Circle B Bar Reserve Reopens Tuesday
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One-timeDonation amount $ MonthlyDonation amount $ AnnuallyDonation amount $ Your contribution is appreciated. Cancel Anytime.Circle B Bar Reserve is reopening Tuesday after being closed for more than a month due to damage and flooding from Hurricane Milton. Polk's Nature Discovery Center at the nature preserve on Winter Lake Road also will reopen.
However, one of the most popular trails, Alligator Alley, will remain closed for the time being because of hurricane damage; it runs along the western shore of Lake Hancock and then jogs west between two marshes.
Marsh Rabbit Run, which extends west from Alligator Alley and runs between Heron Hideout and Wading Bird Way trails also will remain closed.
"Visitors are advised to use caution, as additional trail sections may still be flooded," Polk County spokesman Jeff Foley wrote in a press release. "Trails may periodically be closed for management and safety reasons."
The 1,267-acre reserve between Lakeland and Winter Haven was bought by Polk County for environmental preservation but also to absorb and hold water that overflows from Lake Hancock. It served that purpose after Lakeland saw record rainfalls during the last three months.
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