St. Marks NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and ...

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4 St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
II. The Refuge INTRODUCTION St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is located in Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor Counties along the Gulf Coast of northwest Florida, about 25 miles south of Tallahassee (Figure 2). It currently covers about 68,931 acres with an approved acquisition boundary of 74,469 acres. The refuge staff also manages 947 acres of state land and 334 acres of USDA Forest Service land within the approved acquisition boundary. HISTORY OF REFUGE ESTABLISHMENT AND ACQUISITION On October 31, 1931, during the time of the Great Depression, Executive Order 5740 established the St. Marks Migratory Bird Refuge under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey. The first land set aside under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act and the Six Million Dollar Fund was the 53-acre Lighthouse Reservation. This is an area of salt marshes and grass flats at the mouth of the St. Marks River, adjacent to Apalachee Bay. At the time, it was important for migrating Canada geese. On December 24, 1931, President Herbert C. Hoover signed Presidential Proclamation 1982, which established an Executive Closure Area under the authorities of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929. This prohibited hunting of migratory waterfowl in Apalachee Bay between the St. Marks Lighthouse and the Aucilla River, as well as on private lands bordering the coastal marshes. These inland timber lands were primarily purchased from Phillips Turpentine Company in subsequent years and became the nucleus of what is now the St. Marks Unit of the refuge. It was under President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the boundaries of today=s refuge substantially took shape. Executive Order 7222, dated November 1, 1935, added approximately 10,108 acres which formed most of the current Wakulla Unit of the refuge. Executive Order 7749, dated November 22, 1937, further defined the boundaries of the St. Marks and Wakulla units, including approximately 31,445 acres. Executive Orders 7977 and 9119, dated September 19, 1938, and April 1, 1942, respectively, added approximately 22,040 acres to form what is now the Panacea Unit out of lands transferred from the Soil Conservation Service=s Resettlement Administration. The original Executive Closure Order, which prohibited the taking of migratory waterfowl, was expanded by Roosevelt=s Presidential Proclamation 2264 on December 13, 1937. With Presidential Proclamation 2416 on July 25, 1940, the St. Marks Migratory Bird Refuge became St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. By 1960, the Executive Closure Order boundaries had a total of 67,563 acres. In recent years the refuge has acquired some land through timber-for-land exchanges. The timber traded under this program was slated for removal in forest prescriptions to improve wildlife habitat. Rather than sell timber directly, the refuge traded timber for land that was either within the refuge acquisition boundary (inholdings) or adjacent to the refuge. Purchased by the Suwannee River Water Management District, 642 acres of land located along the Aucilla River are managed by the refuge under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2000. The refuge also manages the 305-acre Porter Tract according to a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1999. It is owned by the State of Florida and administered by the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Greenways and Trails. Similarly, a 334-acre portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail, located west of the Wakulla River, is managed by the refuge under a 2002 Memorandum of Understanding. This land was acquired by the USDA Forest Service. These jointly managed land areas are shown in Figure 3. The refuge also administers 16 conservation easements and one government-owned property totaling 1,517 acres in northern Florida and southern Georgia. The locations of these lands in relation to the refuge are shown in Figure 4. See Tables 30 and 31 in Section C, Appendix VII, for the counties and fee or conservation acreages associated with these easements and properties. Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 5
Page 1: DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PL
Page 4 and 5: ii Recreation Economics............
Page 6 and 7: SECTION C. APPENDICES I. GLOSSARY..
