Polk Forever

09/02/2026

Wendell Berry, a poet, farmer and advocate, expressed this watershed golden rule in his essay “Watershed and Commonwealth.”
Wendell Berry argued that human civilization, history, and culture are inseparable from the natural world—and that nature can be best understood and preserved through the lens of rivers and watersheds.

09/01/2026

Green Horizon Land Trust has acquired a 20-acre parcel near Crooked Lake in eastern Polk County to prevent potential development. See link below ⬇️

📸 Green Horizon Land Trust

09/01/2026

A 20-acre parcel near Crooked Lake in eastern Polk County has been preserved from potential development.
Green Horizon Land Trust has acquired the property, part of an area known as Straw Hat Valley. Adjacent property owners George Skene and Barbara Barry purchased the property from a Lake Wales developer in an effort to preserve as much of the area as possible, Green Horizon Land Trust said in a Ledger news release.
Learn more at
www.theledger.com/story/news/environment/2026/09/01/land-trust-acquires-20-acre-plot-near-crooked-lake-for-preservation-polk-county-florida/91549446007/

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

🚨 ONE FINAL PUSH — AND WE NEED YOUR HELP SPREADING THE WORD! 🚨

Last year, you all helped us take A Land Remembered far beyond what we ever imagined. Teachers, Extension agents, agricultural organizations, parents, producers, and friends shared the program across Florida — and it took off.

Can we do it again? 🌴🐄📚

Registration is wrapping up for A Land Remembered: Where Cattle, Conservation, and Beef Come Together! — a 6-week classroom program for 4th grade, 5th grade, middle AND high school students!

Using Patrick D. Smith’s A Land Remembered, students get to experience Florida’s history while connecting it to the agriculture and natural resources that still shape our state today.

📖 Daily reading from A Land Remembered
🌱 ELA, science, math & social studies connections
🗺️ Journals, maps, worksheets & vocabulary
🐄 Pioneer life + modern ranching
✏️ Real-world writing activities
🎥 PLUS a one-day statewide livestream on February 26, 2027!

And we need YOUR help getting this into the hands of teachers.

You may not be a teacher — but you probably know one. Share this post. Tag an educator. Send it to your local school. Drop it in a homeschool group. Share it with your 4-H families. Send it to that teacher who loves Florida history.

One share could put this program in front of an entire classroom of students. ❤️

🔗 REGISTER HERE:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=-KBNDTFKdk2s5gpiMx4bhLlLEGE0DK1LruOuG4GP70ZUMFhGRFhNUzc5UUFBS0pYRDUxMjRMTjFFWS4u&utm_source=chatgpt.com&route=shorturl

📧 Questions? [email protected]

Help us make Florida’s story go viral one more time. 🌴🐂📚

08/31/2026

Want to learn more about native plants but dont know where to start? This one's for you! Mark your calendars and share.

08/28/2026

08/25/2026

Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) is hosting the Southwest Florida Resiliency Summit
Sept 22nd, Charlotte Harbor Conference Center Punta Gorda, FL

Join CHNEP for this free public event.

Polk County is part of this estuary partnership that plays a vital role in enhancing community resiliency by bringing federal, state, and local governments together to share resiliency knowledge and technologies, as well as to implement resiliency projects across jurisdictional boundaries.

For registration and more information, visit: https://www.chnep.org/swfl-resiliency-summit