New Public Hunting Opportunity Available in Florida
A new, but temporary, weekend hunting opportunity in portions of Osceola and Polk counties began Sept. 15 and continues through Feb. 17, 2013.
The area is called Rolling Meadows and is a new unit of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Area. After this season, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) will begin a habitat restoration project on Rolling Meadows, which will require that the area be closed to public access until the work is complete.
Rolling Meadows consists of 1,800 acres and borders the south end of Lake Hatchineha. It is accessible only by boat via the lake. This new unit is a cooperative effort of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the SFWMD.
Rolling Meadows will offer a variety of Saturday and Sunday hunting seasons, including migratory bird and the special September duck season, archery, muzzleloading gun, general gun and small game. Trapping is prohibited. For more specific information about the area, please check the hunt brochure and map online at MyFWC.com/Hunting.
Public recreational access is open from one-and-a-half hours before sunrise until one-and-a-half hours after sunset on Saturdays and Sundays. Vehicles and motorized vessels, including trolling motors, are not allowed. Motorized vessels are allowed on Lake Hatchineha, so those who use such vessels to reach Rolling Meadows should secure them in canals and waterways outside of the unit.
For more information, contact Jen Williams, 352-732-1225.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
