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Parts Of Conner Preserve To Be Opened

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By JULIA FERRANTE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 26, 2008

GOWERS CORNER - Portions of a 2,980-acre preserve in central Pasco soon will be open to the public for hiking, biking and other recreation.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board on Tuesday adopted a 10-year management plan for the Conner Preserve, which includes wetlands, pine flatwoods, cypress domes, freshwater marshes, uplands and pasture. The preserve also contains the headwaters of Five Mile Creek.

The district plan calls for protecting water resources and wildlife and creating opportunities for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, primitive camping, wildlife observation, nature study, outdoor nature photography, picnicking and trail running, officials said.

The property now is open with limited access - via an entrance of State Road 52, east of U.S. 41 - until workers finish marking trails. Work should be complete within a few months, officials said.

The district purchased the preserve in 2003 with the help of the Florida Forever program, primarily to protect its water resources, officials said. The preserve also serves as a key wildlife corridor.

Conner Preserve is one of several vulnerable tracts in central Pasco that officials hope to connect through so-called critical linkages, said Jennifer Seney, who recently stepped down as chairwoman of Pasco's Environmental Lands Acquisition and Selection Committee after being named the county's recycling coordinator. She still is an ELASC volunteer.

"One of the goals is to get the larger, already publicly owned property connected," Seney said.

Other conservation areas between State Roads 52 and 54 include the Serenova Preserve and Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park. Pasco also is trying to purchase the Cross Bar and Al Bar ranches from Pinellas County along with a portion of the 4G Ranch.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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