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Bullfrog Creek Management Plan Update, 2015

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Bullfrog Creek Management Plan Update, 2015 BULLFROG CREEK AQUATIC RESOURCE PROTECTION AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE Prepared for PORT TAMPA BAY ENVIRONMENTAL DEPARTMENT 1101 CHANNELSIDE DRIVE TAMPA, FL 33602 By AUDUBON FLORIDA FLORIDA COASTAL ISLANDS SANCTUARIES PROGRAM And LEWIS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, INC. September 2015 PREFACE This document provides an update to the Bullfrog Creek Aquatic Resource Protection Area (ARPA) Management Plan and has been prepared by Audubon Florida’s Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries (FCIS), Tampa, FL. It updates the earlier plan prepared by FCIS and Lewis Environmental Services, Inc., Salt Springs, FL under contract to the Tampa Port Authority (now Port Tampa Bay) through its Sovereign Lands Management Initiatives Program. Several business affiliations and organizational name transitions and changes have occurred since the original plan was prepared in 1998. In this updated version, we have included the business and institutional names and business affiliations and location names that are currently in use, replacing the outdated names. In addition, we have updated data and survey information relating to the environmental features located within the Bullfrog Creek ARPA and the study area. We are pleased that several of the recommendations presented in the original plan have been implemented in the intervening years by the many organizations and institutions involved in the management of Tampa Bay. For example: - There are currently no sewage residual or septage disposal operations within the Bullfrog Creek watershed. Hillsborough County no longer permits sewage residual disposal within the county’s boundaries. - Year-round boating regulations have been adopted to reduce harm to manatees within the shallower areas of the Bullfrog Creek ARPA. - Shoreline protection/restoration structures have been placed along the highly impacted shorelines of Whiskey Stump and Green Keys, Port Redwing and portions of the Alafia Bank. - Land acquisition for restoration and protection has occurred, and some restoration has been completed. However, much work remains to be done. Tampa Bay’s regional natural resource management community - government agencies and private entities - have worked in an exemplary fashion over the years to protect the natural resources of Hillsborough Bay. Together, we have a mutual responsibility to make choices and undertake actions that will have long-lasting impacts on this special section of Tampa Bay. Working together, with innovation and best intentions, based on scientifically designed conside- rations for the resources in this area of Hillsborough Bay, we can ensure a future that protects the habitats and wildlife for generations to come. September 2015 Roseate spoonbill adults and young of the year resting on a mudflat in Hillsborough Bay, Florida ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE..................................................................................................................................................................... ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................ vii Synopsis of Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. vii Water Quality Issues: ....................................................................................................................................... viii Habitat/Wildlife Management Issues: ................................................................................................................. ix ARPA Resource Management Standards of Use: ................................................................................................ x INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 EXISTING CONDITIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 6 General Description .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Meteorology .............................................................................................................................................................. 6 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Groundwater ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Surface Water ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 Water Quality ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 Geology and Topography ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Soil Types ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 Primary Study Area ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Secondary and Tertiary Study Areas .................................................................................................................. 20 Land Uses and Habitats of the BCARPA and associated study area ...................................................................... 20 Developed Land ................................................................................................................................................... 22 Urban and Built-up .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Agriculture ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 Barren Land ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Utilities ............................................................................................................................................................ 23 Natural Land ........................................................................................................................................................ 24 Upland Hardwood ............................................................................................................................................ 24 Wetlands .......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Salt Marsh ........................................................................................................................................................ 25 Tidal Flats ........................................................................................................................................................ 25 Special Classification: Seagrasses ...................................................................................................................... 26 Fauna of the BCARPA ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Estuarine Benthic Invertebrates ......................................................................................................................... 30 Sharks and Rays ................................................................................................................................................. 32 Fish ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Amphibians and Reptiles ................................................................................................................................... 34 Birds ................................................................................................................................................................... 35 Mammals ............................................................................................................................................................ 40 Protected Species ............................................................................................................................................... 42 AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST ............................................................................................................................. 43 Within the Bullfrog Creek ARPA: .......................................................................................................................... 43 Whiskey Stump Key and Green Key Audubon Sanctuaries .............................................................................
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