"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home."
About Us
HSWCD Supervisors
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Ryan Gill, Chair, District 2
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Adam Young, Vice Chair, District 3
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Robert "Myke" Morris, Treasurer, District 4
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Christopher "Bear" McCullough, District 1
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Mark Proctor, District 5
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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. 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.
" . . . 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
Hillsborough County Commissioner Mike Owen, left, with HSWCD ED Heather Thompson and HSWCD chair Ryan Gill.
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Hillsborough 100
Conservation Challenge
GASP Our Beads
GASP Our Beads
Upcoming Events
September — HSWCD at Ag-Venture, an 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 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.
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.
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.
Display at the Hillsborough 100 Kickoff Luncheon 2019
Miracle Gro, Lipman Family Farms, Mosaic, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Odiorne Insurance Agency, M&B Products
Association of Florida Conservation Districts, Tampa Bay Association of Environmental Professionals, Florida Association of Environmental Professionals, The Southern Peach Company, Lions International Leo Clubs, Berkeley Preparatory School, Hillsborough Community College Brandon Campus, Seffner Community Garden, Rotary International Interact Clubs, Green Party
Display at the Hillsborough 100 Kickoff Luncheon 2019
Affiliated Partners
Community Organizations
Governmental Entities
Employee Associations
HSWCD Address:
201 South Collins Street
Suite 203
Plant City, FL 33563
Heather Thompson, IED
813.347.6706
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