FWC News Release
Media contact: Diane Hirth, 850-410-5291; Gary Morse, 863-648-352

Tenoroc Fish Management Area

A 10-year plan for the Tenoroc Fish Management Area will be presented at a Thursday, Feb. 25, public hearing in Polk County.

People are invited to the 7 p.m. public hearing at the Johnny and Freda Brooks Eloise Resource Center, 710 Snively Ave., in the town of Eloise.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff will present the draft land management plan for the FWC-managed Tenoroc Fish Management Area, and people will be encouraged to comment and ask questions. For more information on the upcoming local public hearing, go to MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial” programs then “Management Plans.”

The Tenoroc FMA, which is 2 miles northeast of Lakeland, contains lakes, marshes, open grasslands and wooded hills, all wedged between the Green Swamp and Peace River. Pit lakes and steep-sided spoil mounds, the result of phosphate mining in the 1960s and 1970s, have been transformed into quality fishing lakes and wooded hills for hiking, wildlife viewing and horseback riding. Here the odds of experiencing a peaceful fishing trip and catching a quality bass are considered to be high. Tenoroc is also a gateway for the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.

Within the FMA, there are many important animal and plant species, including the Eastern indigo snake, burrowing owl, Sherman’s fox squirrel and scrub pinweed plant.
“The Tenoroc FMA was donated to and purchased by the state to ensure the conservation of fish and wildlife resources, other natural and cultural resources, and for fish- and wildlife-based public outdoor recreation,” said David Alden, FWC land conservation biologist. “This draft plan will specify how we intend to do that.”

All lands donated or purchased with public funds for conservation must have a management plan that ensures the property will be managed in a manner consistent with the intended conservation purposes of the donation or purchase. 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 Tenoroc FMA, call Sarah Pierce at 850-487-7063 or email Sarah.Pierce@MyFWC.com.

For more information and background on management plans and their goals, visit www.MyFWC.com/Conservation and select “Terrestrial” conservation programs then “Management Plans.” For more on the Tenoroc FMA, go to MyFWC.com and select “Wildlife Viewing” then “Wildlife Management Areas.”