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

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8 Figure 4. Wetland conservation easements administered by St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge 3@ ��84 Seminole FG1 Liberty Miller FG2 3@ ��27 Decatur GD2 Franklin GD1 3@3@ Bainbridge Gadsden ��10 Wakulla ��319 ��27 Tallahassee Wetland Conservation Easements Administered By St. Mitchell Marks National Wildlife Refuge Colquitt Grady ��319 ��319 3@ 3@ Leon GG1 GT3 Thomasville St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Thomas ��19 Jefferson 3@ 3@ 3@ FM2 GT2 GT1 G E O R G I A F L O R I D A Gulf of Mexico ��98 FEE1 Taylor 3@ ”• 3@ ��221 FM1 GB2 Brooks ��221 ��221 3@ 3@ Perry 3@ ��41 GB1 GB3 3@ 3@ FM3 FM4 Madison ��19 Cook ��41 Lowndes ��75 ��90 ��221 Berrien Valdosta ”• 3@ ��129 ��41 Lanier Hamilton ��129 Suwannee ��221 Echols ��129 ��82 Fee Simple Property ��27 Easements Administered By St. Marks NWR ��441 Clinch FS1 St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge ��41 3@ y��129 0 10 20 Miles ��84
PURPOSES OF THE REFUGE Under Executive Order 5740, dated October 31, 1931, which established the refuge, the purpose of the acquisition was A...as a refuge and breeding ground for wild animals and birds.@ For lands acquired under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 (16 U.S.C., Section 715d), the purpose of the acquisition was A...for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds.@ For lands acquired under the Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 (16 U.S.C., Section 460k-1), the purpose of the acquisition was A...for (1) incidental fish and wildlife-oriented recreational development; (2) the protection of natural resources; and (3) the conservation of endangered species or threatened species.@ Under the National Wildlife System Administration Act, refuges were established for “conservation, management, and restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans (16 U.S.C. 668dd(a)(2). The Wilderness Act of 1964, Public Law 92-363, dated January 3, 1975, also designated “…certain lands in the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, Florida which comprise approximately seventeen thousand seven hundred and forty-six acres…as the St. Marks Wilderness.” These purposes and the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System are fundamental to determining the compatibility of proposed uses of the refuge. The compatibility of these uses is discussed in Section C, Appendix VI. REGIONAL HABITAT MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE The primary purpose of the refuge is wildlife habitat conservation. Unlike many present-day islands of conservation in the Southeast, the refuge is embedded within a matrix of over 1.46 million acres of nearly contiguous public lands on 55 properties (Figure 5 and Table 1). This does not include 106,046 acres of submerged lands within the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve and 945,412 acres of submerged lands in the Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve. As shown in Table 2, much of the remaining privately owned land in the region is intensively managed industrial forest land, possessing both major conservation potential and the threat of future development. North of the refuge lies the cultural and environmental resource of Wakulla Springs State Park. Wakulla Springs forms the headwaters of the Wakulla River and are protected within 10,320 acres of Wakulla Springs State Park and Wakulla State Forest. The Big Bend coastline extends east and south of the refuge, including 945,412 acres of submerged lands and navigable tributaries which are administered as the Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve by the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection. Approximately 453,097 acres of adjacent land to the east and southeast of the refuge (from the Aucilla to the Withlacoochee rivers) are managed by the Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Suwannee River Water Management District and others. Southwest and west of the refuge are the largest tracts of public conservation land in north Florida: Apalachicola National Forest at 576,673 acres and the adjacent Tate’s Hell Wildlife Management Area/State Forest/Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area at 304,030 acres. The Apalachicola National Forest contains shared and closed boundaries with the refuge in portions of the Panacea Unit, as does Ochlockonee River State Park. Tate’s Hell State Forest’s northeast boundary is approximately one mile west of the western boundary of the Panacea Unit. These important conservation lands, along with others listed in Table 1, form a contiguous landscape-scale network of wildlife habitat with exceptional ecological value. The refuge provides a critical east-west linkage of these lands spanning more than 43 miles of coastal and near-coastal habitats. Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 9
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 and 14: Figure 1. National Wildlife Refuges
Page 15 and 16: II. The Refuge INTRODUCTION St. Mar
Page 17: Sopchoppy River Monkey Creek State
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
Page 65 and 66: Figure 16. St. Marks National Wildl
Page 67 and 68: to a unique hardwood area. Currentl
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Figure 17. St. Marks National Wildl
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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
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Common Name Scientific Name Spoonle
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Common Name Scientific Name Saltmar
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Common Name Scientific Name Creepin
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Common Name Scientific Name Maidenc
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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
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Common Name Scientific Name Baldwin
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Common Name Sugarberry Common butto
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Common Name Myrtle dahoon American
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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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