The Trailblazer

STAFF SPOTLIGHT – KURT GREMLEY Even if you go hiking, riding, bird watching or kayaking in our conservation parks, you may not have had the opportunity to speak with our staff. More than 140 staff members staff and manage Hillsborough County's Conservation Parks and Nature Preserves, which are spread out throughout our county. This is an opportunity to meet and learn about the people who work hard to keep the County's conservation parks  and nature preserves thriving and beautiful for all to enjoy. Our staff do everything from mowing and fence construction to prescribed fire, invasive species removal, ecological restoration, guided programs and more! This month's staff spotlight is Kurt Gremley who will be retiring as ELAPP Acquisition Manager on April 15 th . In 2018, after 28 years of service, Kurt had a total of almost 190 transactions approved by the Board of County Commissioners, most on the consent agenda. He has been an integral player in 99% of all ELAPP land acqu...

In March, a volunteer group from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, served our community by removing litter and debris in and along the Alafia River. This group was  led by Hillsborough County's own Earl Brown, Emergency Operations Manager. The group consisting of ten men and two kids spent six hours on the water in an effort to remove litter. And they didn't just stay in their vessels leisurely floating down the river while removing trash from the water. Some members hopped out into the depths and ferreted through the brush to retrieve waste. The team also took care of the riverway by trimming excess branches that extended into the river making it hard for travelers to navigate. This group filled four large trash bags full of discarded items pulled from the river. Every can was dated from around the mid-80s. Some of them had pull tops. There were also glass bottles found dated from the same time period. There may have been a Tab among what was removed. Some of t...