CREW Management Area General Management Plan 20011 – 2021 South Florida Water Management District, Land Stewardship Section
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CREW Management Area General Management Plan 20011 – 2021 South Florida Water Management District, Land Stewardship Section CREW Management Area Ten-Year General Management Plan (2011 – 2021) October 2011 Land Stewardship Section South Florida Water Management District 3301 Gun Club Road West Palm Beach, Florida 33416-4680 Table of Contents List of Maps & Tables ------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 List of Appendices ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Executive Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 2. Management Plan Purpose ------------------------------------------------- 9 2.1 Management Area Goals and Objectives ----------------------------------------9 3. Site History --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 4. Resource Inventory ---------------------------------------------------------- 32 4.1 Hydrology ---------------------------------------------------------------------------32 4.2 Soils ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------37 4.3 Natural Communities -------------------------------------------------------------39 4.4 Wildlife -----------------------------------------------------------------------------42 1 CREW Management Area General Management Plan 20011 – 2021 South Florida Water Management District, Land Stewardship Section 4.5 Cultural Resources ----------------------------------------------------------------42 5. Natural Resource Management ---------------------------------------- 43 5.1.1 Mitigation -----------------------------------------------------------------------44 5.1.2 Monitoring ----------------------------------------------------------------------44 5.2 Vegetation Management ------------------------------------------------- 47 5.3 Exotic/Invasive Species -------------------------------------------------- 47 5.4 Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species ------------------------ 50 5.5 Forest Resources-------------------------------------------------------- --- 52 5.6 Range Resources ----------------------------------------------------------- 53 5.7 Fire ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 5.7.1 Fire History ---------------------------------------------------------------------54 5.7.2 Prescribed Fire Planning ------------------------------------------------------54 5.7.3 Wildfire Suppression -----------------------------------------------------------56 5.8 Wildlife Management ----------------------------------------------------- 56 5.8.1 Game Management ------------------------------------------------------------57 6. Public Use -------------------------------------------------------------------- 59 6.1 Resource Protection ------------------------------------------------------------67 6.2 Environmental Education -----------------------------------------------------68 7. Administration ------------------------------------------------------------- 68 7.1 Volunteers and Alternative Work Force -------------------------------------68 7.2 Management Review -----------------------------------------------------------69 8. References Cited ----------------------------------------------------------- 71 2 CREW Management Area General Management Plan 20011 – 2021 South Florida Water Management District, Land Stewardship Section Maps & Tables Maps 1. CREW Management Area and Other Conservation Lands ----------------------- 7 2. 1:100,000 USGS Quadrangle Map ------------------------------------------------- 8 3. Map of 1707 Yamassee Slave Raid -------------------------------------------------- 12 4. Calusa Resettlement Areas around Havana --------------------------------------- 13 5. Spanish Missions in Florida --------------------------------------------------------- 14 6. 1839 Military Map -------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 7. 1856 Military Map -------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 8. 1879 Natural Communities Map ---------------------------------------------------- 19 9. Historic Aerial Imagery -------------------------------------------------------------- 26 10. 2009 Aerial Imagery: CREW and Vicinity ---------------------------------------- 27 11. 2009 Aerial Imagery: CREW Management Area --------------------------------- 28 12. Management Units ------------------------------------------------------------------ 29 13. CREW Ownership ------------------------------------------------------------------- 30,31 14. Hydrologic Basins -------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 15. Regional Geomorphic Features ----------------------------------------------------- 34 16. Regional Topography ----------------------------------------------------------------35 17. Hydrography --------------------------------------------------------------------------36 18. Soils ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------38 19. Natural Communities ---------------------------------------------------------------- 40,41 20. Corkscrew Regional Mitigation Bank ---------------------------------------------- 45 21. Access Points -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62 22. Trail System: Corkscrew Marsh ----------------------------------------------------- 63 23. Trail System: Cypress Dome -------------------------------------------------------- 64 24. Trail System: Bird Rookery Swamp ------------------------------------------------ 65 25. FFWCC Wildlife and Environmental Area ----------------------------------------- 66 Tables 1. 2004 – 2011 outfall water levels ----------------------------------------------------46 2. Biological Assessments and Inventories -------------------------------------------46 3. Exotic Plant Species ------------------------------------------------------------------49 4. Listed State Plant Species -----------------------------------------------------------50 5. Listed Animal Species ----------------------------------------------------------------51 3 CREW Management Area General Management Plan 20011 – 2021 South Florida Water Management District, Land Stewardship Section Appendices A. Land Stewardship Goals and Policies ------------------------------------------------ 74 B. CREW Soils ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 82 C. CREW Natural Communities --------------------------------------------------------- 85 D. Plant Species List ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 93 E. Birds Species List -----------------------------------------------------------------------104 F. Mammals Species List -----------------------------------------------------------------111 G. Reptile and Amphibian Species List --------------------------------------------------112 H. Prescribed Fire History Map 2000 - 2005 -------------------------------------------114 I. Prescribed Fire History Map 2006 - 2011 -------------------------------------------115 4 CREW Management Area General Management Plan 20011 – 2021 South Florida Water Management District, Land Stewardship Section 1. Executive Summary The South Florida Water Management District (District) is mandated to acquire and manage lands which are vital to the restoration of the Everglades, the Kissimmee River, the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and its headwaters. In the 1980’s the District targeted for acquisition 63,063 acres of predominantly swale and strand swamp communities and adjacent uplands within the Estero Bay watershed as a Save Our Rivers project. This plan addresses management for the 26,270 acres that have been acquired by the District and the State Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund within the project area known as the CREW Management Area (Management Area). This General Land Management Plan describes the historical, ecological, and managerial aspects of the area as a means to coordinate effective management programs. The plan guides the District land management personnel toward logical and consistent land management practices. It also informs the public of operational procedures and organizational structures within the District and of management activities and objectives for the Management Area. NATURAL SETTING The natural character of CREW is defined by four distinct soil categories as defined by the Natural Soil Landscape Positions soil classification system: flatwood soils, flats soils, sand depression soils, and muck depression soils. Living on these soils are nine distinct natural communities within the Management Area with the following coverage: Percent Coverage of Natural Communities Within the CREW Management Area 1% 2% 1% 4% 9% Mixed Flatwoods/cypress 14% Pine Flatwoods Marsh Hardwood Forested Wetlands Cypress Forested Wetlands 24% Mixed Forested Wetlands Disturbed Open Water 33% Hardwood Forested Uplands 12% 5 CREW Management Area General Management Plan 20011 – 2021 South Florida Water Management District, Land Stewardship Section RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Resource Management programs at CREW consist of: Prescribed fire to mimmick the natural fire frequency in CREW’s fire- dependent natural communities (primarily in Flint Pen and the Corkscrew Marsh). Forestry and vegetation management such as shredding or mowing overgrown understories, or timber thinning where pines are too dense. Wildlife management, including survey, trapping, and hunting programs. Exotic vegetation control