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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Figure 11. Watershed coincidence of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge CALHOUN 30 JACKSON LIBERTY �� 90 �� 10 GADSDEN OCHLOCKONEE WATERSHED FRANKLIN Refuge Boundary Ochlockonee Watershed St. Marks Watershed Aucilla Watershed �� 27 GEORGIA ��319 WAKULLA �� 319 LEON �� 27 ST. MARKS WATERSHED Watershed Coincidence of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge �� 98 Apalachee Bay GULF OF MEXICO St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge �� 19 JEFFERSON AUCILLA WATERSHED MADISON TAYLOR 0 10 20 30 Miles 6 �� 19
The Wakulla River also has problems with invasive aquatic vegetation (hydrilla and water hyacinth). Nitrate concentrations in Wakulla Springs have tripled in the past 25 years. A major decline in apple snails and the limpkin population since 2000 has been documented. According to a 2002 Northwest Florida Water Management District report, ABased on measurements of stream condition index and other observations, the biota of Wakulla Springs and the upper river have been adversely perturbed by anthropogenic (human-caused) impacts. These appear to result from the introduction of invasive aquatic plants and increased nutrient (nitrate) discharge.@ Potentially impaired water bodies include McBride Slough (dissolved oxygen) and Big Boggy Branch (total coliform and biology). According to the 1991 Aucilla River Surface Water Management Plan, the water quality in the Aucilla and Little Aucilla rivers is classified as Agood@ by the Department of Environmental Protection, and both meet Class III standards. The Northwest Florida Water Management District publication, The Big Picture: St. Marks River Watershed (2001), states that AOne of the most effective methods of protecting water quality has been the public purchase of natural lands.@ CONTAMINANTS Two contaminant studies have been conducted on the refuge by the Service=s Ecological Services Field Office in Panama City, Florida. In 1988, a sediment study was done with 32 samples collected, of which 14 were onsite and 18 were on the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers (Hemming et al. 2002). Samples were analyzed for metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The only contaminants found on the refuge were oil and grease, located in the impoundment known as Stoney Bayou #2. These contaminants are typically associated with small engine motor use. While metals (e.g., copper and mercury) and both polycyclic aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons were found on the industrial portion of the St. Marks River (i.e., near the refinery), none were detected on the refuge. No organochlorine residues were found in the study area. Since these are associated with pesticide use, it is a good indicator for the area. In 1991, 7 species of fish were sampled for mercury contamination (Bateman et al. 1994). The 11 sampling stationsBboth on and off the refugeBincluded a variety of habitats. Four coastal saltwater sites, five freshwater ponds, lakes or impoundments, and two coastal rivers were sampled. Fish with muscle tissue that contains greater than 0.5 parts per million wet weight of mercury are limited for consumption. Four of the seven species exceeded the limits, including 12 of 36 largemouth bass sampled. The sites of contaminated bass were Otter Lake, Lake Renfro, and East River Pool. Other species above the limit were spotted seatrout (3 of 26), gafftopsail catfish (4 of 7), and hardhead catfish (4 of 26). The gafftopsail catfish was the only saltwater fish to exceed state consumption advisory levels. These were sampled in Dickerson Bay at channel marker 12. No fish are known to exceed the nonconsumptive standard of 1.4 parts per million wet weight. The study concludes that human-caused inputs of mercury should be stopped, since the difference between naturally occurring emissions (e.g., background levels) and toxic effects is very small. AIR QUALITY Air quality is a global concern. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has lead responsibility for the quality of air. Through the 1990 Clean Air Act, the Agency sets limits on the amount of pollutants that can be discharged into the air. Nationally, more than 170 million tons of pollution is emitted into the air annually within U.S. borders, through either stationary sources (e.g., industrial and power Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 31
