Betsy Purdum
“There are
still remnants of the old wild Florida.”
-Archie Carr, A Naturalist in Florida
|
Amidst rapidly developing private land in Lake and Polk counties is
the 9,369-acre Hilochee Wildlife Management Area. Hilochee is within
the Green Swamp, a critical hydrologic resource, encompassing the headwaters
of the Withlacoochee, Little Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Hillsborough,
and Peace rivers and serving as a major recharge area for the Floridan
aquifer. Although much of the land has been used for citrus groves,
timber harvest, ranching, and sand mining, it still provides ample recreational
opportunities. Here you can hunt for dove, deer, or turkey, fish for
largemouth bass, catfish, and sunfish, or hike and bike along the ample
network of roads and fire breaks.
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