Help plan the future of the Janet Butterfield Brooks Wildlife and Environmental Area

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will present the 10-year draft management plan for the Janet Butterfield Brooks Wildlife and Environmental Area at a public hearing in Hernando County on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. at the Hernando County Administrator’s Office, 15470 Flight Path Drive in Brooksville, FL. The public is encouraged to attend and will have the opportunity to comment and ask questions regarding the management for the FWC-managed WEA.

The Janet Butterfield Brooks WEA encompasses approximately 319 acres in Hernando County and has some of the area’s last tracts of older growth longleaf pine sandhill forests and hardwood hammocks. The vast mix of mesic hammock, upland hardwood forest and bottomland forest found here provides important wildlife habitat for species including gopher tortoises and southeastern American kestrels. Public access to the area is restricted to FWC staff for management purposes in accordance with the restrictions in the deed of donation.

“The Janet Butterfield Brooks WEA was donated to ensure the preservation of fish, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources for future generations,” said Matthew Stana, FWC land conservation planner. “This management plan will specify how we intend to accomplish that goal.”

For more information on this upcoming public hearing, go to MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial Programs” then “Management Plans.” Hunting and fishing regulations are not included in this plan or meeting; they are addressed through a separate public process. Visit MyFWC.com/hunting or MyFWC.com/fishing and select “Regulations” to learn more about hunting and fishing regulations.

Pursuant to Chapters 253 and 259, Florida Statutes, all lands purchased with public funds must have a management plan that ensures the property will be managed in a manner that is consistent with the intended purposes of the purchase. For more information and background on management plans and their goals, visit MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial Programs” then “Management Plans” and “Terrestrial Habitat Management Plans.”

To obtain a copy of the land management prospectus for the Janet Butterfield Brooks WEA, call Matthew Stana at 850-487-9982 or email Matthew.Stana@MyFWC.com.