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 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: SURFACE AND GROUND WATER QUALITY Wa
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
Page 69 and 70: Figure 17. St. Marks National Wildl
Page 71 and 72: In the fall, Mounds #1, Mounds #3,
Page 73 and 74: esidents of all four counties work
Page 75 and 76: Wildlife Observation and Photograph
Page 77 and 78: Figure 19. Wakulla Unit visitor ser
Page 79 and 80: Boat ramps at the Aucilla River, li
Page 81 and 82: landowners. There are nine voluntee
Page 83 and 84: Georgia border. Because sea levels
Page 85 and 86: A railroad, built between Tallahass
Page 87 and 88: III. Planning Issues INTRODUCTION T
Page 89 and 90: options for manipulating the pools
Page 91 and 92:
IV. Management Direction INTRODUCTI
Page 93 and 94:
REFUGE GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STRAT
Page 95 and 96:
Figure 21. St. Marks National Wildl
Page 97 and 98:
Objective 7: Protect natural wetlan
Page 99 and 100:
diverse sites off refuge (e.g., wet
Page 101 and 102:
Objective 4: Monitor the nesting ba
Page 103 and 104:
are necessary to reduce boat collis
Page 105 and 106:
Strategies: • Maintain at least t
Page 107 and 108:
• By 2018, determine habitat need
Page 109 and 110:
Figure 23. Wakulla Unit visitor ser
Page 111 and 112:
• Promote refuge messages by incr
Page 113 and 114:
Strategies: • By 2007, design and
Page 115 and 116:
Objective 3: By 2008, the refuge wi
Page 117 and 118:
and found no areas that meet the el
Page 119 and 120:
interagency fire program. This syst
Page 121 and 122:
V. Plan Implementation INTRODUCTION
Page 123 and 124:
5. Survey, Document, Monitor, and E
Page 125 and 126:
needed personnel from routine dutie
Page 127 and 128:
17. Enhance Interpretation and Outr
Page 129 and 130:
Table 14. Summary of project costs
Page 131 and 132:
Table 15. Approximate annual costs
Page 133 and 134:
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES To achiev
Page 135 and 136:
Visitor Services Management Plan Th
Page 137 and 138:
comprehensive conservation plan, or
Page 139 and 140:
SECTION B. DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSE
Page 141 and 142:
II. Affected Environment For a desc
Page 143 and 144:
III. Alternatives FORMULATION OF AL
Page 145 and 146:
Figure 26. St. Marks National Wildl
Page 147 and 148:
ALTERNATIVE 2 - PREFERRED ALTERNATI
Page 149 and 150:
Table 17. A comparison of the goals
Page 151 and 152:
� Goal 1. Wildlife Habitat and Po
Page 153 and 154:
Goal 2. Threatened, endangered, rar
Page 155 and 156:
Goal 4. Visitor Services Provide an
Page 157 and 158:
Goal 4. Visitor Services Provide an
Page 159 and 160:
Goal 6. Protection of Wilderness Ma
Page 161 and 162:
Goal 7. Refuge Administration Provi
Page 163 and 164:
Issues relating to Goal 1 - Habitat
Page 165 and 166:
Issues relating to Goal 1 - Habitat
Page 167 and 168:
Issues relating to Goal 2 - Endange
Page 169 and 170:
Issues relating to Goal 3 - Migrato
Page 171 and 172:
Issues relating to Goal 4 - Visitor
Page 173 and 174:
Issues relating to Goal 5 - Cultura
Page 175 and 176:
Issues relating to Goal 7 - Refuge
Page 177 and 178:
IV. Environmental Consequences EFFE
Page 179 and 180:
Alternatives 2 and 3 may have short
Page 181 and 182:
gains achieved would be gradually l
Page 183 and 184:
WILDLIFE AND PROTECTED SPECIES Unde
Page 185 and 186:
space around structures and borderi
Page 187 and 188:
classes held on the refuge, photo c
Page 189 and 190:
public use, which increases litteri
Page 191 and 192:
V. Consultation and Coordination Se
Page 193 and 194:
Heidi Hubbs, Fire Management Office
Page 195 and 196:
SECTION C. APPENDICES I. Glossary A
Page 197 and 198:
Cooperative Agreement A legal instr
Page 199 and 200:
Hydrological Involving water flows
Page 201 and 202:
Partnership A mutually beneficial,
Page 203 and 204:
Wilderness Area Congress defined Wi
Page 205 and 206:
II. References and Literature Cited
Page 207 and 208:
Florida First: Base Papers Natural
Page 209 and 210:
