restoration that require heavy equipment are completed. Longleaf pine seedlings will be hand-planted on the site in December 2010.
Three Forks Marsh Conservation Area — Thomas O. Lawton Recreation Area [Posted on 06-02-2010]
The Thomas O. Lawton Recreation Area at Three Forks Marsh Conservation Area will be closed from sundown on Friday, July 2, 2010, until Tuesday morning July 6, 2010.
Pellicer Creek Conservation Area — sandhill restoration project [Posted on 04-06-2010]
The St. Johns River Water Management District is restoring approximately 156 acres of sandhill at Pellicer Creek Conservation Area. This project will consist of removing the existing sand pine and replanting the site with longleaf pine, which is the appropriate pine species for a sandhill. The first phase of this project will begin sometime after April 6, 2010, and take approximately three months to complete. Out of concern for public safety, the trail system will be closed while the sand pines are being removed.
Thomas Creek Conservation Area — pine flatwoods restoration project [Updated on 04-06-2010]
The St. Johns River Water Management District is conducting a timber harvest on approximately 200 acres of pine flatwoods at Thomas Creek Conservation Area as part of a restoration project. The first phase began in December 2009. Extreme wet conditions delayed the project. Work has now begun again and the project should be completed in June 2010. Logging trucks will be coming in and out of the east parking area on U.S. 1 and 23 during this time. Please park off to the side in the parking area to allow room for the logging trucks and be careful when using this area.
Lake Norris Conservation Area
Lake Norris Conservation Area is home to the 347-acre Blackwater Creek Mitigation Bank. This area was formerly a sand mine. Construction is under way to restore wetlands and uplands by removing sand piles, berms, haul roads and exotic plant species. Prescribed fires will be conducted to maintain the habitat and native species will be planted. Sand pine clear-cuts and selective timber harvesting will restore uplands to their natural sandhill habitat. This work will require a temporary closure of the yellow trail and partial closure of the red trail. Until further notice, the parking area on Hart Ranch Road will be closed. Please consider visiting the Lake Norris Road parking area, which provides access to more than 6 miles of trails.
Murphy Creek Conservation Area — sandhill restoration project
There is an ongoing restoration project at Murphy Creek Conservation Area off of Buffalo Bluff Road that involves the removal of several species of oak trees that have overgrown the sandhill natural community. This work will be occurring through much of 2010. As you enjoy the conservation area, please be aware that you may encounter heavy equipment. Please stay clear of any area in which the equipment is operating.
Rice Creek Conservation Area — timber reservation harvest
Plum Creek Inc. is conducting a timber harvest on a 61-acre timber reservation at Rice Creek Conservation Area. When this portion of the conservation area was purchased in 2002, the cost of the acquisition was reduced by allowing Plum Creek to retain the rights to approximately 1,000 acres of timber. The timber reservation specifies where the 1,000 acres is located and when the reservation expires (2016).
There will be signs posted in the parking area as long as the harvest is ongoing. We strongly suggest that you take the white trail to avoid logging trucks on the main road.
Flooding
- For flood protection information and assistance, contact your local government.
- For flood statements and warnings, visit http://weather.gov/rivers_tab.php.
- USGS interactive map of current conditions in Florida
News and notices from other agencies and groups
St. Johns River Summit planned for Sept. 15–16
Join community leaders, researchers and government officials as they gather to learn more about the St. Johns River. Register now for the 2010 St. Johns River Summit to be held Sept. 15–16 at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, 1000 Water St., Jacksonville, FL 32204. Visit the summit website for additional information.
