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ePublications & eNews
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Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board Meetings
9:30a @ Temple Terrace City Hall
City Council Conference Room
Monday, February 27
Tuesday, May 16 *
Monday, August 28
Monday, November 13
* 1:30p - Joint Meeting with the TAC @ Tampa Union Station
Hillsborough River Technical Advisory Council (TAC) Meetings
1:30p @ Tampa Union Station
Tuesday, February 21
Tuesday, March 21
Tuesday, April 18
Tuesday, May 16
Tuesday, June 20
Tuesday, August 15
Tuesday, September 19
Tuesday, October 17
Tuesday, November 21
View the full meeting calendar. Agendas are posted one week prior to each meeting.
For more information on the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board & Technical Advisory Council, call 813.272.5940 or visit:
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Meet your Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board |
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| | Tampa City Council Guido Maniscalco |
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| Temple Terrace
City Council
Andy Ross |
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| Hillsborough County Commissioner
Al Higginbotham |
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What is the Hillsborough River Board & TAC?
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A new video talks about the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board & Technical Advisory Council's unique approach to planning, coordination, and monitoring of the health and welfare of the Hillsborough River. Thank you to HTV and Pirate Water Taxi for your assistance in this production. Learn more about the River Board..
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Welcome to our new board members!
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 The City of Tampa appointed Guido Maniscalco to be their representative on the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board. Maniscalco was born and raised in Tampa and is the son of Cuban and Italian immigrants. His family has operated a business in West Tampa for over forty years. A graduate of Tampa Catholic High School and Hillsborough Community College, he obtained a degree in English from the University of South Florida. He has served as the president of the MacFarlane Park Neighborhood Association from 2013 to 2015, as a member of the City of Tampa Code Enforcement Board from 2012 to 2015, and currently serves as trustee chairman of the Sons of Italy Lodge. He is also past treasurer of the Ybor City Lions, member of the West Tampa Optimist Club, Ybor City Round Table, and member of the Hillsborough County Human Rights Council.  The City of Temple Terrace appointed Andrew Ross to be their representative on the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board. Ross retired as a captain from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and then served as deputy chief of police at Tampa International Airport. He currently is president of Innovative Training and Consulting, LLC, a local security consulting firm. He also is an adjunct professor at Saint Leo University. Prior to his election to the City Council, Mr. Ross served as chair on both the Temple Terrace Municipal Code Enforcement Board and River Watch Task Force. He has a master's degree from Saint Leo University and is a graduate of the prestigious Southern Police Institute's Administrative Officers Course at the University of Louisville and is a member of numerous professional community associations.
 In November, we said farewell to Temple Terrace City Council member Grant Rimbey after two years of dedicated service on the River Board. Councilman Rimbey grew up along the 'middle' river. Throughout his service, he demonstrated steadfast commitment to the protection the river and the interests of the citizens of Temple Terrace. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
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TAC re-elect Brown and Doughty
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At their January regular meeting, the Technical Advisory Council re-elected incumbent Dr. Richard Brown, representing the citizens of Hillsborough County, to another term as Chair. Incumbent Derek Doughty, representing the Planning Commission on the TAC, was re-elected Vice Chair. Congratulations to our continuing TAC officers!
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Boat Tour celebrates 30-Year Anniversary
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What better way to celebrate the River Board's 30-Year Anniversary than with a boat tour of the river? On October 14, current and past River Board and TAC members, elected and appointed officials, staff and leadership from various local agencies, and interested citizens gathered at the Lowry Park Boat Ramp to embark on the boat tour. Friends of the Hillsborough River provided boats and refreshments for dozens of participants. The flotilla cruised south taking in the sights along the way to the mouth of the river at the Platt Street Bridge before returning to the launch site. Here's to the next 30 years of enjoying and protecting the health of our beautiful Hillsborough River.
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Nominate an environmental conservation star
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Hillsborough County Commissioners established the Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award to be given annually to an individual or group who exemplifies dedication to preserving the County's natural resources. Nominees must live or work in Hillsborough County and be someone who shows persistence and dedication to long-term conservation of the County's natural resources, demonstrates integrity in performance toward conservation goals, and displays attributes of true conservation stewardship.
