Help plan the future of Triple N Ranch Wildlife Management Area

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will present a 10-year management plan for the Triple N Ranch Wildlife Management Area at a virtual public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 15. 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/TripleNPublicHearing. Attendees are asked to sign in as a guest and make sure their speakers are turned on.

The Triple N Ranch WMA is in central Florida, approximately 26 miles west of Melbourne and 28 miles southeast of Kissimmee. It encompasses roughly 16,430 acres in Osceola County and offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hunting, wildlife viewing, hiking, biking and horseback riding. The site also features an FWC-managed shooting range to safely support the needs of recreational target shooters, hunters and hunter safety students.

A mosaic of natural communities can be found on the Triple N Ranch WMA including mesic flatwoods, wet prairie and dome swamps, which provide important habitat for species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and Florida sandhill crane. The area is also important for land connectivity and protects the watershed of Bull Creek.

“The Triple N Ranch WMA was purchased to ensure the preservation of fish, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources for future generations, and to provide fish- and wildlife-based outdoor recreation opportunities to the public,” said Hannah Klein, FWC land conservation planner. “This draft plan will specify how we intend to accomplish that goal.”

To obtain a copy of the land management prospectus for the Triple N Ranch WMA, call Hannah Klein at 850-487-9767 or email Hannah.Klein@MyFWC.com. For more on the Triple N Ranch WMA, go to MyFWC.com/Viewing and select “ “Wildlife Management Areas, 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.”