The Trailblazer

Conservation Park Annual Passes are the perfect gift! Looking for the perfect holiday gift? This year, get your loved one a Hillsborough County Conservation Parks annual pass  and give the gift of adventure and exploration!  Conservation park passes are good at all 16 Hillsborough County Conservation Parks , including Lettuce Lake, Upper Tampa Bay, and Edward Medard.  A pass is the perfect present  for anyone who loves birdwatching, fishing, hiking, kayaking, outdoor exercise or just being close to nature.    Annual passes are $50.00 for an individual pass , which allows one person into the park, and $100.00 for a family pass , which covers the entry fee for up to eight people together in one vehicle. You can also  purchase  a boat ramp pass for $100 .00 , which allows the  user  to launch a boat  for no char ge  at   all  boat ramps operated by Hillsborough County. You can purchase  passes  online at HCFL...

Life on the Edge: Firewise Florida In previous articles we've discussed the reasons  prescribed fire is beneficial to Florida’s natural landscape . Whether you’re new to the state or born and raised in Hillsborough County, at some point you’re bound to come across a prescribed burn led by a Florida Certified Prescribed Fire Manager.  Past articles  describe the safety measures Fire Managers employ   to keep the public and staff safe while planning and directing prescribed burns. If you’re lucky enough to live near one of Hillsborough County’s Nature Preserves,  it’s important to become familiar with the use of prescribed fire. Without it, those beautiful views and healthy ecosystems will steadily decline over time. The Environmental Lands Management Acquisition and Protection Program  was created to manage and protect these lands for future generations. Our 68,000 acres offer more than fantastic recreation opportunities and picturesque landscapes. Ecosy...

11/20/20 Trail update: Temporary trail closures due to high water levels from Eta weather event Open Sites with wet trails:           Expect water up to your knees in areas that are partially flooded. Due to continually changing conditions, we cannot provide ongoing updates to the condition of each individual trail. Always observe the depth of water on the trail before proceeding through a flooded section. Closed Sites:      Staff is monitoring the conditions daily and will re-open sites as they are deemed safe.  Northwest 1. Cypress Creek Nature Preserve – Trails are wet, soggy and partially flooded in areas but passable. 2. Violet Cury Nature Preserve – Trails are wet, soggy and partially flooded in areas but passable. 3. Lake Frances Nature Preserve – OPEN 4. Brooker Creek Headwaters Nature Preserve –  OPEN 5. Lake Dan Nature Preserve – Trails are wet, soggy and partially flooded in areas but passable. Heaviest flooding is on the...

Meet the amazing, dedicated staff who help to keep our nature preserves healthy, clean, and accessible! Even if you go hiking, riding, bird watching or kayaking in our nature preserves all the time, you may not get a chance to talk to our staff too often. Just under 50 staff manage Hillsborough County's over 68,000 acres of nature preserves, so they're pretty spread out. We want to give you this opportunity to meet and learn about the people who work hard to keep the County's nature preserves in good shape. Our staff do everything from mowing and fence construction to prescribed fire, invasive species removal, ecological restoration, guided programs and more!  This month, we asked Richard White to give us a little insight into his position and what conservation means to him. Mr. White was born and raised in Hillsborough County and has worked for Hillsborough County for almost 50 years, initially joining the Parks and Recreation Department in 1969. He's been with the Env...

  As you hike, you'll come to posts marked with the letters A through G along the red and yellow trails. At each trail marker,  stop and listen to (or read)  the short informational clip provided. You can download each marker separately using the links provided OR download the entire audio file and pause it between trail markers. You can also download the text to read along instead of listening. Remember to  bring a trail map, water, bug spray, and a snack  with you and tell someone where you're going.  Happy hiking!  Trail Map and Text Links: >>Blackwater Creek Trail Map This is a geo-referenced trail map, meaning that if you download a mapping app like  Avenza  on your smartphone and open this PDF in the app, it will let you see your location on the map as you hike.  >>Full Hike Text Only Audio Links: >>Full Hike Audio You only have to download one audio file, but you'll have to pause it between trail markers.  ...

 It’s that time of year again  –  the time when most of the country gets to wear sweaters, shuffle through crunchy fallen leaves, and enjoy a steaming pumpkin spice latte on a crisp autumn morning. Meanwhile, we Floridians are sweating in tank tops, dreaming of that January chill that’s still a few months away, and wishing for a glimpse of the beautiful golden, orange, and red foliage that defines fall for most of the country. We stare at those autumn-themed department store ads with longing as cozy people wearing knitted hats stroll through a bright landscape of changing leaves.  Central and south Florida may not have quite the same dramatic and colorful autumn leaves that other areas enjoy – but that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on those fall colors entirely. If you take a closer look around you, you’ll find that our sub-tropical state has its own beautiful and subtle seasonal displays. This year, let’s finally put our fall envy to rest and enjoy the leave...

Picture this:  It’s a warm fall day, and you’re strolling along the Hiking Spree trail at Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve in Plant City.  Pine savannah habitat at Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve The wind ruffles the goldenrod and grasses as you hike down a smooth trail bordered by tall pine trees. Suddenly, you catch movement out of the corner of your eye. You turn around and glimpse something furry disappearing around the trunk of a pine. Then the creature darts away through the grass and you see it clearly for just a moment. It’s a fox! It’s a squirrel! It’s a…fox squirrel?  If you’ve ever seen a squirrel so big and fluffy that on first glance you thought it might be a fox, congratulations! You’ve witnessed this year's Hiking Spree mascot, the beautiful (and aptly named) southern fox squirrel ( Sciurius niger niger) . These bushy-tailed, tree-dwelling relatives of the smaller eastern grey squirrel are most often found in habitats like pine flatwoods, pine savannah, an...