Beautiful hiking and equestrian trails nestled among the pines are now open to the public at the Lower Green Swamp Preserve off Knights Griffin Road.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Jan. 28, to celebrate the trails as well as a new kiosk, parking area and more. On Saturday, Feb. 1, there will be another family celebration, complete with guided hiking tours, hayrides, tree planting and more.
In line with the Lower Green Swamp Preserve’s land management and land-use plan, the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program has been working to better the preserve and open it to the public.
“It’s going to be great,” said Forest Turbiville, division manager for Hillsborough County’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation department. “We’ve been working really hard to get these things done since ELAP took it over from the public utilities.”
One of the main goals was to secure the site, installing new boundary fencing where necessary. Another goal was to thin the dense canopy of pine trees. In the 1980s, area Rotary Clubs donated a million pine trees to the preserve. But over time, the forest must be thinned to allow natural growth on the floor.
In conjunction with the Florida Forestry Service, ELAP thinned multiple stands of slash pine and reintroduced the longleaf pine to reestablish a native pine flatwoods community throughout the southern portions of the preserve. Conducting multiple prescribed burns in both natural and disturbed areas, was key.
More than 200 acres of cogon grass, a Category 1 invasive exotic species, and other exotic plants, such as ceasarweed and Brazilian pepper, were sprayed, as well.
“They did a really nice job with it,” Plant City Vice Mayor Rick Lott said.
The county always has strived to protect the historic roots of the preserve. During the Second Seminole War in 1839, a stockade named Fort Sullivan was constructed around the far southeastern section of Lower Green Swamp Preserve. A road most likely would have skirted the southern boundary of the preserve and possibly would have run along the same track that Knights Griffin Road runs today to connect Fort Sullivan to Fort Foster.
Blackwater Creek and Itchepackesassa Creek were channelized, and, by 1938, the majority of Lower Green Swamp Preserve already had been cleared of over-story trees and converted to pasture. Cattle ranching was the main activity over much of the preserve during the twentieth century.
In 1998, the majority of the preserve was purchased through bankruptcy proceedings by the West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority, which is now Tampa Bay Water.
WCRWSA developed a water-resource management plan for the preserve in 1988, then transferred ownership of the preserve lands to Hillsborough County’s Public Utilities Department in February 1988, with a proviso that any potable water to be developed on the preserve would be developed by WCRWSA.
Since the 1980s, water supply planning, implementation practices, and regulations have reduced the value of the preserve as a future source of groundwater. Because many wetlands are located throughout the preserve, under these guidelines, it would not be possible to place large groundwater production wells on the preserve without affecting wetlands and their thriving inhabitants.
ELAP obtained the preserve in 2010. The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners directed the County Administrator to transfer the property from the Utility Enterprise fund to the ELAP Program for the original purchase price of $12.2 million. The decision of the board was based on information from the Cone Ranch Advisory Panel.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
Lower Green Swamp Celebration
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 1
WHERE: Lower Green Swamp Preserve, 3536 Knights Griffin Road
DETAILS: Celebrate the beauty of Lower Green Swamp Preserve by attending a free, family-friendly day of fun. Enjoy tree-planting, guided hiking tours, hayrides and more. Volunteer planters should bring their own gardening gloves, and kids can even tag their trees. Comfortable attire and closed-toes shoes are recommended for all visitors.
COST: Free
CONTACT: (813) 672-7876