Kanapaha Prairie

Rapid Ecological Project Assessment

Alachua County Forever

Draft Date:                             November 10, 2002, April 8, 2003

Matrix Score:                         7.18 of 9.44

Size:                                        4,435 acres

Number of parcels:                115

Number of owners:                87

Number of Buildings: 74

 

Location/Description: 

The 4,435 acre Kanapaha Prairie Project (KAN) is located west of Williston Road and north of SW 137 Ave.  It is south and west of Paynes Prairie and west of the Alachua County Forever Barr Hammock-Levy Prairie Project, Map 1. 

The Alachua County Ecological Inventory Project, also known as the KBN Study (KBN) ranked the Kanapaha Prairie Project 9th of 47 projects evaluated in the county, and categorized it as an above average project.  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 KAN project by the following paragraph, “This site includes the marsh and prairie of Kanapaha Prairie and some of the surrounding live oak forest and sandhill habitat.  The live oak dominated prairie hammock is magnificent.  However, all of these habitats have been altered considerably by recent human activity.  There are houses in the oak forest, the sandhill, and some of the pasture to the extent that the entire prairie is ringed with low density housing within the site boundaries as well as outside.  The prairie has some large scale earth moving alterations that seem to have lowered water level in the prairie and the marsh, thus decreasing the wildlife habitat value of these habitats.  Kanapaha Prairie has one of the largest nesting populations of Florida sandhill crane in Alachua County” (KBN 1996).

Protecting Water Resources:

The entire Kanapaha Prairie Project is located in the unconfined Aquifer Zone of Alachua County.  This is a region of low and flat terrain where porous sands overlie the Floridan Aquifer System.  “These porous sands comprise an area of high aquifer recharge and allow pollutants direct access to the aquifer” (Macesich 1988).  The St. John’s River Water Management Districts Aquifer Recharge Map for Alachua County shows that 100% of the site falls in an area of high aquifer recharge, which is defined as 12 inches or more of recharge to the Floridan aquifer per year.

After the 1998 El Nino rainfall resulted in flooding of some residences, the regulatory flood elevation was re-evaluated by the Alachua County Engineer.  The regulatory flood elevation was changed from 58 feet to 63 feet above sea level, pending a future Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) re-evaluation.  Based on 63 feet, approximately 60% of the total acreage is either wetlands or falls in the regulatory flood elevation. 

Another result of the flooding in this area was the acquisition of a Wetland Reserve Program Conservation Easement over most of Levy Prairie, located in the Barr Hammock-Levy Prairie Project.  Once this wetland is restored, it will allow storage of storm water in the Levy Prairie area and reduce the risk of flooding in Kanapaha Prairie. 

“Kanapaha Prairie is a karst basin with an outflow to the sink in the NW corner of the basin {Pearson Sink}, where the water flows into the Floridan Aquifer.  This basin is itself the outflow area for Levy Lake, which is a much larger prairie.  Due to the small capacity of the sink and the large drainage area when Levy Lake is discharging, Kanapaha Prairie floods deeply and for a long time” (KBN 1996), Map 2.  

Protecting Natural Communities and Landscapes:

Natural Communities

Sandhill

Xeric Hammock

Upland Pine Forest

Prairie Hammock

Wet Prairie

Basin Marsh

Depression Marsh

Flatwoods/ Prairie Lake

Sinkhole Lake

Other

Rough Pasture

Improved Pasture

Low Impact Development

Old Field Pine Plantation

Row Crops

 

The above list of natural communities is from the KBN Study and staff observations.  The ecological quality of the natural communities range from fair to good. 

The Project site is adjacent to the Alachua County Forever (ACF) Barr Hammock-Levy Prairie Project. 

Seventy-nine percent of the project site is within the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN), in the priority 5 project area known as Paynes Prairie-Goethe. This FEGN project is one of three highest priority projects in Alachua County.   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). 

           The Paynes Prairie-Goethe FEGN project is a part of the connection from Ocala National Forest to the Gulf Coast.  Ocala National Forest is connected to Paynes Prairie through the Ocala NF-Lochloosa-Paynes Prairie-Newnans Lake FEGN project and then on to Goethe Forest via the Paynes Prairie-Goethe FEGN Project. The KAN Project completes a portion of the corridor between Paynes Prairie and Goethe State Forest. 

