Hillsborough County recently celebrated the opening of one of its newest conservation parks, known as Pebble Park, which is located at 9955 Riverview Dr. in Riverview. The opening was commemorated with a ribbon-cutting and attended by approximately 50 people on November 17.
Those attending the ribbon-cutting included Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Director Forest Turbiville, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioner Stacy White and Mosaic Vice President Joe Wolf.
According to Todd Platt with Hillsborough County, “Pebble Park is a good example of passive preservation for community use. Pebble Park has about three-fourths of a mile of paved and natural trails, a butterfly garden, three pavilions, restrooms, parking and is a beautiful site along the Alafia River.”
The Butterfly Garden was built by local Brownie Girl Scout Troop 33133. The troop is located in Riverview. The project also includes approximately 500 native trees and plants. A boardwalk near the river is planned for the site.
Moreover, Pebble Park will soon include a Native American-inspired statue created by Milligan Studios in collaboration with artists and craftspeople of the Seminole Tribe. The completion target date for the statue, known as ‘Sovereign: The Unconquered,’ is late December/early January.
The land was owned by Mosaic but never mined. However, the name ‘Pebble Park’ comes from the material mined by Mosaic known as phosphate pebbles. The land where Pebble Park now sits was purchased by Hillsborough County in 2018 as a part of the Capital Improvements Program.
Pebble Park is a delightful addition to Hillsborough County’s long list of neighborhood parks, nature parks and conservation parks. Before I participated in my first Hillsborough County Hiking Spree in 2020, I never knew just how many parks we had in the area. Pebble Park is one of the locations on this year’s Hiking Spree, which runs through March 2023.
The Hillsborough County Hiking Spree is an opportunity for all residents to get out and explore the tranquility of nature and earn a prize.
For more information on Pebble Park and all of the other parks you can visit in Hillsborough County, or to register for the Hiking Spree, please visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org.
