The Trailblazer

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. When fully staffed,  Hillsborough County's Conservation Parks and Nature Preserves have almost 200  staff members spread out throughout our county. Our staff spotlight is an opportunity to meet and learn about the people who work hard to keep the County's conservation areas 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! Ethan Hobbs holding a mangrove crab for a group of students. Ethan Hobbs is one of a kind. A benevolent, charming, ranger who will greet you with a smile, and even when exhausted remind you that “today is the best day ever!” – and with a Ranger like Ethan at our parks it always is a great day. Ethan started his career with Hillsborough County in 2001 as a full-time tempor...

If someone tells you to go take a hike, it's not necessarily a bad thing because now you'll know where to go. The Conservation and Environmental Lands Management (CELM) Department of Hillsborough County has preserved land not only to retain the natural environment, but to also allow for light recreation. CELM currently manages almost 470 miles of trails for this purpose. This includes trails made specifically for hiking, biking and horseback riding. There are a few differences to note. Biking trails in the Balm Boyette Nature Preserve are off-road and restricted to mountain biking-only. In contrast, the biking trails on the conservation parks are part of multi-use trails (paved and off-road). Lettuce Lake Conservation Park Below lists the sum of Hillsborough County managed trails available to residents and visitors: Conservation Parks 264.89 miles • Hiking trails - 119.98 miles • Biking trails - 113.68 miles • Equestrian trails - 31.23 miles Nature Preserves 204.25 • Hi...

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. When fully staffed,  Hillsborough County's Conservation Parks and Nature Preserves has almost 200  staff members spread out throughout our county. Our staff spotlight is an opportunity to meet and learn about the people who work hard to keep the County's conservation areas 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! Devin Beatty began his Hillsborough County career on April 22nd, 2013.  Before working in the Environmental Lands Management Division, he previously worked at Lithia Springs Conservation Park and before that he worked at Circle K in Ruskin off US41 and Universal Dr. He always had a hankering for nature and when he moved to Florida from traveling with the carnival he k...

The Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department has just launched a Wildlife Crossings project in conjunction with research associate Dr. Daniel Smith of the University of Central Florida’s Biology department. Dr. Dan Smith and Conservation Parks Coordinator Jan Kirwan Dr. Dan Smith's interests include studying the movement patterns and habitat use of land animals and integrating conservation, transportation, and land-use planning. He has written and conducted several studies on these projects. Dr. Smith’s lab will be evaluating the importance of habitat connections between existing conservation lands, road conflicts, and wildlife-crossing measures needed. They will identify key locations for wildlife crossings and provide structure and site design recommendations. Wildlife crossings are especially important in Hillsborough County as our ELAPP lands are currently a patchwork throughout the county connecting environmentally sensitive habitats. Evaluating these l...

 Announcing the NEW Hillsborough FL Nature Tours App! At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Outreach team had an excellent idea to develop a set of audio tours that would help extend how we conduct passive recreation and outreach at our conservation parks and nature preserves. This idea quickly turned into a several month-long project in collaboration with many of our CELM staff members across the county to select sites and develop app language. To date, there are 14 audio tours available at some of our most popular sites including: Nature Preserves         Alafia River Corridor - South         Apollo Beach          Bahia Beach         Bell Creek         Blackwater Creek         Golden Aster         Lake Frances         Lower Green Swamp         Triple Creek Conservation Parks ...

Conservation Parks and Nature Preserve are accessible to all within a ten-mile radius of most residences in Hillsborough County. On Hillsborough County-managed lands, it is important to know the distinctions between the two types of site before heading out on your journey. Here are the shared similarities: Dogs must always be leashed on any Hillsborough County property. Wildlife, other hikers' dogs, and dog-shy visitors may not enjoy your pet's enthusiastic greetings as much as others. All  Rules and Expectations  must be followed while visiting. Each site has its own webpage where you can find any information needed prior to your visit. Hillsborough County provides monthly educational programming such as night hikes and guided paddles.  Subscribe to the Trailblazer Newsletter  to discover your next guided adventure! Edward Medard Conservation Park Fishing Pier Conservation Parks are perfect for family outings. Between primitive camping, paved trails, kayaking, ...

Near the end of April, McKinstry, Inc. staff enjoyed generously giving their time and efforts to beautify Lettuce Lake Conservation Park by removing Caesar's Weed once again. This invasive plant is rightly named as if left to it's own devises it will spread dominion near and yonder. The plant grows quickly and can reach 2 to 7 feet by the end of the year. It's seeds are travelers, that easily attach to clothing or fur. Help removing this plant is always appreciated. Ranger Murley from Lettuce Lake extended his sincere gratitude for what the team accomplished that morning. Above and beyond the fact that the team performed admirably and removed quite a bit of Caesar's Weed, they were also extremely pleasant during the experience. The entire team was positive, upbeat, smiling and happy. The group was also inquisitive and received answers to many great questions. Not only has this group volunteered at Lettuce Lake previously, but they have also served at Alderman's Ford...