The connection between the KAN project and the Barr Hammock-Levy Prairie Project is bisected by Williston Road, and consists of a series of small ownerships between 5 and 50 acres in size.

Eighty-three percent of the site falls within FNAI’s Habitat Conservation Priorities. Approximately 64% of the project area is a priority 4 and 19% is a priority 5.   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 (FNAI, June 2001).

FNAI Under-represented Natural Communities occur on 50% of the project site.  Thirty one percent of the site is upland hammock, 18% is pine flatwoods and 1% is sandhill.  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 on conservation lands 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             Noted                    Observed

                                                Home-Range                         Status                    Designation                                         

Amphibians

Eastern Tiger Salamander                   -/-                            -/-                            SU/S3                                     SM                          N

Gopher Frog                                          -/-                            -/SSC                      T/S3                                        SM                          C

Striped Newt                                         -/-                            -/-                            R/S2S3                                   SM

Reptiles

American Alligator                              -/-                            T/SSC                     -/S4                                         SM                          C

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

Eastern Indigo Snake                          -/-                            T/T                         SSC/S3                                   SM,N                      P

Florida Box Turtle                                X/-                          -/-                            -/-                                                                            C

Florida Crowned Snake                       X/-                          -/-                            -/-                                            SM

Florida Pine Snake                               -/-                            -/SSC                      SU/S3                                     SM                          C

Gopher Tortoise                                   -/-                            -/SSC                      T/S3                                        F,N                          N

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

Southern Hognose Snake                                                                                                                                                                   P

Short-tailed Snake                                X/-                          -/T                           T/S3                                        SM                          N

Spotted Turtle                                      -/-                            -/-                            R/S3?                                      SM                          N

Birds

Black-Crowned Night Heron              -/-                            -/-                            SSC/S3?                                 SM

Black Rail                                               -/-                            -/-                            R/S3                                        SM

Cooper’s Hawk                                     -/-                            -/-                            SSC/S3                                   SM

Florida Sandhill Crane                         X/L                         -/T                           T/S3                                        F,N

Great Egret                                            -/-                            -/-                            SSC/S4                                   SM

Least Bittern                                         -/-                            -/-                            SSC/S4                                   SM

Little Blue Heron                                  -/-                            -/SSC                      SSC/S4                                   SM

Osprey                                                   -/-                            -/-                            T/S3S4                                   SM

Snowy Egret                                         -/-                            -/SSC                      SSC/S3                                   SM

Southeastern American Kestrel         -/-                            -/T                           T/S3                                        F,N

Southern Bald Eagle                            -/L                           T/T                         T/S3                                        F,N,K

White Ibis                                             -/-                            -/SSC                      SSC/S4                                   SM

Wild Turkey                                          -/L                                                                                                           F

Wood Stork                                          -/-                            E/E                          E/S2                                        SM

Mammals

Bobcat                                                   -/L                           -/-                            -/-                                            F

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

Florida Mouse                                      X/-                          -/SSC                      T/S3                                        SM

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

River Otter                                             -/-                            -/-                            -/-                                            SM

Sherman’s Fox Squirrel                       -/-                            -/SSC                      T/S3                                        F,N

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.

Information in the “Observed” column was provided by local experts.  David Auth, Ph.D. provided the information on amphibians and reptiles.   This data was based on a series of maps made by Dr. Auth using location of capture of specimens in museums of the United States dating back to before 1900, and to a lesser extent, to visual sightings by Dr. Auth and other professional biologists.  “P”=Present, indicates at least one museum record or visual sighting of the species in the project area. “C”=Close, indicates a museum record or visual sighting within one mile of the project border.  “N”=Not Present and Not Close, indicates all map records for the species lie outside the one mile limit. 

 

Exotic plants found on this property include: exotic bamboos (both runners and clumpers), goldenrain tree, Chinese tallow, coral ardisia, Boston fern, and Chinese privet (KBN 1996).  Air potato is present on a portion of the site also.

About 14% of the KAN Project area is made up of Sandhill Crane Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas.   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). 

