Northeast Flatwoods Rapid Ecological Project Assessment

Northeast Flatwoods

Rapid Ecological Project Assessment

Alachua County Forever

Draft Date: November 7, 2002

Matrix Score: 7.29 of 9.44

Size: 14,447 acres

Number of parcels: 44

Number of owners: 2

LOCATION / DESCRIPTION:

The 14,447 acre Northeast Flatwoods (NEF) Project is located west of the City of Waldo between Waldo Road, and County Roads 225 and 1475. It is sandwiched between the Austin Cary Flatwoods, Buck Bay Flatwoods and Santa Fe River Alachua County Forever Projects. According to the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s data there are no buildings within the project area, Map1.

The Alachua County Ecological Inventory Project (KBN Study), ranked the Northeast Flatwoods 15th of 47 projects evaluated in the county, and categorized it as slightly above average, 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 Northeast Flatwoods project by stating that, “This is a large block of commercial pine flatwoods forest. There are many forested wetlands, which provide valuable wildlife habitat and which are headwaters for streams that flow to the Santa Fe River. The uplands are almost all in pine plantations on bedded sites”, KBN 1996.

Protecting Water Resources:

The Northeast 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 which form an aquiclude to the Floridan Aquifer System, Macesich, 1988.

Although the project site is shown as a high to moderately high aquifer recharge area on the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Aquifer Recharge Map and the Aucott map, Aucott, 1988, new data indicates that this area of the county does not serve a significant aquifer recharge function, personal communication Robin Hallbourg, Environmental Engineer, Water Quality Division, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department.

Approximately 82% of the NEF project is wetlands, contains hydric soils, or falls within the FEMA 100 or 500 year flood hazard zone.

“This area is all underlain by the Hawthorn Formation which precludes much percolation of water down into the Floridan Aquifer. This is a large headwaters area, and there are abundant wetlands on the property which provide surface water storage. Most of the pine flatwoods areas have been bedded in preparation for planting pines, and many wetlands have probably been slightly to moderately drained. Most of the flow is to the north into the Santa Fe River by way of Monteocha Creek and several smaller creeks. However, there is also some flow south into Hatchet Creek which flows into Newnans Lake and then partially into Paynes Prairie where it goes into the Floridan Aquifer at Alachua Sink and partially into Orange Lake where some water also enters the Florida Aquifer.”, KBN 1996, Map 2.

As part of their 2003 Legislative Agenda, Alachua County is considering requesting that the entire Orange Creek Basin be included in the State’s Surface Water Improvement (SWIM) Program. This area includes Paynes Prairie, Newnans Lake, Lake Lochloosa, Orange Lake, and the impaired urban streams and lakes in the City of Gainesville. At this time Newnans, Lochloosa and Orange Lakes have shown increased levels of degradation. The Chlorophyll A concentration in Newnans and Lochloosa Lakes exceeds levels reported for Lake Apopka prior to restoration. Lake Lochloosa, Paynes Prairie and Orange Lake were designated an “Outstanding Florida Water”.

Part of the NEF project is in the proposed SWIM area. Because Hatchet Creek discharges into Newnans Lake, protecting the creek and its headwaters, enhancing the riparian buffers and reducing some of the negative effects of agricultural practices in the surrounding uplands will help improve the quality of water entering Newnans Lake.

Protecting Natural Communities and Landscapes:

Natural Communities

The above list of natural communities is from the KBN Report, KBN, 1996. The ecological quality of the natural communities is good in the wetlands and fair in the uplands. Most of the uplands are bedded slash pine plantations, KBN 1996.

The Project site is adjacent to Austin Cary Memorial Forest, and three ACF projects, Austin Cary Flatwoods, Buck Bay Flatwoods and the Santa Fe River, Map 1.

Approximately 90% of the project site is within the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN). About 80% is in an un-named priority 6 project area that connects San Felasco Hammock State Park to the Santa Fe River, and the remaining 10% is in the priority 5 Santa Fe River project. 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 large size and strategic location of the NEF Project makes it extremely valuable. This project connects the large corridor of conservation lands and wildlife habitat on the east side of the county to the Santa Fe River and is part of a possible connection between San Felasco Hammock and the Santa Fe River through the Murphree Wellfield Conservation Area.

“This area [Northeast Flatwoods] is suitable habitat for black bears and is big enough to be useful for them, and is well enough connected to the Santa Fe River on [the] north to provide access” KBN, 1996. The eastern corridor and the connection to the Santa Fe River through the NEF project is one of the best opportunities to protect and enhance natural resource values in our county, and more importantly it is of regional importance as one of several possible corridors that connect Ocala National Forest north to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Approximately 5% of the NEF falls within a wading bird Strategic Habitat Conservation Area. 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 1% 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 10% 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

Amphibians

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

Flatwoods Salamander -/- T/- R/S2S3 SM

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

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

Reptiles

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

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake -/- -/- -/S3 SM,N

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

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

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

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

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

Timber Rattlesnake N

Birds

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

Cooper’s Hawk -/- -/- SSC/S3 SM

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

Osprey -/- -/- T/S3S4 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,N,K

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

Round-tailed Muskrat X/- -/- SSC/S3 SM

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

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.

Bearded grass-pink, yellow butterwort, blue butterwort, hooded pitcher plant, Catesby’s lily, cinnamon fern, and royal fern were noted on the property in the KBN Study. FNAI lists Chapman’s Skeleton grass for the property in its Element Occurrence data.

The FFWCC 2001 data shows two bald eagle nests within 2.5 miles of the NEF Project site.

Approximately 75% 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..

Two bald eagle nests are located on the project site and five others lie within two miles of the site.

Mimosa trees and taro were the only exotic plants noted on the property in the KBN Study.

Achieving Social and Human Values:

About 20% of the NEF is a Priority 2 Natural Resource-based Recreation Area, Knight, et al. 2000, and about 90% is a priority 5 or 6 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 NEF 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:

Prescribed fire, and minimal invasive plant control would benefit the site. Prescribed burning should be feasible on this site.

Economic/ Acquisition Issues:

There are 44 parcels and 2 ownerships in the 14,447 acre NEF Project. The property appraiser shows no buildings or improvements on their parcel data for the NEF project area. The Alachua County Property Appraisers 2002 Just Value or land value for the entire project is $13,602,600 or $942/ 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.

Both ownerships should be considered keystone parcels. North American Timber Corporation owns 7,498 acres and Rayonier owns the remaining 6,949 acres, Map 3.

The current zoning is Agriculture and the Future Land Use is Rural Agriculture. The NEF is not in the Urban Services Area. However, approximately 3,200 acres of the NEF project is within the City of Waldo’s Urban Reserve. Development pressure would seem to be low in this area, however there are areas of dense 2-10 acre residential developments on all four sides of the project.

Other:

There are two archeological sites within one mile of the NEF Project as listed on the Florida Master Site Files by the Division of Historical Resources.

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.