A bald eagle rescued from a Lakeland pasture after it fell ill was nursed back to health at Busch Gardens and the Owl’s Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife in Odessa, ABC Action News reports. The bird likely ate a poisoned rodent, said Owl’s Nest Director Kris Porter. She hopes to release the eagle in Lakeland next […]
Category: Environment
Posted inEnvironment, Schools
DeSantis Cuts Funds for Se7en Wetlands Education Center
Forced to tighten state spending by coronavirus-driven revenue drops, Gov Ron DeSantis cut $1 billion through line-item vetoes, including at least $1.4 million for Polk projects, The Ledger reports. Among them: $400,000 to design and build an educational center at Lakeland’s Se7en Wetlands nature preserve/water treatment area and $500,000 for Polk Regional Water Cooperative’s Heartland […]
Posted inEnvironment
For Some Happy News, We Present … Baby Swans
View this post on Instagram Squeeeee! Our first cyngets of the year have been released back onto Lake Morton this week 😍 #swans #lakeland #lakelandFl #cuteanimals #parksandrec #lkld A post shared by Lakeland Parks & Recreation (@lakelandparkrec) on Mar 25, 2020 at 7:03am PDT Source: Instagram: City of Lakeland Parks & Recreation
Posted inEnvironment
Car Death of Black-Necked Swan Leaves One Adult Left
Lakeland’s last adult black-necked swan, a male, is tending a nest and its one egg after a car hit and killed his female mate Saturday. That egg and four more in an incubator may determine the success of the city’s six-year effort to perpetuate its black-necked swans. Source: The Ledger
Posted inEnvironment
Foggy Day in Lakeland Town Yields to Swan Roundup
Fog delayed the start of Lakeland’s 39th annual swan roundup on Lake Morton Tuesday; after it lifted the Parks and Rec boat crews were able to capture all 77 swans for their yearly physical checkups, which are being performed today by My Pets Animal Hospital. Watch Fox 13’s Ken Suarez get a net around one […]
Posted inEnvironment
High Metal Levels Seen in Water Samples Near Coal Storage
Water samples collected from monitoring wells near Lakeland Electric’s coal ash storage area showed levels of arsenic above federal drinking water levels and lithium above groundwater protection levels, The Ledger reports. The utility said it’s taking corrective action and there’s “little to no risk to the public.” Source: The Ledger
Posted inEnvironment
County Cites BS Ranch in More Odor Violations
The battle over bad smells around BS Ranch in east Lakeland continues. Polk County code enforcers filed five new notices of odor violations against the compost/soil manufacturing company this month. BS Ranch’s lawyer responds that complaints come from a small number of opponents and that other nearby operations are causing odors. Source: News Channel 8
Posted inCity Hall, Environment
Pending Project Would Help Clean Up Lake Hunter
Drivers on Sikes Boulevard may soon notice construction work in the wetlands area south of the RP Funding Center. The wetlands are slated to be cleared of invasive vegetation and three ponds built as part of a stormwater filtration system; it’s being created to reduce harmful nutrients, trash and sediments flowing into Lake Hunter, said […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cygnet Gone: Baby Black-Neck Swan is Missing
Lakeland’s first baby black-necked swan in years went missing Wednesday night, hours after being placed in a holding pen on the southern shore of Lake Morton. While the city parks director lamented, “It’s very disappointing that someone would do this,” police said they’ve found no evidence of a crime and suggested a predatory animal could […]
Posted inEnvironment
Lakeland Will Continue Limited Plant Control in Lakes
The city of Lakeland will continue limited spraying to control invasive plants in lakes even as a temporary moratorium halts the bulk of herbicide use in Lakeland lakes, city commissioners were told this morning.