Fifty percent of the site is within Regional Biodiversity Hotspots. The purpose of the Regional Biodiversity Hot Spots maps, also 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 KAN site is an important area for both Florida and migratory sandhill cranes. However, increasing development around the prairie and the associated impacts of pets and fences are decreasing the value of this habitat.

The FFWCC bald eagle nest data shows two bald eagle nests on the project site and two others within two miles of the project site.

Achieving Social and Human Values:

Approximately 53% of the KAN project falls in either a priority 2 or 3 Natural Resource-based Recreation Area, Knight, et al. 2000, and approximately 79% is within a priority 5 Ecological Greenway.  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 KAN 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.

Management Issues:

            The KAN project will require prescribed burning and invasive plant control, in addition to working with neighbors to limit activities that are detrimental to the sandhill cranes and other wildlife, such as fences and free ranging pets.  The development surrounding the actual prairie will make prescribed burning difficult and provide a constant source of invasive exotic plants. 

“The ever increasing residential development is gradually reducing both the size and the quality of the habitats.  In addition, people and people’s pets and fencing are increasing the stress and mortality suffered by many of the wild animals.  The prairie and sandhill habitats were at the small end of the viability spectrum for use by sandhill cranes, fox squirrels, indigo snakes, and some other species ten years ago.  The size of available habitat has been significantly reduced since then and this process is continuing at an increased rate today.  It may already be too late, even if development could be stopped where it is now, to be able to manage a viable ecosystem here for these species.  This is not to say the situation is hopeless.  If development stopped now, or in the near future, and the homeowners here cooperated in a effort to improve and maintain habitat for wildlife, most of the wildlife species now present in the hammock, prairie, marsh and lake habitats could be maintained” (KBN 1996).

Economic Acquisition Issues:

There are 115 parcels and 87 ownerships in the 4,435 acre Kanapaha Prairie Project.  The property appraiser shows 74 buildings on their parcel data.    

The project site falls within unincorporated Alachua County and is zoned Agriculture.  The Future Land Use map delineates the project area within the Agriculture designation. Much of the land surrounding the actual prairie is in large lot rural residences.  An additional +/-380 acres of Kanapaha Ranch Property on the south side of Kanapaha Prairie is going through the County’s Development Review Committee for a plat change to allow 31 residential lots.  The prairie itself is being used for cattle pasture.  Development pressure appears to be moderate to moderately high in the project area. 

One ownership, Kanapaha Ranch, makes up 1,122 acres or 25% of the project acreage.  The Alachua County Property Appraisers 2002 Just Value or land value for the entire project is $ 9,366,700 or $2,112/ acre. The ACPA’s total value (Just, Miscellaneous and Buildings) for the project area is $16,105,000 or 3,632/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. 

The 1,122 acre Kanapaha Ranch Tracts (07399-009-000, 07399-000-000, 07398-000-000, 07354-000-000, 07353-000-000) and make up the majority of the prairie and a portion of the oak hammock surrounding the south side of the prairie and are the keystone parcels for the project.

            Once the actual prairie is acquired, the 264 acre Fredericks and Spalding tract (07398-015-000) should be pursued as well as the connections to Pearson Sink and to the Barr Hammock Levy Prairie ACF project.

These are as follows:

Pearson Sink:

Hough                          41.02 ac                       07352-000-000          

Kistner                         50.04 ac                       07353-019-000

Dunlap                         38.81 ac                       07353-017-001

Lamor III& Lamor       51.55 ac                       07353-016-000

Connection to Barr Hammock Levy Prairie

Lane                             16.22 ac                       07354-001-000

                                    20.39 ac                       07354-022-000          

                                    49.65 ac                       07397-004-006

                                    38.39 ac                       07398-016-000

                                    2.86 ac                         07354-004-001

Griffen                          20.01 ac                       07398-003-000

Mitchell                        9.89 ac                         07398-001-000

Campbell/Thompson     10.89 ac                       07398-002-000

Waters                         20.57 ac                       07354-023-000

Other:

While there are no Florida Master Site file listed archeological or cultural sites within the project area, there are eight sites listed in the Division of Historic Preservation’s Master Site File within one mile of the Kanapaha Prairie Project site. 

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.