ATV Florida Forum

News Release
HIGH WATER LEVEL PROMPTS CLOSURE OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA

September 20, 2006
CONTACT: Dani Moschella, (561) 625-5132

Due to an inordinately high water level associated with recent rainfall, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has closed the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area to the public. The high water level has jeopardized wildlife, particularly deer, in the area, which includes parts of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties

FWC Executive Director Ken Haddad signed an executive order Sept. 18, which takes effect at midnight Sept. 25 and will remain in effect until rescinded by subsequent order.

These special regulations prohibit:

taking game other than fish and alligators

use of vehicles, airboats, ATVs and other public access, except by special access permit and in Conservation Area 2 from the L-35B levee north to the east-west airboat trail

This order does not apply to:

persons permitted to participate in the statewide alligator egg collections or alligator hunts

persons operating boats (other than airboats) within the established canal systems or within 1 mile of those canals in adjacent marshes of the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor WMA.

Persons participating in the statewide alligator egg collections or alligator hunts must maintain a minimum distance of 100 yards from any tree island and the L-5 South and L-4 South levees when operating a vessel or airboat to minimize disturbance to upland wildlife jeopardized by high water conditions.

The South Florida Water Management District will cease maintenance of the grass on the L-4, L-5 and L-6 levees to avoid jeopardizing wildlife.

To report a violation of this order, any wildlife violations, or a boating emergency, call the toll-free Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922
 

Everglades? Soo would this include holeylands?

This would include the south side of holylands, which was unridable anyway due to hunting season.

South side of Holeylands? Holeylands is on the north side of the L5 levee. Does it specifically state no ATVs or vehicles are allowed on L5? I've emailed FWC with the question asking if we still have access to Holeylands.

Yesterday, I emailed FWC with this question, "Does this closure(Everglades/Taylor WMAs) also prohibit ATVs and vehicles from accessing Holeylands WMA? Thanks". Today, FWC's response was, "No. Just Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area as noted at this Web site:
http://myfwc.com/whatsnew/06/statewide/highwater-eglades.html".
For the record, I'd emailed FWC because others on this site expressed confusion and the information provided by that link does not specifically say we'd still have access to Holeylands! So, in order to avoid confusion, I wanted the answer in writing. Now, I have it. Yes, we can still ride Holeylands between hunting seasons and after.

Has anyone else detected a pattern here?  They have closed this area every year for the past 4 or 5 years around this time.  It's always near or during hunting season.  I could understand last year because we got more rain than I can ever remember and deer were actually living on the levee's.  But this year has just been an average rain year for us.  Can't they regulate the water level out there with pumps and flood gates?  Something smells fishy to me.

I think ive noticed this too.

I was out there today....Ghost Town. I think there were maybe 5 other tow rigs from 2pm to 7pm.

They even put up the area closed signs. I was lucky enough to pull up when the officer was trying to catch some kids for passing it, pretty comical actually.

Well be out there tomorrow as well, there is still plenty of ground to run.

It's not a conspiracy or a pattern. The rainfall has been anything but average this year. Don't forget, those WMA's accept rainfall runoff from places miles north of them. The water is up, that's all. The FWC and Park Service has always been real good about opening things back up as quickly as possible.

Took a peek today. It sucks. As flooded as it gets. It'll be several weeks before it's any real fun out there.

Anyone know if it is open now?

Yes, it's been open for 2 months. You're responding to an old topic.