Help plan the future of Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area

Photos available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwcmedia/sets/72157716410345307/

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will present a 10-year management plan for the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area at a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 28. All members of the public are invited to attend the 7 p.m. hearing via Adobe Connect. FWC staff will present the draft land management plan for the WMA and those in attendance will have the opportunity to comment and ask questions.

The meeting can be accessed via the following link: FWC.AdobeConnect.com/Chassahowitzka. Attendees are asked to sign in as a guest and make sure their speakers are turned on.

The Chassahowitzka WMA is on the Gulf coast of Florida in western Hernando County. Approximately 64 miles north of Tampa and 80 miles west of Orlando, it encompasses approximately 27,836 acres and offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, cave diving and horseback riding.

This WMA conserves one of the largest coastal hardwood swamp forests along the Gulf of Mexico, south of the Suwannee River. Together with its intact and functioning freshwater, tidal and spring system communities, it provides significant watershed and water quality protection and important habitat for an array of imperiled, rare, and native wildlife and plant species.

 “This draft plan will help specify how we can best conserve fish, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources of the Chassahowitzka WMA for future generations, as well as provide fish- and wildlife-based outdoor recreation opportunities to the public,” said Dylan Haase, FWC senior conservation planner.

To obtain a copy of the land management prospectus for the Chassahowitzka WMA, contact Dylan Haase at 850-487-9767 or Dylan.Haase@MyFWC.com. For more on the Chassahowitzka WMA, go to MyFWC.com/Viewing and select “Wildlife Management Area,” then “lead areas.”

For more information and background on management plans and their goals, visit MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial Conservation” then “Management.”

Hunting and fishing regulations are not included in this plan or meeting; those are addressed through a separate public process. For more information about hunting and fishing regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Hunting and click on “Interactive Hunting Regulations.”