complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Unit Name: L. Kirk Edwards Wildlife and Environmental Area
Acres: 1,782
Managing
Agency:
FWC Current Management Plan Approved: Pending
Narrative:
L. Kirk Edwards Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA) consists of a total of 1,782 acres in Leon
County, on which the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is designated the
lead managing agency. L. Kirk Edwards WEA was brought into State ownership through two
acquisitions. The lower Lake Lafayette tract was donated to FWC by Louise Kirk Edwards in 1977
and the Wood Sink tract was purchased by the State and established as L. Kirk Edwards WEA in
2009.
The lower Lake Lafayette tract is made up mostly of cypress swamp and basin marsh communities.
It is primarily used for waterfowl hunting and as a paddling destination. FWC maintains the
Lafayette Passage Paddling Trail. The Wood Sink tract was acquired to protect its namesake
sinkhole and prior to State acquisition was used primarily for timber products. The native pine
uplands were converted to industrial silviculture where the land was cleared and the soil bedded
before replacing the characteristic longleaf pine with “offsite” pine species consisting of slash pine
or loblolly pine. These past management practices altered the structure and function of the
landscape from a longleaf pine wiregrass complex, characterized by an open canopied forest with
an understory dominated by herbaceous vegetation and maintained with frequent fire, to a densely
stocked pine plantation with a dense understory of hardwood shrubs and oaks. Fire exclusion is
common with this type of land management; however the previous land owner did thin much of
the pine plantation and begin to reintroduce fire as a management tool.
While a management plan has been drafted for L. Kirk Edwards WEA it has not been approved yet.
However, FNAI has completed the current and historic natural community mapping on the Wood
Sink tract. In the process they identified several occurrences of exotic vegetation and areas where
the hydrology has been altered. FWC has developed desired future conditions and strategies for
managing vegetative communities and wildlife through the Objective Based Vegetation
Management (OBVM) and Wildlife Conservation Prioritization and Recovery (WCPR) workshop
process.
FWC staff are currently treating the exotic vegetation and continuing to reintroduce fire as a
natural process to accomplish management objectives. The area contains about 100 acres of
improved pasture that has been identified as a strategic management area where ground cover
restoration is warranted.
Currently, facilities are being developed to improve public access and promote nature based
recreation including hunting, hiking, bicycling and equestrian activities. These facilities include
parking, picnic pavilions, trails and interpretive kiosks.
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