Way to go Florida Field Club! You all did a fantastic job removing invasive tuberous sword ferns & coral ardisia from Wekiwa Springs State Park today! Thanks for helping to protect #biodiversity and reduce the spread of harmful #invasivespecies. #SERVSaturdays @seminolecounty

Thanks to the 3 @UCF students from Dr. Plate's Env. Sci. class who joined us for a workday at Lily Lake #WaterConservation Demo Garden on Friday! We planted native pollinator plants, weeded, spread mulch, & freed native trees from encroaching vines @seminolecounty #volunteers

We had a blast at our last shoreline restoration of the year! 78 volunteers helped to plant 1,384 #nativeplants at Lake of the Woods to improve #waterquality & #wildlifehabitat. We also removed lots of invasive plants. Thanks to all who joined us! @seminolecounty #SERVSaturdays

PROTECTING OUR WATERWAYS 🌿💧 Water is all around us, and healthy shorelines help keep the lakes we love clean. More than 100 lakes in unincorporated Seminole County are protected under the County’s Shoreline Protection Ordinance, helping preserve natural vegetation along the tation plays an important role in a lake’s health by filtering pollutants, reducing erosion, and providing habitat for wildlife.

Environmental Services staff work with lakefront property owners on permitting and provide guidance on lake management plans specific to their shoreline, including steps they can take to help protect their lake.

Property taxes help support these efforts and other work to protect Seminole County’s water resources. Learn more at SeminoleCountyFL.gov/PropertyTax.

SEEING SUNFLOWERS: It’s that time of year!🌻 Lake Jesup’s southeastern sunflowers are in full bloom, but only for a short time.

The helianthus agrestis (southeastern sunflower) is endemic to Florida and adds golden views for a few weeks every autumn. These flowers are a staple ecosystem, playing an important role for local wildlife. Take the tour with our Seminole County Environmental Services team out on the airboat evaluating the native plant vegetation.

While the Lake Jesup Wilderness Area is currently closed due to flooding, you might get a glimpse while driving across the bridge.

The weather cleared up just long enough to have a fun invasive plant removal & native plant hike w/ @UCF Botanical Society this morning! We removed 5 bags of invasive natal grass and identified a ton of #nativeplants along the trails of Econ River Wilderness Area. #SERVSaturdays

Thanks to Beta Psi Omega Professional Biology Fraternity for joining us to protect Econ River Wilderness Area today! We removed 6 bags of natal grass, a harmful #invasiveplant, including thousands of seeds. @seminolecounty #SERVSaturdays

Student #internship now open! This position is in our @seminolecounty Environmental Services office, and is an amazing opportunity to gain experience in Water Policy and Watershed Management. Check out this job post, apply or pass it along! governmentjobs.com/careers/semino…

Central Florida CISMA just opened their Fall Aquatics Workshop! Tuesday, Oct 17, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm at Mead Botanical Garden. Fall26AquaticsWS.eventbrite.com. CEUs available. Audience: working in env. science or natural resources, contractors, science students

Please note that the workshop is on Oct 27, not 17☺️. The flyer has the correct date.

Thanks to the wonderful group from AdventHealth who volunteered with us at Lily Lake! Together, we weeded the Water Conservation Demonstration Garden🐝and removed invasive and encroaching plants from around shoreline plants🌱@seminolecounty

Shout out to our SERV volunteers who helped at Wekiwa Springs State Park for “Our River Volunteer Event”! Our team removed 50 bags of invasive plants👏 It was fun partnering with @FLStateParks, @savethemanatee @SJRiverkeeper, and @ChooseCleanH2O 😃

Awesome STEM competition opportunity for middle and high school students! FSAWWA Model Water Tower Competition, 11/7/26, UCF Engineering II Building Atrium. Free to enter; cash awards for top 3 teams🥇 fsawwa.org/mwtc

Thanks to the following participating groups at Wekiva Lake:
Girl Scout Troop 488
Lake Brantley HS
Scout Troop 10
Scout Troop 617
@SeminoleState - SSV
OTVA Volleyball
Oviedo HS
@VolunteerUCF
Winter Springs HS
Our hosts, the Wekiva Cove residents
Our faithful SERV volunteers!

We had an amazing crew of 89 volunteers at the Wekiva Lake Restoration! We planted 2,520 native shoreline plants to protect #WaterQuality & #WildlifeHabitat. Thanks to GS Troop 488 who sponsored the event as part of their Bronze Award 😃and to FWEA/FSAWWA for additional plants.

Thanks to the hard working students from @VolunteerUCF who joined us for "Pegasus Palooza" today at Lake Mills Park! We tackled invasive rosary pea & air potato vines, and collected litter to protect #WildlifeHabitat and community health. #biodiversity @seminolecounty

Thanks to the amazing group of volunteers from @rollinscollege who just shared their SPARC Day at Lake Lotus Park with us! We removed 21 bags of invasive plants & planted ~40 native plants to protect #biodiversity. @Rollins_CLCE @CityofAltamonte #RollinsSPARC26 #RollinsCLCE

Join the Great Southeast Pollinator Census! 🐝Everyone can be a citizen scientist in in this fun & easy project (only takes 15 minutes). Just choose a plant🌷, count/categorize the #pollinators, & upload your findings! GSePC.org #biodiversity #citizenscience #nature

AUGUST IS NATIONAL WATER QUALITY MONTH 🌿The key to a healthy lake is not just the water - it’s what’s growing around it. Native shoreline vegetation, including trees, aquatic plants, grasses and wildflowers, helps protect water quality by filtering stormwater runoff, reducing wildlife.

Whether you live on a lake or simply enjoy Seminole County's waterways, healthy shorelines benefit all of us. To help preserve these natural resources, Seminole County adopted the Shoreline Protection Ordinance in 2021 for certain lakes in unincorporated Seminole County.

If you're planning work along your shoreline, the Shoreline Protection program can help determine whether a permit is needed and provide guidance before you begin.

Learn more ➡️ SeminoleCountyFL.gov/ShorelineProte…

Another fantastic video from our @UCF Capstone student team:
Plant Highlight! Bladderwort (Utricularia)
-Several submerged aquatic species in #seminolecounty
-Carnivorous #nativeplant
-Bladder structures trap tiny organisms
-Flower stalks emerge from water & bloom in spring