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Investigation of Resources, Threats and Future Protection Needs of the Matanzas River Study Area

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Investigation of Resources, Threats and Future Protection Needs of the Matanzas River Study Area Final Report Investigation of Resources, Threats and Future Protection Needs of the Matanzas River Study Area Submitted to: St. Johns River Water Management District Prepared by: 5300 West Cypress Street Suite 200 Tampa, FL 33607­1768 October 2009 Executive Summary 1.0 Project Purpose In response to public concerns regarding the potential for increased stresses on natural resources associated with expected continued future development, the District’s Governing Board directed staff to implement the Matanzas River Basin Work Plan. This work plan includes a number of elements directed to providing enhanced protection of the Matanzas Basin’s water resources. As part of the overall Matanzas River Basin Work Plan, the primary objective of this report was to investigate and provide the District with information regarding the Matanzas Basin study area’s (Figure 1) wetland resources, potential threats, and future protection needs. Figure 1.1.1 Location of the Matanzas River Study Area This project was designed to: Identify, describe, and rank the distinct types of habitat in the Matanzas Basin study area. Identify observed and expected aquatic and wetland-dependent wildlife within the identified habitats. 1 Final Report for the Matanzas River Study Area Wildlife Survey October 2009 Executive Summary Identify the habitat requirements of such identified aquatic and wetland-dependent species. Working with District staff, identify likely scenarios for future land use development in the Matanzas Basin study area and assess potential impacts to identified aquatic and wetland-dependent species. Provide an initial assessment of potential additional habitat and resource protection measures to preclude such adverse impacts. 2.0 Project Objectives The approach to meeting the overall project objectives was divided into a series of tasks summarized below. Task 1: Identify the Aquatic and Wetland-dependent Wildlife in the Study Area Lists of expected wetland-dependent species were assembled and used to quantify wetland and buffer use by wetland-dependent species during wildlife surveys conducted along selected transects during summer wet-season reconnaissance surveys. Comprehensive and normalized levels of sampling effort were implemented to assess the observed presence/occurrence of “expected taxa” and ultimately determine the relative potential influences of existing buffer widths on wetland-dependent wildlife use among sites. Task 2: Catalog the Aquatic and Wetland-dependent Wildlife in the Study Area Differing types of information were combined and incorporated to provide supplementary information regarding the regional list of aquatic and wetland-dependent species. Available Geographic Information System (GIS) and literature data were compiled for this task and were incorporated in determining potential relationships between buffer widths and wildlife utilization in the Matanzas watershed study area. Task 3: Identify Upland and Wetland Habitats that are needed to Maintain the Abundance and Diversity of Aquatic and Wetland-dependent Wildlife Data compiled and summarized from Tasks 1 and 2 and additional available information were applied to establish species specific and community habitat requirements necessary to maintain the expected abundance and diversity of aquatic and wetland-dependent species within the Matanzas River study area. Task 4: Identify and Rank the Quality of Upland and Wetland Habitat Available within the Study Area Current and historic land use/land cover mapping data and other available GIS imagery were reviewed to develop an array of potential transect sites having differing buffer widths between 2 Final Report for the Matanzas River Study Area Wildlife Survey October 2009 Executive Summary existing development and natural wetland habitats. Potential transects were then assigned to categories based on buffer widths to ensure sampling within four differing categories. 0 to 50 foot buffer 51 to 100 foot buffer 101 to 300 foot buffer 301 to 500 foot buffer Sixteen freshwater and eight saltwater wetlands were selected to evaluate potential differences in species habitat requirements between the aquatic and wetland-dependent species associated with these characteristic communities within the study area. At each transect, wildlife sampling was performed at three locations: 1) at the mid-point between where the buffer meets the developed landscape and where it meets the wetland; 2) where the buffer meets the wetland it is intended to protect; and 3) at a point either 100 feet into the wetland or the middle of the wetland, whichever is less. Wildlife presence was quantified along each transect using the same techniques and sampling efforts (i.e., time of day, length of time, similarity of sampling tools). The intent of this effort was to minimize the variability between transects due to differences other than buffer width. Qualitative scoring was also conducted of the upland/wetlands associated with each of these transects. Task 5: Would Future Development Likely Affect Wetland-dependent Wildlife? GIS-based comparison were conducted of present-day, “near future” and predicted land use maps for the year 2035 based on information supplied by District staff. The “near future” land use reflected 2012 conditions, where 2004 GIS maps were first updated using aerial photography from 2008. Additional changes were then made based upon active Environmental Resource Permits to reflect existing permitted development in the study area, not yet fully constructed. The 2035 predicted development map was created by consulting several sources, including St. Johns and Flagler County Future Land Use Maps (FLUMs), environmental resource permits (ERPs), City of Palm Coast FLUM, and developments of regional impacts (DRIs). Public lands and conservation easements were displayed and avoided when evaluating areas likely to be developed in the 2035 future development scenario. Using the 2035 Future Land Use Map, the amount of wetlands within the footprint of expected development was then estimated, and the amount and location of buffers of different categories were then derived based on the compiled GIS layer information. The literature on wildlife utilization of wetlands was then queried to determine what types of guidance had been developed as to various techniques to preserve wildlife with expected development pressure. Results from the summer wet-season sampling effort were then compared to the literature as a whole to determine if the results found in this study were consistent with the larger body of information available on this topic A series of graphical and statistical analytical methods were employed to further evaluate and summarize the results of the observed occurrences of wetland-dependent taxa recorded during the field transect studies conducted during July 2009. Alternative methods of parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses were conducted using SAS TM (Statistical Analysis System) and Primer TM software 3 Final Report for the Matanzas River Study Area Wildlife Survey October 2009 Executive Summary Task 6: Determine the Need for Additional Protection of Upland and Wetland Habitat Based on the finds of the preceding project efforts, the objective of this final task was to determine and interpret: How much future land use is likely to be developed? How much wetland acreage is likely to be within the general footprint of expected development? Does the literature on wildlife utilization of wetlands indicate that future development constructed pursuant to existing regulatory criteria is likely to impact wetland- dependent wildlife? Do the results from this study’s wildlife utilization effort support the need for additional protective efforts? 3.0 Project Results and Conclusions The following briefly summarizes some of the major results and conclusions of the tasks defined under the Project Scope of Work. The report results include lists of the potentially occurring wildlife in the study area, lists and graphics of wildlife observed during the summer surveys, and a summary of corresponding habitat requirements as well as a qualitative analysis of the wildlife habitat in the Matanzas River watershed study area. 3.1 Identify the Aquatic and Wetland-dependent Wildlife of the Study Area The report presents a series of comprehensive lists of the major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians) of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and wetland associated and dependent vertebrates that potentially might be expected to be observed in the Matanzas River study area. Additional literature-based compilations of potentially occurring species found in east central Florida, as well as State and Federally listed protected species found in Flagler and St. Johns counties are further presented in the report’s appendices. Grouped tabular and graphical results are presented of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians species observed during the summery 2009 wildlife transect field studies. Amphibian species are by definition wetland-dependent, and Figure 2 depicts both the number and species richness of amphibian taxa observed after combining the freshwater transects within each of the four transect buffer width classifications (0-50, 51-100, 101-300 and 301 to 500 feet). These results show that while the number of taxa (species richness) observed varied without a defined pattern, the number of individuals observed using a standardized level of effort was observed to generally increase with larger natural buffer widths. 4 Final Report for the
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