The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service announced Tuesday it is awarding $10 million to protect agricultural and natural lands in Central Florida's Lake Wales Ridge ecosystem. The five-year Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Regional Conservation Partnership Program project, led by Tampa-based nonprofit Wildlands Conservation, will focus on Marion, Lake, Polk, and Highlands counties when it begins in 2027, according to the USDA-NRCS. The initiative aims to expand...