Public Hearing to Outline 10-Year Plan for Florida’s Guana River WMA
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold a public hearing in St. Augustine on Sept. 27 to present the 10-year draft land management plan for Guana River Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The 7 p.m. meeting is at the St. Johns County Agricultural Center, 3125 Agricultural Center Drive.
After the presentation, the public is encouraged to comment and ask questions about the specifics in the draft plan.
All lands purchased with public funds must have a management plan that ensures the property will be managed in a manner that is consistent with the intended purposes of the purchase.
“Guana River WMA was purchased to ensure the preservation of fish and wildlife resources, other natural and cultural resources, and for fish- and wildlife-based public outdoor recreation,” said Rebecca Shelton, FWC land management biologist. “This draft plan will specify how we intend to do that.”
She added that hunting and fishing regulations are not included in this plan or meeting; those are addressed through a separate public process.
To obtain a copy of the draft land management prospectus for Guana River WMA, please call Rebecca Shelton at 850-487-9982 or David Alden at 850-487-9588, or email Rebecca.Shelton@MyFWC.com.
For background on management plans and their goals and for more information, visit MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial Programs” then “Management Plans.”
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.
