Hasan Flatwoods

Rapid Ecological Project Assessment

Alachua County Forever

Draft Date: January 21, 2003

Matrix Score: 5.22 of 9.44

Size: 2,573 acres

Number of parcels: 42

Number of owners: 27

Number of Buildings: 12

Location / Description:

The 2,573 acre Hasan Flatwoods (HAS) Project is located on the western edge of the City of LaCross, Northeast of the City of Alachua, west of State Road 121 and north of State Road 235. It is approximately 0.5 miles east of the Mill Creek Alachua County Forever (ACF) Project and weekly connected to both the Santa Fe River and the Burnette Lake ACF projects. County Roads 236 and 239, and the CSX Railroad bisect the project area, Map1.

The Alachua County Ecological Inventory Project (KBN Study), ranked the Hasan Flatwoods 44th of 47 projects evaluated in the county, and categorized it as low, KBN 1996. The purpose of the KBN Study was to identify, inventory, map, describe, and evaluate the most significant natural biological communities, both upland and wetland, that remain in private ownership in Alachua County and make recommendations for protecting these natural resources, KBN 1996.

The KBN Study summarized the Hasan Flatwoods project by stating that, “This is an area of pine flatwoods forest and wetlands forest in the northwestern part of Alachua County. The flatwoods areas have been cleared, bedded, and planted with slash pine (Pinus elliotii) to such an extent that the ground cover is not in good condition. The wetlands are in relatively good condition”, KBN 1996.

Protecting Water Resources:

Approximately 95% of the Hasan Flatwoods site is located in the confined aquifer zone of Alachua County. This zone of relative aquifer confinement stretches from north-central Alachua County southeastward comprising most of the eastern half of the county. It is a region of higher elevations underlain by at least 10 feet of clays or clayey sands of the Hawthorn Formation that form an aquiclude to the Floridan Aquifer System, Macesich, 1988. The remaining 5% lies within the perforated aquifer zone. Sediments underlying the perforated zone may contain substantial thickness of clays, but are perforated by numerous karst features which allow direct hydrologic access to the aquifer, Macesich, 1988.

While the St. Johns River Water Management District’s (SJRWMD) Aquifer Recharge

Map for Alachua County shows approximately 87% of the Hasan Flatwoods project exists in a high aquifer recharge area, the presence of the Hawthorn Formation forms a barrier to the Floridan Aquifer.

“This area [HAS] is underlain by the relatively impermeable Hawthorn Formation which prevents significant percolation of water into the Floridan Aquifer and allows for the formation of these wetlands and streams. The stream flow from the eastern half is into Rocky Creek which flows into the Santa Fe River. The flow from the western half is partly north by way of a creek that flows into the Santa Fe River and partly to the southwest in a creek that is a tributary to Mill Creek which flows in to a sinkhole near Alachua where it enters the Floridan Aquifer”, KBN 1996.

Approximately 49% of the HAS project is wetlands, contains hydric soils, or falls within the FEMA 100 or 500 year flood hazard zone.

Protecting Natural Communities and Landscapes:

Natural Communities

Upland Pine Forest

Mesic Flatwoods

Bog

Baygall

Seepage Slope Forest

Bottomland Forest

Depression Marsh

Basin Swamp

Dome Swamp

Rough Pasture

Blackwater stream

Other

Improved Pasture

Low Impact Development

Old Field Pine Plantation

Row Crops

The above list of natural communities is from the KBN Study, KBN, 1996. The ecological quality of the natural communities is good in the wetlands and fair to poor in the flatwoods. Most of the flatwoods are bedded slash pine plantations with little native ground cover, KBN 1996.

The HAS project does not lie within the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN). The Florida Ecological Greenways Network is a decision support model to help identify the best opportunities to protect ecological connectivity statewide. It was developed by the University of Florida for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. GIS data on land use and significant ecological areas were integrated in a process that identified a statewide Ecological Greenways Network containing all of the largest areas of ecological and natural resource significance and the landscape linkages necessary to link these areas together in one functional statewide network, Hoctor et al. 2002.

There are no conservation lands adjacent to the HAS site, although the Suwannee River Water Management District has a conservation site approximately two miles north of the HAS site, the ACF Mill Creek Nature Preserve is just over three miles west, and San Felasco Hammock State Park is approximately four miles south. The irregularly shaped HAS site is weakly connected to the Burnette Lake and Santa Fe River ACF projects, Map 1.

There are no Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas within the HAS site. Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas were developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC). They are private lands containing habitats critical to the continued survival of populations of inadequately protected plants and animals, Cox et al. 2000. These lands are essential to providing some of state’s rarest animals, plants, and natural communities with the land base necessary to sustain populations into the future, Cox et al.1994.

Approximately 74% of the site is in the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) priority 5 Habitat Conservation Priorities. FNAI’s Habitat Conservation Priorities prioritize places on the landscape that would protect both the greatest number of rare species and those species with the greatest conservation need, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, June 2001.

About 2% of the NEF project is delineated as pine flatwoods, an Under-represented Natural Community. Under-represented Natural Communities are those natural community types that were inadequately represented on conservation lands in Florida. A natural community is considered to be inadequately represented if less than 15% of the original extent of that community is currently found on existing conservation lands. Under-represented natural communities include, seepage slope, upland hardwood forest, pine rockland, tropical hardwood hammock, sandhill, scrub, upland glades, and pine flatwoods. This data was developed by the Office of Environmental Services, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and FNAI, FNAI, December 2001.

