Funding comes from the Penny for Pasco sales tax. Part of the land will enable an expansion of Crews Lark Wilderness Park.

PASCO COUNTY – County officials have bought two parcels of land as part of its program to protect environmental lands.

The two parcels, totaling about 116 acres, were bought in May, according to the county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources department.

On May 3, Pasco bought about 19 acres of land in southeast Pasco County, east of Paul S. Buchman Hwy. and south of the Hillsborough River along Jerry Road. The property is in the Hillsborough to Green Swamp Ecological Corridor and the Hillsborough River Ecological Planning Unit and is neighbored by county-owned wetland mitigation managed by the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) property, and two additional ELAMP parcels.

On May 30, the county bought about 97 acres of land in north central Pasco on the east side of Shady Hills Road and Lenway Road, with the entrance to Crews Lake Wilderness Park bordering on the north. Conserving the land will help protect habitat at the headwaters of the Anclote and Pithlachascotee rivers; aid a north/south ecological corridor; and provide other environmental benefits. Additionally, the complementary acreage will allow the expansion of Crews Lake Wilderness Park from 232 acres to 424 acres, when combined with a previous adjacent acquisition. The added space will increase the original park boundary to allow for the future expansion of passive recreational

ELAMP was created in July 2004 to purchase environmentally-sensitive lands throughout the county. ELAMP ensures those lands protect the natural community, connect natural tracts of land, conserve native plant and animal populations, enhance recreational opportunities and expand environmental education.

Funding is provided through a portion of the Penny for Pasco sales tax.

To learn more about Pasco County’s ELAMP, including an ELAMP map and a list of properties on the acquisition list, go to bit.ly/2ntczaM.

Photo from Crews Lake Wilderness Park courtesy of Pasco County.

Pasco County | Land Buy | Pasco Land Deal | Crews Lake Wilderness Park | Tampa Bay News | TB Reporter

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