complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

ARC Summary August 12, 2010
Ms. Lauren Day presented the Lower Suwannee River and Gulf Watershed Conservation
Easement. She provided the following information:
• This is a proposal for a 46,500 acre conservation easement.
• The property is a working forest landscape.
• The proposal area shares 30 miles of boundary with other public conservation lands.
• The property is mostly hydric hammock and pine plantation.
• It is hydrologically significant. Its western portion drains to the Gulf and its eastern
portion drains to the Suwannee River.
• It is a critical linkage for the Florida Ecological Greenway, providing for wide-ranging
species like the Florida Black Bear.
• The owners would relinquish timber rights, residential/commercial, and mining rights as
was done on the California Swamp conservation easement that lies adjacent to it. There
will be no harvesting within forested wetlands.
OTHER SPEAKERS FOR LSRGW
Mr. Charlie Houder, Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) Assistant Executive
Director, noted that he comes before ARC very rarely to support proposals. This one was worth
it, to his way of thinking, and they had co-sponsored it. It also included a 10-acre piece on
SRWMD’s California Swamp conservation easement that provides for access to California Lake.
Mr. Houder also commented that the Board of Directors did not enter into these sorts of
partnerships lightly, and that their focus was usually on water quantity. In this case, they
wanted to also provide for coastal protection. SRWMD would be willing to manage the
conservation easement and manage the fee area over at California Lake, maybe even hiring a
contractor to maintain it. There may be a possibility of more involvement “down the road”.
Mr. Glen Osteen has been the land manager for this area since 1978. Dixie County is excited
about this conservation easement. Their experience with the California Swamp conservation
easement with the district counterbalanced their suspicions because it has worked so well,
keeping this timber-oriented community working and still keeping properties on the tax rolls.
Mr. George Willson, The Conservation Fund, spoke about the value the conservation
easements have provided the community allowing the area to retain its timber-relevant focus,
and possibly bring timber-related business to the area, since it will be certain that there will be
harvestable forest there for many years.
DISCUSSION FOR LSRGW: Dr. Frederick asked if the easement would protect the hydrology
of the system. Mr. Houder said it absolutely would, as all of the WMD conservation easements
do. In some cases, the hydrology is restored. If there are specific concerns, in negotiations the
easement can be structured to address those concerns. Mr. Farr added that all DSL easements
require that the hydrology of the easement area be protected.
Watermen St. Johns (WSJ)
Mr. Eddy Garcia, applicant, presented the proposal for Watermen St. Johns. He provided the
ARC members with a bound package of information, including location, proximity, zonings
according to future land use maps,
• The area within the boundaries is Residential and Mixed Use, and is the centerpoint for
97 sections of rural silviculture land.
• A portion of the Old Kings Road, in use centuries ago, is located on the property. Built in
1767, it is Florida’s Oldest Route, though it most likely existed as paths from one Indian
village to another.
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