EDWARD BALL WAKULLA SPRINGS STATE PARK UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN APPROVED STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Division of Recreation and Parks December 14, 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF PLAN .....................................................................................4 MANAGEMENT PROGRAM OVERVIEW......................................................................5 Management Authority and Responsibility ......................................................................5 Park Goals and Objectives....................................................................................................6 Management Coordination ................................................................................................10 Public Participation.............................................................................................................11 Other Designations..............................................................................................................11 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMPONENT INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................13 RESOURCE DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSMENT.......................................................13 Natural Resources...............................................................................................................13 Cultural Resources..............................................................................................................32 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ....................................................................36 Special Management Considerations ...............................................................................36 Management Needs and Problems...................................................................................38 Management Objectives.....................................................................................................43 Management Measures For Natural Resources ..............................................................46 Management Measures For Cultural Resources .............................................................61 Research Needs....................................................................................................................63 Resource Management Schedule.......................................................................................65 Land Management Review ................................................................................................66 i LAND USE COMPONENT INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................67 EXTERNAL CONDITIONS................................................................................................67 Regional Population............................................................................................................67 Existing Use of Adjacent Lands.........................................................................................68 Planned Use of Adjacent Lands.........................................................................................69 PROPERTY ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................70 Recreation Resource Elements...........................................................................................70 Assessment of Use...............................................................................................................72 CONCEPTUAL LAND USE PLAN ...................................................................................80 Site Planning and Design Process .....................................................................................80 Potential Uses and Proposed Facilities.............................................................................82 Facilities Development........................................................................................................86 Existing Use and Optimum Carrying Capacity ..............................................................87 Optimum Boundary............................................................................................................88 TABLE TABLE 1 - Existing Use and Optimum Carrying Capacity.............................................88 LIST OF ADDENDA ADDENDUM 1 Acquisition History and Advisory Group List with Staff Report ..................... A 1 - 1 ADDENDUM 2 References Cited ....................................................................................................... A 2 - 1 ADDENDUM 3 Soil Descriptions ....................................................................................................... A 3 - 1 ii ADDENDUM 4 Plant and Animal List .............................................................................................. A 4 - 1 ADDENDUM 5 Designated Species List ........................................................................................... A 5 - 1 ADDENDUM 6 Florida Master Site File Cultural Site List ............................................................. A 6 - 1 ADDENDUM 7 Timber Assessment .................................................................................................. A 7 - 1 ADDENDUM 8 Priority Schedule and Cost Estimates.................................................................... A 8 - 1 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FNAI Descriptions of Natural Communities ....................................................................1 DHR Cultural Management Procedures............................................................................9 1999 Land Management Review Report ..........................................................................19 MAPS Vicinity Map .............................................................................................................................2 Reference Map..........................................................................................................................3 Topographic Map...................................................................................................................14 Cave System Map...................................................................................................................16 Soils Map.................................................................................................................................20 Natural Communities Map ..................................................................................................24 Burn Zones Map.....................................................................................................................52 Base Map .................................................................................................................................73 Conceptual Land Use Plan ...................................................................................................81 Optimum Boundary Map .....................................................................................................89 iii INTRODUCTION Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is located in Wakulla County, approximately 10 miles south of the City of Tallahassee (see Vicinity Map). The park is comprised of multiple parcels, some of which are discontinuous, but can be organized generally into three components. The original land purchased to create the park, which includes the Wakulla Spring basin and most recreational facilities, is located between State Road 267 and State Road 61 (see Reference Map). The Cherokee Sink parcel is located to the west across State Road 61. Three additional parcels known as the River Sinks and Turner Sinks parcels are located to the northwest along the Leon and Wakulla County lines and adjacent to the Apalachicola National Forest. The largest of these three parcels is bisected by U.S. Highway 319. Access to the park is from State Road 267 (main entrance), State Road 61 (Cherokee Sink parcel) or CJ Spears and New Light Church Roads (River Sinks property). Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park includes a number of significant resources and historical associations that make this property unique to the state park system. The following statements capture the essence of the park’s importance to the region’s natural and/or cultural heritage: • The park contains a first magnitude freshwater spring that includes one of the world’s largest basins and deepest cave systems. • The park includes three miles of “wild” spring run that supports an abundance of wildlife that can be readily experienced by the visiting public. • The physical and recorded history of the park provides an understanding of the long-term relationships between human cultures and natural resources on Florida’s north Gulf Coast from the earliest habitation through the modern era. • The park played a significant role in the social, economic and political life of Floridians under the ownership and development of Edward Ball. • The Wakulla Springs Lodge complex continues to provide a unique recreational experience consistent with its origin during the Depression era. At Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, public outdoor recreation and conservation is the designated single use of the property. There are no legislative or executive directives that constrain the use of this property. The