The Trailblazer

Lithia Springs provides a great place for recreation As the weather gets warmer, celebrate Spring with one of the favorite past times of Florida - taking a dip in a natural spring! With over 1000 springs in Florida giving us cool, clear water from the Floridan Aquifer there’s no reason to miss out on the fun.  Long before tube floating, glass bottom boat tours, and SPF 50, Florida’s springs have been hotspots of biological diversity both big and microscopic. While we like to swim and play, plants and animals have been using springs as a source of food, shelter, and life for ages – and we know this because even today fossils of plants, fish, and long-gone prehistoric animals can be found in and around springs. The Alafia River provides opportunity for fishing, canoeing, and quiet reflection at Lithia Springs Conservation Park If you’re interested in learning more, observing springs wildlife, or dipping your toes in that cool water, check out Lithia Springs Conservation P...

If you join the Trail CATS on a Saturday workday, walk around an event like the Prescribed Fire Fest, or pop in to Bell Creek’s office for a moment there’s a good chance you’ll run into James Robe. As a Trailblazer subscriber, you already know James - he’s likely written some of your favorite pieces. In the two years James has been with our department he’s added an immense amount of value to some of our biggest programs, so let’s take a moment to better meet an old friend.  Before joining us, James was in the Florida Conservation Corps, through Americorps. He was an “ANT,” not the insect but an “AmeriCorps Nonnative plant Terminator.” Pretty nifty job title, right? “ANT members are basically full-time spray techs; you spend most of your time   surveying for and treating invasive exotic plants. It was a crash course in identifying plants, as well as understanding the landscape. I spent several hundred hours just surveying state land, planning herbicide treatments, and twice as ...

We love many things in the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department (CELM); our parks and preserves, the smell of a longleaf pine, the sound of hiking boots hitting the dirt, salt air in our hair as we kayak, catching a glimpse of a “lifer” bird; but one thing we love the most are or Valentines Volunteers ! Volunteers with CELM wear many hats, and some may only do a few hours a month while others spend months as Camp Hosts. There’s a perfect niche for every volunteer in our department. We’d like to take some time to celebrate some of the work done by our various volunteers in 2024. Trail CATS Years ago, CELM started hosting volunteer workdays on Saturdays in the Nature Preserves. Every second Saturday of the month, CELM scheduled a trail workday on a site that needed a little extra attention. It was a great way for hikers and their families to come out and do some work on the trails they love to use. Then, several of our regular attendees ...

Winter photos taken on the “Felda Ridge Trail” at Cockroach Creek Greenway  Nature Preserve; January, 2025. Photos by James Robe. Earlier this January, I paid a visit to Environmental Lands Management Coordinator, Mary Barnwell, at her office in Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve, while on my way to visit the “Felda Ridge Trail” at Cockroach Creek Greenway Nature Preserve—one of our lesser-known locations on the Hillsborough County Hiking Spree. I was a bit nervous to ask how the properties she managed had fared during 2024’s hurricanes, Helene and Milton. I was pleasantly surprised to hear positive news. While she did have a list of human structures damaged—office building, missing pole barn, wrecked shed, issues with the well—She was animated by changes brought on by the storm, as well as the resilience of certain areas. Summer photos of Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve, a sister preserve to Cockroach Creek Greenway ; June of 2023. Photos by James Robe. Completed in 2012, the Cockro...

Nominations are now open for the Theodore Roosevelt Forever Conservation Award, which honors individuals or groups who exemplify dedication to preserving Hillsborough County's natural resources. Nominations are reviewed by the Conservation Award Sub-Committee and a recommendation is presented to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The award is presented annually at a BOCC meeting that coincides with National Arbor Day. Selection criteria for the award: 1. The nominee must be living and either: currently live and/or work in Hillsborough County OR have lived and/or worked in Hillsborough County during the time of their outstanding achievements 2. The nominee must be someone who shows persistence and dedication to long-term conservation of the County's natural resources, demonstrates integrity in performance toward conservation goals, and displays attributes of true conservation stewardship. 3. The nominee must be involved in the community in which they live, lived, or worke...

Prescribed Fire Fest is coming January 25th and it’s going to be HOTTER than ever! This year will showcase new games, activities, and giveaways. Fire Fest will have something for everyone, from the curious Florida newcomer to the seasoned naturalist. Read about some of the things you can look forward to, and learn more by visiting the event page here . 1. See how prescribed fire works at a Sandbox Demonstration. Sandboxes aren’t just for kids! Gather around a large sandbox table filled with miniatures to learn how a prescribed fire works from a bird’s eye view. Demonstrations will take place at 10 AM, 11 AM, and 12 PM.   2. Compete in fire-themed games to earn an official helmet. This year, we will have even MORE activities for young adventurers! Kids can compete in free games that will test their wildland firefighting skills, such as working with a team and using fire hoses. Be sure to get your Junior Wildland Firefighter Passport to earn your official Junior Wildland Firefighter ...

Walking through Lower Green Swamp Nature Preserve in the morning, light from the sun just barely guiding your way as dew on the grass begins to soak your boots. The nighttime din of frogs and crickets has long subsided, and songbirds begin to call. Then you hear the little whistle that reminds you of your childhood playing in the woods and fields.    “ Bob WHITE! ” they call. Males perching on fence posts to cast their voices further in hopes to find a mate hiding in the grasses. You try to whistle back, imperfectly mocking these tiny little birds that helped changed land management practices across the county. They ignore you and call again, “ Bob white, poor bob WHITE! ”   Northern Bobwhite Calls In the media and in the minds of most people, prescribed burning and the image of the wildland firefighter is one associated with the western united states , but it is the southeastern states where prescribed fire was born and raised , partially because of a tiny, familiar...