Helen Morrison, whose involvement in raising environmental awareness ranged from helping to fight the Cross-Florida Barge Canal to helping local schoolchildren understand the wonders of the natural environment, died last week at 99.

She is an example of the results of commitment to environmental progress in a place where there was little when she and her family arrived in Polk County in the 1950s.

Along with her late husband Ken, she was instrumental in founding Florida Bi-Partisans Civic Affairs Group, Defenders of Crooked Lake and Ridge Audubon Society.

A 25-acre piece of land near her home on Crooked Lake that was protected for years is now a Polk County preserve called Crooked Lake Sandhill, one of a collection of conservation purchases that now further the lake’s protection and what’s left of the native habitat around the lake.

For many residents in Babson Park, where Helen Morrison lived for much of her life, she is also remembered as the woman who brought wildlife to local schools and encouraged children to explore the outdoors through a network of trails called the Scrub Plum Preserve.

It is fitting that this year on Earth Day, April 21, there will an effort to honor her legacy with a day of litter cleanup and exotic plant removal in the Babson Park area. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. The event will begin at 9 a.m.

Watch for more details on gathering sites nearer to the event.

A memorial service to celebrate her life is planned sometime in May.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board will discuss spending money to remove debris from Hurricane Irma from the Peace Creek Drainage Canal at its regular meeting Tuesday in Brooksville..

The proposal would cost $802,766 and is part of a series of projects that have been under way since last year’s hurricane to clear streams within the district to improve water flow. Swiftmud took over management of the canal system, which stretches from Lake Hamilton to the Peace River in 2010.

Other ongoing hurricane debris projects have involved the Upper Peace River and the Withlacoochee River.

There are signs all over Circle B Bar Reserve telling people to park only in parking lots.

People park where they feel like anyway, it seems.

The practice causes some wear and tear on vegetated areas around the parking lot and potentially could lead to some traffic conflicts as people try to maneuver around these scofflaws.

In addition, the illegal parking is unnecessary.

There was plenty of space at the time in another nearby parking lot, which was a shorter walk than the walk to the main nature trails.

State officials and other park supporters cut a ceremonial ribbon Wednesday

Colt Creek State Park’s newest campground, complete with a bathhouse and full hookups opened last month, but Wednesday state officials, parks staffers and local supporters gathered to officially commemorate the opening.

The speaks included Noah Valenstein, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Eric Draper, director of the state park system.

Valenstein said partnerships have been key to the success in acquiring the park and improving it since it opened in 2007.

Draper said the park aids the local economy and the success of this and other state parks is aided by a corps of dedicated volunteers.

Park manager Scott Duncan said establishing a campground has been a high priority with the public ever since the park opened.

He said the opening of this campground—it has 27 spaces for RVs and six reserved for tents– followed earlier projects to open primitive campgrounds for individual hikers and for groups such as Boy Scouts and to develop a primitive campground, which has since been expanded, to cater to equestrians.

The campground includes six sites reserved for tent camping

Paula Dockery, a former state senator involved in securing state money for the park, said adding the campground will give more visibility to this park, which is a relatively remote location in Florida. She said initial reports are that its has remained fairly full since shortly after it opened and anyone wishing to camp there should be sure to make a reservation.

Colt Creek State Park is located at 16000 State Road 471 north of Lakeland and is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk.

One of the questions many people planning to head to Circle B Bar Reserve for a hike may have is what kind of weather they can expect.

Will it be too hot? too cold? too windy? too rainy?

Ancient Islands Sierra Club has taken the guesswork out of that.

We invested $2,500 recently in the purchase and installation of a weather station that will provide real-time online weather information as well as recent weather data if you go to this link.

This is part of our mission to encourage more people to get outdoors and enjoy the natural resources that Polk County offers.

Also, we hope that after you visit Circle B, you might consider visiting the other public and private nature preserves and parks located all over the county.

Whooping Crane in a pasture in Lake Wales

The remaining Whooping Cranes that survived an unsuccessful attempt to establish a non-migratory flock of these endangered birds may be moved from Polk and surrounding counties to Louisiana, according to a draft proposal issued this week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The cranes, which have attracted birdwatchers to various locations around Lake Wales, are proposed to be relocated because they are in danger of dying out without reproducing.

Federal and state biologists were involved in the release of 289 birds between 1993 and 2005 in an attempt to create a non-migratory flock. Biologists ended releases because the project was unsuccessful.

Fourteen birds from the original releases survive.

The proposal to capture the birds and move them to Louisiana would allow them to join a non-migratory flock that has been re-established there to replace a similar flock that existed until the 1940s.

Federal wildlife officials are seeking comments on the proposal.

Brett Upthagrove addresses Sierra

The newly reorganized Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District is working to get itself known, but it is still struggling without permanent staff, Brett Upthagrove, the panel’s chairman told Ancient Islands Sierra Thursday night.

The district, which is run by an elected five-member board who serves without pay, was founded in 1945. It had been inactive in recent years and was on the verge of being abolished when Upthagrove persuaded some local people from a variety of backgrounds to run for seats on the board in the 2016 general election. They took office early last year.

The agency traditionally aided farmers and other landowners in improving water use and soil management, reflecting the agency’s origins that date from the Dust Bowl conditions of the 1930s caused by poor land management.

Even without staff, the Polk district has secured the approval to host the statewide land-judging contest next year, which will bring 280 students from all over Florida to Polk County to compete, Upthagrove said.

He said the board is working on hiring a field technician, which they hope to have on board by this spring.

That technician will offer advice on irrigation efficiency.

That position is funded through a grant, Upthagrove said.

When the board was active, it received some funding from the County Commission.

One service the agency provided was to provide soil maps that showed the location and types of soils on proposed development sites. The soil information is now only briefly mentioned in staff reports and there are no longer any maps.

After the board was revived, the County Commission, led by Commissioner George Lindsey, decided it would not provide any funding for the agency. None had been requested at the time.