Nominations will go through the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program General Committee, which will send a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for approval. The Board will hold an awards ceremony in April to coincide with National Arbor Day.Nominations must be made by 5 p.m. on February 10 and can be sent to Ross Dickerson or by mail at Hillsborough County Lands Management, 10940 McMullen Road, Riverview, FL 33569. Learn more and download a nomination form. Call 813/672-7876 for more information.
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Watch out for migrating manatees!
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Always watch out for manatees swimming in Florida's rivers, bays, or coastal waters. Keep in mind this time of year manatees are searching for warmer waters to help them survive winter's cold. With the onset of the manatee migration, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds people in boats and personal watercraft to slow down to avoid manatees, particularly in shallow areas. Many seasonal manatee protection zones go into effect beginning November 15 when the weather begins to cool.
Adult manatees weigh about 1,000 pounds but can be difficult to see, especially when just below the water's surface. Manatees are easier to spot if boaters wear polarized sunglasses and keep a lookout for signs of manatees such as the circular "footprints" they trace on the top of the water. Manatee numbers are up. "Boaters who slow down and keep a lookout for Florida manatees are an important reason the overall population of this species is doing better," said Carol Knox, leader of the FWC's Imperiled Species Management section.
The FWC spends about $2 million each year on manatee conservation, including research, rescue, management and public education efforts, and works in partnership with agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on manatee issues. Floridians contribute to manatee conservation when they purchase the Save the Manatee license plate or donate $5 for the manatee decal. You can help manatees in many ways. Report sightings of injured, sick, or dead manatees to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922, #FWC and *FWC on a cell phone, or email Tip@MyFWC.com.
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New EPA Study supports the long-term benefits of green infrastructure
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EPA encourages green infrastructure for urban areas because of their benefits to water quality and stream channel protection. Groundwater recharge is a co-benefit of reducing excess stormwater runoff volume associated with impervious areas. This study was commissioned to estimate the groundwater recharge benefits from application of small storm retention practices on new development and redevelopment nationwide. Broad assumptions, national datasets, and simplified recharge calculation and monetization approaches were used to provide general insight into the monetary benefits of small storm retention practices. The assumptions and limitations are listed in the study to facilitate future researchers' efforts. The study focuses on areas in the United States where groundwater is a significant contributor to urban and agricultural uses and where water shortages may occur in the future under different climate change scenarios.
Read more on Estimating Monetized Benefits of Groundwater Recharge from Stormwater Retention Practices.
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Neighborly conversations can help with water conservation
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Your neighbors and peers probably care more about water conservation than you might assume, and that may mean they're open to some new ideas about using less water, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher says. In a new study, Laura Warner, an assistant professor of agricultural education and communication found that participants in UF/IFAS Extension water conservation programs practice water conservation more than those who do not. Read more.
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Nature already dramatically impacted by climate change, study reveals
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 Global climate change has already impacted every aspect of life on Earth, from genes to entire ecosystems, according to a new study by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and in cooperation with a broad international partner group, published in the prestigious journal Science.
"We now have evidence that, with only a ~1 degree Celsius of warming globally, major impacts are already being felt in natural systems," said study lead author Brett Scheffers, an assistant professor in the UF/IFAS department of wildlife, ecology and conservation. "Genes are changing, species' physiology and physical features such as body size are changing, species are shifting their ranges and we see clear signs of entire ecosystems under stress, all in response to changes in climate on land and in the ocean."
During this research, Scheffers, a conservation ecologist, collaborated with a team of researchers from 10 countries, spread across the globe. They discovered that more than 80 percent of ecological processes that form the foundation for healthy marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems already show signs of responses to climate change.
"Some people didn't expect this level of change for decades," said co-author James Watson, of the University of Queensland in Australia. "The impacts of climate change are being felt with no ecosystem on Earth being spared." Many of the impacts on species and ecosystems affect people, according to the authors, with consequences ranging from increased pests and disease outbreaks, unpredictable changes in fisheries, and decreasing agriculture yields. But research on these impacts also leads to hope. Continue reading article.
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