Page 8 and 9: LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Public and
Page 11 and 12: SECTION A. DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE CONS
Page 13: Figure 1. National Wildlife Refuges
Page 17 and 18: Sopchoppy River Monkey Creek State
Page 19 and 20: PURPOSES OF THE REFUGE Under Execut
Page 21 and 22: Table 1. Public and conservation la
Page 23 and 24: Marks and Aucilla rivers, the Natio
Page 25 and 26: ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT RECOVERY PLA
Page 27 and 28: states; (6) bay health; (7) watersh
Page 29 and 30: Figure 7. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Se
Page 31 and 32: Figure 8. St. Marks National Wildli
Page 33 and 34: Longleaf pine forests and savannahs
Page 35 and 36: The 40-year (1961-2000) normal, ave
Page 37 and 38: Figure 9. Geology of north central
Page 39 and 40: SURFACE AND GROUND WATER QUALITY Wa
Page 41 and 42: The Wakulla River also has problems
Page 43 and 44: and attribute at a scale of 1:5,000
Page 45 and 46: Figure 12. St. Marks Unit natural c
Page 47 and 48: Figure 13. Wakulla Unit natural com
Page 49 and 50: Figure 14. Panacea Unit natural com
Page 51 and 52: Table 5. Land use summary - natural
Page 53 and 54: EXOTIC PLANT SPECIES The refuge sta
Page 55 and 56: FISH AND WILDLIFE/FAUNA Birds The d
Page 57 and 58: are listed in the most recent (1983
Page 59 and 60: Other exotic animals, including the
Page 61 and 62: Purple Bankclimber. This bivalve mo
Page 63 and 64: FEDERAL WILDERNESS DESIGNATION AND
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Figure 16. St. Marks National Wildl
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to a unique hardwood area. Currentl
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In the fall, Mounds #1, Mounds #3,
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esidents of all four counties work
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Wildlife Observation and Photograph
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Figure 19. Wakulla Unit visitor ser
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Boat ramps at the Aucilla River, li
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landowners. There are nine voluntee
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Georgia border. Because sea levels
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A railroad, built between Tallahass
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III. Planning Issues INTRODUCTION T
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options for manipulating the pools
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IV. Management Direction INTRODUCTI
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REFUGE GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STRAT
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Objective 7: Protect natural wetlan
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diverse sites off refuge (e.g., wet
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Objective 4: Monitor the nesting ba
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are necessary to reduce boat collis
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Strategies: • Maintain at least t
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• By 2018, determine habitat need
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Figure 23. Wakulla Unit visitor ser
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• Promote refuge messages by incr
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Strategies: • By 2007, design and
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Objective 3: By 2008, the refuge wi
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and found no areas that meet the el
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interagency fire program. This syst
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V. Plan Implementation INTRODUCTION
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5. Survey, Document, Monitor, and E
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needed personnel from routine dutie
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17. Enhance Interpretation and Outr
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Table 14. Summary of project costs
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Table 15. Approximate annual costs
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PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES To achiev
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Visitor Services Management Plan Th
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comprehensive conservation plan, or
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SECTION B. DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSE
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II. Affected Environment For a desc
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III. Alternatives FORMULATION OF AL
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ALTERNATIVE 2 - PREFERRED ALTERNATI
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Table 17. A comparison of the goals
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� Goal 1. Wildlife Habitat and Po
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Goal 2. Threatened, endangered, rar
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Goal 4. Visitor Services Provide an
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Goal 4. Visitor Services Provide an
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Goal 6. Protection of Wilderness Ma
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Goal 7. Refuge Administration Provi
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Issues relating to Goal 1 - Habitat
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Issues relating to Goal 1 - Habitat
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Issues relating to Goal 2 - Endange
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Issues relating to Goal 3 - Migrato
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Issues relating to Goal 4 - Visitor
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Issues relating to Goal 5 - Cultura
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Issues relating to Goal 7 - Refuge
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IV. Environmental Consequences EFFE
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Alternatives 2 and 3 may have short
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gains achieved would be gradually l
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WILDLIFE AND PROTECTED SPECIES Unde
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space around structures and borderi
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classes held on the refuge, photo c
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public use, which increases litteri
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V. Consultation and Coordination Se
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Heidi Hubbs, Fire Management Office
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SECTION C. APPENDICES I. Glossary A
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Cooperative Agreement A legal instr
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Hydrological Involving water flows
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Partnership A mutually beneficial,
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Wilderness Area Congress defined Wi
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II. References and Literature Cited
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Florida First: Base Papers Natural
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Milanich, Jerald T. 1995. Florida I
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Sharitz, Rebecca R. and J. W. Gibbo
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 200
