Land Stewardship Plan Dated 2003

Photo by Charlie Ewell Photo by Charlie Ewell Photo by Charlie Ewell LLaanndd MMaannaaggeemmeenntt PPllaann 22001133 San Carlos Bay - Bunche Beach Preserve Land Management Plan 18201 John Morris Road Fort Myers, FL 33908 Second Edition Prepared by the Land Management Section Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation Approved by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners: November 5, 2013 Acknowledgements This document was prepared with the assistance of Lee County Conservation Lands Management staff and the Conservation 20/20 Land Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Committee. Special thanks to members of the Lee County Black History Society for providing relevant historical material. Thanks also to Bob Repenning, Clayton Hansen, Anne Blanchard, Andy Getch (LCDOT) and those who took the time to proof read the drafts and submitted comments, making this a better document. Terry Cain Sherry Furnari Table of Contents VISION STATEMENT ........................................................................................... 1 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................. 2 II. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 4 III. LOCATION AND SITE DESCRIPTION .......................................................... 5 IV. NATURAL RESOURCES DESCRIPTION ..................................................... 9 A. Physical Resources ..................................................................................... 9 i. Climate ....................................................................................................... 9 ii. Geology ..................................................................................................... 9 iii. Topography .............................................................................................. 9 iv. Soils ....................................................................................................... 12 v. Hydrologic Components and Watershed ................................................ 14 B. Biological Resources ................................................................................. 17 i. Ecosystem Function ................................................................................. 17 ii. Natural Plant Communities ...................................................................... 17 iii. Fauna ..................................................................................................... 22 iv. Designated Species ............................................................................... 22 v. Biological Diversity .................................................................................. 23 C. Cultural Resources .................................................................................... 24 i. Archaeological Features .......................................................................... 24 ii. Land Use History ..................................................................................... 26 iii. Public Interest ......................................................................................... 38 V. FACTORS INFLUENCING MANAGEMENT ................................................. 39 A. Natural Trends and Disturbances .............................................................. 39 B. Internal Influences ...................................................................................... 39 C. External Influences .................................................................................... 42 D. Legal Obligations and Constraints ............................................................. 44 i. Permitting ................................................................................................. 44 ii. Other Legal Constraints .......................................................................... 44 iii. Relationship to Other Plans .................................................................... 45 E. Management Constraints ........................................................................... 45 F. Public Access and Resource-Based Recreation ........................................ 46 i G. Acquisition ................................................................................................. 49 VI. MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN .................................................................. 55 A. Management Unit Descriptions ................................................................ 55 B. Goals and Strategies ................................................................................ 58 C. Management Work to Date ...................................................................... 63 VII. PROJECTED TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION ............................... 65 VIII. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................... 66 IX. LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................... 67 X. APPENDICES ............................................................................................... 69 ii List of Exhibits Figure 1: Location Map ...................................................................................... 7 Figure 2: 2012 Aerial Map .................................................................................. 8 Figure 3: Topographic Map ............................................................................. 10 Figure 4: LiDAR Map ........................................................................................ 11 Figure 5: Soils Map .......................................................................................... 13 Figure 6: Watershed Map ................................................................................ 15 Figure 7: Hydrologic Features Map ................................................................ 16 Figure 8: Plant Communities Map .................................................................. 21 Figure 9: Archaeological Sensitivity Map ...................................................... 25 Figure 10: 1944 Aerial ...................................................................................... 29 Figure 11: 1953 Aerial ...................................................................................... 30 Figure 12: 1968 Aerial ...................................................................................... 31 Figure 13: 1979 Aerial ...................................................................................... 32 Figure 14: 1986 Aerial ...................................................................................... 33 Figure 15: 1990 Aerial ...................................................................................... 34 Figure 16: 1998 Aerial ...................................................................................... 35 Figure 17: 2002 Aerial ...................................................................................... 36 Figure 18: 2011 Aerial ...................................................................................... 37 Figure 19: Internal Influences Map ................................................................. 41 Figure 20: External Influences Map ................................................................ 43 Figure 21: Public Use & Amenities Map ......................................................... 48 iii Figure 22: STRAP Map .................................................................................... 51 Figure 23: Acquisitions & Nominations Map ................................................. 52 Figure 24: Future Land Use Map .................................................................... 53 Figure 25: Zoning Map ..................................................................................... 54 Figure 26: Management Units Map ................................................................. 57 Figure 27: Invasive Exotic Plant Control Map ............................................... 60 Table 1: San Carlos Bay – Bunche Beach Preserve Acquisition Information ............................................................................................................................ 49 iv List of Acronyms ADA Americans with Disabilties Act BOCC Board of County Commissioners C20/20 Conservation 20/20 CLASAC Conservation Lands Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Committee CPD Commercial Planned Development ESA Endangered Species Act FCT Florida Communities Trust FDACS Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services FDEP Florida Department of Environmental Protection FGCU Florida Gulf Coast University FLU Future Land Use FNAI Florida Natural Areas Inventory FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission IDD Iona Drainage District IRC Institute for Regional Conservation LCDOT Lee County Department of Transportation LCDP Lee County Division of Planning LCPA Lee County Property Appraiser LCPR Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation LCSO Lee County Sheriff’s Office LMP Land Management Plan LSOM Land Stewardship Operations Manual LiDAR Light Detecting and Ranging NGVD National Geodetic Vertical Datum OAC Outdoor Activity Center SCB-BBP San Carlos Bay – Bunche Beach Preserve SFWMD South Florida Water Management District SOODA Save Our Off-leash Dog Area STRAP Section-Township-Range-Area-Block.Lot (Parcel) SUP Stand Up Paddle boarding TDC Tourist Development Council USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service v VISION STATEMENT It is the vision of the Lee

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