Polk Forever

10/09/2026

The Polk Landowner Expo is a one-day event created for agricultural landowners — both large and small.
Through presentations, panel discussions and interactive breakout sessions, participants will learn about cost-share programs, conservation easements, mitigation banking and other tools available to protect working lands and preserve agricultural legacies in Polk County.
Whether you’re actively managing land or exploring your options, this expo offers a chance to connect with agency professionals, gain insight from experienced landowners, and discover new resources to support your operation.

Registration is free until Nov. 3. After Nov. 3 there will be a $10 registration fee.
Reserve your spot today, space is limited!  Register at:
https://www.polkfl.gov/events/polk-landowner-expo-2026/

10/04/2026

The term for a mow-what's-there lawn is "freedom lawn," a mowed area that is free from:
- pesticide applications, including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides;
- synthetic fertilizers;
- over-seeding of winter rye to keep it green all year; and
- over-irrigation.
Read my article for more details: https://greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/05/our-freedom-lawn.html

10/01/2026

“The Wild Path: Connecting the Florida We Don’t See” represents the largest exhibition of Ward’s photographs to date with 20 years of work displayed in 70 frames at Orlando Museum of Art.

09/29/2026

“This property is an important piece of the puzzle in connecting the Tiger Creek Nature Preserve and Crooked Lake conservation areas and strengthening the broader Florida Wildlife Corridor.” - Kristen Nowak, Green Horizon board president.

Green Horizon Land Trust has purchased a 19-acre parcel overlooking Crooked Lake and plans to reestablish the historical longleaf pine habitat. See link below ⬇️

📸 Green Horizon Land Trust

09/29/2026

RAPTOR CENTER OF TAMPA BAY Presented by NANCY MURRAH
Director of the Earth Hero Initiative and Healer of Wings and Wild Things, and Wild Wonder Guides: Jacob Dowd, Whitney Erb, DeAnna Everhardt, and Kim Rexroat
Come be entertained with an interactive presentation by the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay.  Learn about their education and wildlife rehabilitation programs, books, and puppet show centered around how we can all save the planet.  We will start off with a round of octopus bingo, followed by a few rounds of Raptor Trivia, led by red-tailed hawks Zoe & Maverick and Carmen & Moon-pie, who are eastern screech owls.  
You are guaranteed to have a good time!
6:30 PM: Join us for our pot-luck supper. Bring a dish to share, a drink and your utensils. Dress is casual.  
7:00 PM: Program begins.
Location: Circle B Bar Reserve - 4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland.  Bring a flashlight for the parking lot.
THIS MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
For more info contact Marian at 863-207-5206

09/29/2026

October 8, 2026

RAPTOR CENTER OF TAMPA BAY

Presented by

NANCY MURRAH
Director of the Earth Hero Initiative and
Healer of Wings and Wild Things and Wild Wonder Guides: Jacob Dowd, Whitney Erb, DeAnna Everhardt, and Kim Rexroat

Come and be entertained with an interactive presentation by the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay. Learn about their education and wildlife rehabilitation programs, books, and puppet show centered around how we can all save the planet. We will start off with a round of octopus bingo, followed by a few rounds of Raptor Trivia, led by red-tailed hawks Zoe & Maverick and Carmen & Moon-pie, who are eastern screech owls. You are guaranteed to have a good time!

Join us for our pot-luck supper at 6:30 PM. Bring a dish to share, a drink and your utensils. Dress is casual. The program will start around 7:00 PM.

This meeting will be held at Circle B Bar Reserve - 4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland. Bring a flashlight for the parking lot.

THIS MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
For more info contact Marian at 863-207-5206

09/26/2026

A 1,366-acre property annexed into Lake Wales for a mixed-use development might actually be saved as conservation land.

The 1,366-acre Stoneridge property, which Lake Wales approved for a mixed-use development, is now recommended for Polk's land conservation program. See link below ⬇️

📸 Polk County

09/15/2026

This week. FREE and open to everyone!

09/08/2026

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) Management Committee met with representatives from cities, counties, and CHNEP partners who shared updates and goals for protection and restoration of Florida’s wetlands and waterways.

Full meeting presentation available at CHNEP website:
www.chnep.org/management-committee

09/02/2026

Wendell Berry, a poet, farmer and advocate, expressed this watershed golden rule in his essay “Watershed and Commonwealth.”
Wendell Berry argued that human civilization, history, and culture are inseparable from the natural world—and that nature can be best understood and preserved through the lens of rivers and watersheds.