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III. Legal Mandates NATIONAL WILDLI
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1964--Wilderness Act, as amended. D
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1978--American Indian Religious Act
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1995--EO 12962, Recreational Fisher
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IV. Flora and Fauna The following t
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IMPERILED SPECIES’ CONSERVATION R
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Common Name Red-cockaded woodpecker
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Seasons/Occurrences Magnificent Fri
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Seasons/Occurrences Hooded Merganse
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Seasons/Occurrences Black-necked St
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Seasons/Occurrences Cukoos Black-bi
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Seasons/Occurrences American Crow*
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Seasons/Occurrences Warblers Blue-w
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Seasons/Occurrences Vesper Sparrow
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The following species are of such a
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Common Name Bronze Frog Pig frog Ri
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Common Name Eastern Indigo Snake Co
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Common Name Florida Red-bellied Coo
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Common Name Mammals Large-sized Mam
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Common Name Crevalle jack Bull shar
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Common Name Lined seahorse Dwarf se
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Common Name Gulf toadfish Pigfish B
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BUTTERFLY LIST, ST. MARKS NATIONAL
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Common Name Scientific Name Period
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Common Name Scientific Name Eastern
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Common Name Scientific Name Slimlea
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Common Name Scientific Name New Jer
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Common Name Scientific Name Pinebar
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Common Name Scientific Name Plumegr
Page 273 and 274:
Common Name Scientific Name Spoonle
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Common Name Scientific Name Saltmar
Page 277 and 278:
Common Name Scientific Name Creepin
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Common Name Scientific Name Maidenc
Page 281 and 282:
Common Name Scientific Name Orange
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Common Name Scientific Name Fringed
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Common Name Scientific Name Fringed
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Common Name Scientific Name Rice bu
Page 289 and 290:
Common Name Scientific Name Baldwin
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Common Name Sugarberry Common butto
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Common Name Myrtle dahoon American
Page 295 and 296:
Common Name Loblolly pine Waterelm
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Common Name Bigleaf snowbell Common
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Common Name Compact dodder Lax horn
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Common Name Dwarf palmetto Coastal
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Common Name Marsh fimbry Hydrilla M
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Common Name Coastalplain sedge Amer
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Common Name Red maple Peppervine Sw
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Common Name Swamp rose Carolina wil
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Common Name Green wood orchid Yello
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Conservation Tier/Action Level; Tie
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Conservation Tier/Action Level; Tie
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Conservation Tier/Action Level; IV
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DESCRIPTIONS OF NATURAL COMMUNITY T
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There are also mesic flatwoods site
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area and cabbage palmetto comprisin
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V. Public Involvement This appendix
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Defenders of Wildlife, Washington,
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Public Use Management: • Support
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• High grass on dikes is hard to
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This fact sheet was developed and d
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This fact sheet was developed and d
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VI. Compatibility Determinations Re
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Anticipated Impacts of the Use: The
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Anticipated Impacts of the Use: Imp
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Other areas of the refuge may be cl
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Wakulla Unit service roads with per
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Public Review Comment: This compati
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X Use is Compatible with Following
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Determination (check one below): __
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Public Review Comment: This compati
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during timber harvests; however, as
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___ Categorical Exclusion and Envir
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Johnson, E. et al. 1997. The Preval
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VII. Conservation Easements and Fee
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VIII. Exotic Species Locations and
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Map Number Primary Pest Species Sci
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Map Number Primary Pest Species Sci
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St. Marks Unit exotic species infes
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Wakulla Unit exotic species infesta
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Panacea Unit exotic species infesta
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IX. Existing and Potential Partners
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Wakulla County Red Cross Tallahasse
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X. Inventory and Monitoring Efforts
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Surdick/University of Florida, Cent
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XI. Wilderness Review Summary Wilde
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Figure 33. Lands evaluated as poten
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within the inventory area west of t
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XII. Intra-Service Section 7 Biolog
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There are few documented records of
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B. bald eagle Actions to minimize i
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IX. Reviewing Ecological Services O
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