Big Waters Land Trust Inc

TO RESTORE NATURAL FRESHWATER FLOW AND CONNECTIVITY TO UPLAND-MANGROVE SYSTEMS AT MATLACHA PASS.

THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH USFWS, CONSERVATION FOUNDATION OF THE GULF COAST WILL RESTORE 46 ACRES OF PASTURELAND WITHIN THE 230 ACRE PINE ISLAND PRESERVE AT MATLACHA PASS, A COMMUNITY RESOURCE AND NATURE PRESERVE ON PINE ISLAND IN LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA. THE PASTURE WILL BE RESTORED TO PINE FLATWOODS HABITAT THAT WILL EXPAND EXISTING, CONNECTED FLATWOODS HABITAT TO OVER 240 ACRES, SPANNING MULTIPLE PRESERVES. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON ESTABLISHING GROUNDCOVER WITHIN THE 46 ACRE PASTURE SITE FIRST, BY REMOVING PASTURE GRASSES AND UNDESIRABLE PLANTS WITH HERBICIDE AND MECHANICAL TREATMENTS, AND SECOND, BY DIRECT SEEDING FIELD COLLECTED GRASSES TO RESTORE THE GROUNDCOVER COMPONENT OF THE FLATWOODS. PRESCRIBED FIRE WILL BE APPLIED EVERY 3 4 YEARS, OR AT LEAST ONCE WITHIN THE FUNDING PERIOD. THE PASTURE RESTORATION AREA WILL CONNECT SEAMLESSLY WITH EXISTING FLATWOODS AND PRIOR RESTORATION AREAS, EXPANDING HABITAT. ALL WORK WILL BE SUPERVISED AND MANAGED BY STAFF BIOLOGISTS AT CONSERVATION FOUNDATION. PINE ISLAND PRESERVE AT MATLACHA PASS IS A 230 ACRE PUBLIC PARK AND NATURE PRESERVE SERVING AS TRAIL HEAD FOR LEE COUNTY S 190 ACRE PINE ISLAND FLATWOODS PRESERVE, 173 ACRES OF CALUSA LAND TRUST PRESERVES, AND PUBLIC WATER ACCESS TO MATLACHA PASS NWR, CHARLOTTE HARBOR PRESERVE STATE PARK, AND MATLACHA PASS AQUATIC PRESERVE. IT IS IDENTIFIED AS HIGH VALUE CONSERVATION AREA WITHIN THE SOUTHEAST CONSERVATION BLUEPRINT 2020. INVESTMENTS FROM THE USFWS WILL BENEFIT EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE AND GOPHER TORTOISE FOUND ONSITE, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED.

THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE USFWS, CONSERVATION FOUNDATION OF THE GULF COAST (CFGC) WILL RESTORE 45 ACRES OF LONGLEAF PINE FLATWOODS AND 37 ACRES OF MESIC HAMMOCK (82 ACRES TOTAL), LOCATED WITHIN MYAKKA HEADWATERS PRESERVE, A 432 ACRE PRESERVE OWNED AND MANAGED BY CONSERVATION FOUNDATION, LOCATED IN MYAKKA CITY, MANATEE COUNTY, FLORIDA. DOWNSTREAM, THE MYAKKA RIVER IS A STATE DESIGNATED WILD AND SCENIC RIVER. WITHIN THE FLATFORD LANDSCAPE, SURROUNDING FLATWOODS SERVE AS CRITICAL BUFFERS FOR WATER QUALITY, AND THE MIXTURE OF UPLAND AND WETLAND HABITATS ARE IMPORTANT HABITAT FOR SUCH SPECIES AS FOX SQUIRREL, WHO MAKE USE OF MULTIPLE HABITAT TYPES THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE CYCLE. THIS PROPOSAL WILL RESTORE FLATWOODS AND MESIC HAMMOCK THROUGH HERBICIDE CONTROL OF EXOTIC INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES, MECHANICAL REDUCTION OF EXCESS OVERGROWTH, CREATION OF FIRE LINES, AND RE INTRODUCTION OF PRESCRIBED FIRE. AS A RESULT OF RESTORATION PRACTICES, FIRE WILL BE RE INTRODUCED ON THE LANDSCAPE, THE STRUCTURE OF THE PLANT COMMUNITY MADE MORE OPEN AND FLORISTICALLY DIVERSE, AND THE HABITAT GENERALLY IMPROVED FOR SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED (SGCN), INCLUDING GOPHER TORTOISE.

CREATE A 230 ACRE PUBLIC PARK AND NATURE PRESERVE IN LEE COUNTY, PINE ISLAND PRESERVE