We manage more than 63,400 acres of environmentally sensitive wildlife habitat and corridors acquired through the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP).
Management responsibilities include:
- Prescribed burning
- Invasive species control
- Wildlife inventory
- Trail maintenance
- Feral animal control
- Habitat improvements for endangered and threatened species of plants and animals
ELAPP is a voluntary program established for the purpose of providing the process and funding for identifying, acquiring, preserving and protecting endangered, environmentally-sensitive and significant lands in Hillsborough County. It is a citizen-based program with volunteer committees involved in every key aspect of the program.
ELAPP is not a regulatory program, but lands are identified for the program because of their environmental significance.
ELAPP timeline
- January 1987
- The Board of County Commissioners approved an Environmentally-Sensitive Lands Ordinance, which provided $21 million over a four-year period to acquire environmentally-sensitive lands
- 1990
- County voters approved the issuance of up to $100 million in bonds over a 20-year period to acquire additional lands
- November 2008
- Voters approved the issuance of up to $200 million in bonds
ELAPP Nature Preserve Maps
-
Special Sites
- Blackwater Creek Preserve
- Lower Green Swamp Addition (F.K.A. Cone Ranch Addition)
-
Essential Sites - Sites 1 - 5
- USF Forest Preserve
- Alafia North Prong
- Little Manatee Corridor Addition
- Brooker Creek Buffer Addition
- Cockroach Creek Greenway
-
Important Sites - Sites 6 - 15
- Balm Boyette Addition
- Varn/Cone Ranch Greenway
- Buckhorn Springs
- Knights Griffin Property
- McIntosh/Zack Tract
- Walton Acquisitions FL LLC
- Wimauma Scrub
- Ekker Addition
- Nye Park Addition
- Baker Creek and Tributaries
-
Desirable Sites - Sites 16 - 26
- Golden Aster Scrub/Kitchen Connection
- Sydney Dover Trails
- Cow House Creek
- Lake Stemper
- Old Morris Bridge Road
- Pemberton Creek
- Alafia River
- Fish Hawk Park Portion
- Simmons Hammock Greenway
- Bullfrog Creek- Nundy
- Georgetown
-
Acquired & Substantially Acquired Parcels
- Alafia North Prong
- Alafia Scrub Preserve
- Alafia South Prong
- Alderman's Ford Preserve
- Alderman's Ford South Prong Addition
- Apollo Beach
- Bahia Beach Coastal Restoration
- Balm Scrub
- Balm Scrub Addition
- Balm-Boyete Scrub Preserve
- Bell Creek Preserve
- Blackwater Creek
- Blackwater Hammock
- Boy Scout Portion
- Brooker Creek Buffer Addition
- Brooker Creek Buffer Preserve
- Brooker Creek Headwaters
- Bullfrog Creek Scrub
- Cockroach and Piney Point Creeks
- Cockroach Bay
- Cockroach Creek Greenway
- Cypress Creek Preserve
- Cypress Street
- Dairy Farm
- Delaney Creek
- Diamondback Preserve
- Ecopalms (on USF Forest Preserve map - in Essential Sites)
- English Creek
- FishHawk Ranch
- Florida College
- Fred & Ida Schultz Preserve
- Fulkerson Road
- Golden Aster Scrub
- Howell Creek Branch (on English Creek map)
- Jeanie and Pete Johnson Preserve
- Lake Dan
- Lake Francis Preserve (F.K.A. Brooker Creek Corridor Preserve)
- Lithia Springs Preserve (on FishHawk Ranch map)
- Little Manatee River
- Little Manatee River Cooridor
- Little Manatee River Cooridor Addition
- Lower Green Swamp Preserve (F.K.A. Cone Ranch Preserve)
- McIntosh/Zack Tract
- McKay Bay
- McKay Bay/Palm River Greenway
- Morris Bridge Road
- New Tampa Flatwoods
- Oakridge
- Pam Callahan Preserve
- Port Tampa Restoration
- Rhodine Scrub
- Rivercrest Park Addition
- Riverhills Park Addition
- Rocky Creek Coastal Preserve
- Rocky/Brushy Creek Greenway
- South MacDill
- Sun City Heritage Park Addition
- The Kitchen
- Tower Restoration
- Town 'N County Preserve
- Triple Creek Ranch
- Upper Little Manatee River
- Violet Cury Preserve
- Wolf Branch
Resources
Contact
For more information on ELAPP or how to nominate a site call (813) 672-7876.