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"Nature is not a place to visit.  It is home."

About Us

About Us

HSWCD Supervisors

  • Ryan Gill, Chair, District 2 
  • Adam Young, Vice Chair, District 3
  • Robert "Myke" Morris, Treasurer, District 4
  • Christopher "Bear" McCullough, District 1
  • Mark Proctor, District 5
  • Heather Thompson  

Governed by an elected board of five supervisors, the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District is one of nearly 3,000 conservation districts nationwide. We're driven to educate, communicate, assist, support, coordinate and promote best conservation practices to families, farmers, schools, civic clubs, businesses, individuals and agricultural interests. Conservation is everybody's business as we strive to become better stewards of natural resources in rural, urban, inner-city and suburban settings.

Interim Executive Director

HSWCD Supervisors, from left, Christopher "Bear" McCullough, Robert "Myke" Morris, Mark Proctor, Ryan Gill and Adam Young,

HSWCD Supervisors, from left, Christopher "Bear" McCullough, Robert "Myke" Morris, Mark Proctor, Ryan Gill and Adam Young. Below, supervisors at their Jan. 4, 2023 swearing-in ceremony at the Fred B. Karl County Center, with Hillsborough County Commissioners Mike Owen, Joshua Wostal, Donna Cameron Cepeda and Gwen Myers. 

Supervisors at their Jan. 4, 2023 swearing-in-ceremony at the Fred B. Karl County Center, with Hillsborough County Commissioners Mike Owen, Joshual Wostal, Donna Cameron Cepeda and Gwen Myers.

" . . . that I will, to the best of my ability, defend from waste the natural resoures of the District, its soils and minerals, its forests, its water and wildlife . . . "

— from the HSWCD's Oath of Office 


Next Meeting: Oct.4 /1:00 pm

                           Florida Strawberry Growers Association

                              13138 Lewis Gallagher Road / Dover

   Upcoming Meeting Date(s):

TBD

 

 

HSWCD IED Heather Thompson.jpg

Hillsborough County Commissioner Mike Owen, left, with HSWCD ED Heather Thompson and HSWCD chair Ryan Gill.

Events

Upcoming Events

September — HSWCD at Ag-Venturean annual learning experience at the Florida State Fairgrounds, for third-grade students to learn  about agriculture. HSWCD's learning station will address the water cycle.

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Sept. 21 — HSWCD at Schmoozapalooza, presented by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. Time: 4-7pm, HCC Trinkle Center, 1204 North Park Road, Plant City

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Sept. 30 — HSWCD at Gardenfest and More, hosted by Florida Federation of Garden Clubs. Time: 1-6 pm, 102 N. Palmer Street, Plant City

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Save the date! The next HSWCD Lunch-n-Learn is set for Jan. 22  at the Keel & Curley Winery at Keel Farms in Plant City. This follows the successful Lunch-n-Learn held Sept. 7 at the Hillsborough's Cattlemen's building in Plant City

Youth

Youth Programs

A spark of adventure, a ray of sunshine, an invitation to apply emerging skills and talents to real-world challenges. What better way to engage today's youth in the work of conservation. Annual poster, speech, photography and land-judging contests. AgVenture at
the Florida State Fairgrounds for third-graders. The Envirothon "Environmental Olympics" for high school students. We support 4-H, FFA, Key Club, Rotoract, Interact, Leo Club, scouts and more. And all schools, kids, clubs and families are invited to participate in the annual Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge.

Support & Extension
Farm Field

Cost-Sharing Support

The federal 2014 Farm Bill, administered by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, provides for a variety of cost-share programs for environmental stewardship programs on agricultural lands, with an emphasis on working land conservation projects. The HSWCD helps eligible producers and landowners secure these grants in their work to voluntarily implement practices to protect soil, water, air, wildlife habitats and related natural resources. From structural and management projects, to mobile irrigation labs, the HSWCD is your source for finding the aid you need.

UF/IFAS Extension 

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to residents and businesses to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. The Hillsborough County Extension office is in Seffner, at County Road 579, research-based information and assistance is available through workshops, classes, a teaching garden, projects, publications and more. The UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Reserach and Education Center is in Wimauma, at 14625 CR 672.

Partners

Cooperating Partners

Our Cooperating Partners are an essential element to the work of conservation education and engagement in the Tampa Bay area. We welcome their support in a myriad of ways and to their sponsorship, support, promotion and/or participation in our annual Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge. Scroll through our slides to give witness to the many schools, clubs, service organizations, businesses, chambers, governmental entities and more that give a boost to our replicable community-wide effort to conserve our natural resources.

Affiliated Partnes
Learn More
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Learn More
I want to hear more about:

 HSWCD Address:     

201 South Collins Street
Suite 203
Plant City, FL  33563

Heather Thompson, IED

813.347.6706

Contact Us

In accordance with federal law and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District is prohibited from discriminating in its programs and services on the basis of religion, age, race, color, national origin, gender or disability. 

The Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. We are working to increase accessibility and usage of this website and in so doing to adhere to many of the available standards and guidelines. If an alternative means of access to any information on this website is needed, please contact us.

© 2020 by Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District 

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