Protecting Plant and Animal Species:

Common Name Endemic/ Large Fed/State FCREPA/FNAI Observed

Home-Range Status Designation

Reptiles

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake -/- -/- -/S3 SM

Eastern Indigo Snake -/- T/T SSC/S3 SM

Peninsula Mole Skink -/- -/- -/- SM

Birds

Cooper’s Hawk -/- -/- SSC/S3 SM

Wild Turkey -/L F

Mammals

Bobcat -/L -/- -/- F

Florida Black Bear X/L -/T T/S2 F

Northern Yellow Bat -/- -/- SU/- SM

X= Endemic, L=species with large home ranges according to the Closing the Gaps in Florida’s Wildlife Habitat System, S= observed by Alachua Co. EPD staff and/or an LCB subcommittee member, SM= documented on the Species Models maps created by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, F= Focal species used for the most detailed analyses in the Closing the Gaps in Florida’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation System, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 1994, N= Florida Natural Areas Inventory Element Occurrence, P= potential for species based on habitat types, K=documented in the Alachua County Ecological Inventory Project.

The only listed plants found on the HAS site by the authors of the KBN Study are cinnamon fern and royal fern.

According to the KBN Study there is a large infestation of cogon grass, and small infestations of alligator weed, bahia grass, mimosa trees, and hedge privet bushes.

Approximately 50% of the site is within Regional Biodiversity Hotspots. The purpose of the Regional Biodiversity Hot Spots maps, developed by FFWCC, is to “convey more detailed information on the known locations of as many components of biological diversity as possible, regardless of whether or not they fall within proposed Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas, to help meet the need for conservation information at regional and local levels”, Cox et al. 1994..

The nearest bald eagle nest is approximately 5.5 miles from the HAS site according to the 2001 bald eagle survey data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Achieving Social and Human Values:

About 10% of the HAS site is a Priority 2 Natural Resource-based Recreation Area, Knight, et al. 2000. The Natural Resource-based Recreation map was developed by FNAI in collaboration with DEP, FFWCC and DOF. The recreation potential of a site depends on available road access, presence of a water body or beach, proximity to urban areas, and size of the site. “These criteria were applied to Potential Natural Areas delineated by FNAI using aerial photography and revised using the 1995 Water Management District land cover data. Sites were ranked by recreation potential.” Knight, et al. 2000.

The HAS Project is part of the Emerald Necklace Land Conservation Initiative - “a publicly accessible, connected, and protected network of trails, greenways, open space, and waterfronts surrounding the Gainesville urban area”.

The project would enhance recreational opportunities in the northern part of the county.

Management Issues:

“The site would need significant restoration work to be a really good quality wildlife habitat area, and even more effort to restore the upland vegetation communities”, KBN 1996.

Economic/ Acquisition Issues:

There are 42 parcels, 27 ownerships and 12 buildings listed in the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s (ACPA) database for the 2,573 acre HAS Project. The ACPA’s 2002 Just Value or land value for the entire project is $3,021,400 or $1,174/ acre. The ACPA’s total value (Just, Miscellaneous and Building) for the project area is $3,257,900 or $1,266/ acre. These figures are for comparative purposes between nominated properties, and are not necessarily an accurate reflection of the true cost of the property if acquired by the Alachua County Forever Program.

All of the HAS project lies in the unincorporated area of Alachua County, except 209 acres that are in the City of LaCross. The Future Land Use is Agriculture, and the zoning is Agriculture, with the exception of 29 acres that are zoned Planned Unit Development. The HAS project is not in the Urban Services Area or Urban Reserve. Development pressure is low to moderate, with 2-10 acre residential developments around the project area.

The Alachua Wade, Inc. parcels should be investigated for their suitability as keystone parcels, 02900-000-000-112.05 acres, 05601-000-000-331.15 acres, 05403-000-000-392.51 acres, and 02895-000-000-157.65 acres.

Other:

While there are no archeological sites within the HAS property, there are ten Florida Master Site Files sites within two miles of the Project area according to the Florida Division of Historical Resources data base.

Literature Citations:

Aucott, W. 1988. Water Resources Investigation Report 88-4057. USGS.

Cox, J., R. Kautz, M. MacLaughlin, and T. Gilbert. 1994. Closing the Gaps in Florida’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation System, Office of Environmental Services, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee, Florida.

Cox, J. and R. Kautz. 2000. Habitat Conservation Needs of Rare and Imperiled Wildlife in Florida. Office of Environmental Services, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida.

Florida Natural Areas Inventory. June 2001. Florida Forever Conservation Needs Assessment Technical Report

Hoctor, T.S., J. Teisinger, M.G. Carr., P.C, Zwick. 2002. Identification of Critical Linkages Within the Florida Ecological Greenways Network. Final Report. Office of Greenways and Trails, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Tallahassee, FL.

Knight, G., A. Knight, and J. Oetting. 2000. Florida Forever Conservation Needs Assessment Summary Report to the Florida Forever Advisory Council. Florida Natural Areas Inventory.

KBN, A Golder Associates Company. 1996. Alachua County Ecological Inventory Project. Prepared for Alachua County Department of Growth Management, Gainesville, Florida.

Macesich, M. 1988. Geologic Interpretation of the Aquifer Pollution Potential in Alachua County, Florida, Open File Report - 21. Florida Geologic Survey, Tallahassee, Florida.

Florida Natural Areas Inventory. December 2001. Florida Forever Conservation Needs Assessment Version 1.1 Supplement to the technical Report June 2001. Tallahassee, Florida.