Milanich, Jerald T. 1995. Florida I
Page 211 and 212:
Sharitz, Rebecca R. and J. W. Gibbo
Page 213 and 214:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 200
Page 215 and 216:
III. Legal Mandates NATIONAL WILDLI
Page 217 and 218:
1964--Wilderness Act, as amended. D
Page 219 and 220:
1978--American Indian Religious Act
Page 221 and 222:
1995--EO 12962, Recreational Fisher
Page 223 and 224:
IV. Flora and Fauna The following t
Page 225 and 226:
IMPERILED SPECIES’ CONSERVATION R
Page 227 and 228:
Common Name Red-cockaded woodpecker
Page 229 and 230:
Seasons/Occurrences Magnificent Fri
Page 231 and 232:
Seasons/Occurrences Hooded Merganse
Page 233 and 234:
Seasons/Occurrences Black-necked St
Page 235 and 236:
Seasons/Occurrences Cukoos Black-bi
Page 237 and 238:
Seasons/Occurrences American Crow*
Page 239 and 240:
Seasons/Occurrences Warblers Blue-w
Page 241 and 242:
Seasons/Occurrences Vesper Sparrow
Page 243 and 244:
The following species are of such a
Page 245 and 246:
Common Name Bronze Frog Pig frog Ri
Page 247 and 248:
Common Name Eastern Indigo Snake Co
Page 249 and 250:
Common Name Florida Red-bellied Coo
Page 251 and 252:
Common Name Mammals Large-sized Mam
Page 253 and 254:
Common Name Crevalle jack Bull shar
Page 255 and 256:
Common Name Lined seahorse Dwarf se
Page 257 and 258:
Common Name Gulf toadfish Pigfish B
Page 259 and 260:
BUTTERFLY LIST, ST. MARKS NATIONAL
Page 261 and 262:
Common Name Scientific Name Period
Page 263 and 264:
Common Name Scientific Name Eastern
Page 265 and 266:
Common Name Scientific Name Slimlea
Page 267 and 268:
Common Name Scientific Name New Jer
Page 269 and 270:
Common Name Scientific Name Pinebar
Page 271 and 272:
Common Name Scientific Name Plumegr
Page 273 and 274:
Common Name Scientific Name Spoonle
Page 275 and 276:
Common Name Scientific Name Saltmar
Page 277 and 278:
Common Name Scientific Name Creepin
Page 279 and 280:
Common Name Scientific Name Maidenc
Page 281 and 282:
Common Name Scientific Name Orange
Page 283 and 284:
Common Name Scientific Name Fringed
Page 285 and 286:
Common Name Scientific Name Fringed
Page 287 and 288:
Common Name Scientific Name Rice bu
Page 289 and 290:
Common Name Scientific Name Baldwin
Page 291 and 292:
Common Name Sugarberry Common butto
Page 293 and 294:
Common Name Myrtle dahoon American
Page 295 and 296:
Common Name Loblolly pine Waterelm
Page 297 and 298:
Common Name Bigleaf snowbell Common
Page 299 and 300:
Common Name Compact dodder Lax horn
Page 301 and 302:
Common Name Dwarf palmetto Coastal
Page 303 and 304:
Common Name Marsh fimbry Hydrilla M
Page 305 and 306:
Common Name Coastalplain sedge Amer
Page 307 and 308:
Common Name Red maple Peppervine Sw
Page 309 and 310:
Common Name Swamp rose Carolina wil
Page 311 and 312:
Common Name Green wood orchid Yello
Page 313 and 314:
Conservation Tier/Action Level; Tie
Page 315 and 316:
Conservation Tier/Action Level; Tie
Page 317 and 318:
Conservation Tier/Action Level; IV
Page 319 and 320:
DESCRIPTIONS OF NATURAL COMMUNITY T
Page 321 and 322:
There are also mesic flatwoods site
Page 323 and 324:
area and cabbage palmetto comprisin
Page 325 and 326:
V. Public Involvement This appendix
Page 327 and 328:
Defenders of Wildlife, Washington,
Page 329 and 330:
Public Use Management: • Support
Page 331 and 332:
• High grass on dikes is hard to
Page 333 and 334:
This fact sheet was developed and d
Page 335 and 336:
This fact sheet was developed and d
Page 337 and 338:
VI. Compatibility Determinations Re
Page 339 and 340:
Anticipated Impacts of the Use: The
Page 341 and 342:
Anticipated Impacts of the Use: Imp
Page 343 and 344:
Other areas of the refuge may be cl
Page 345 and 346:
Wakulla Unit service roads with per
Page 347 and 348:
Public Review Comment: This compati
Page 349 and 350:
X Use is Compatible with Following
Page 351 and 352:
Determination (check one below): __
Page 353 and 354:
Public Review Comment: This compati
Page 355 and 356:
during timber harvests; however, as
Page 357 and 358:
___ Categorical Exclusion and Envir
Page 359 and 360:
Johnson, E. et al. 1997. The Preval
Page 361 and 362:
VII. Conservation Easements and Fee
Page 363 and 364:
VIII. Exotic Species Locations and
Page 365 and 366:
Map Number Primary Pest Species Sci
Page 367 and 368:
Map Number Primary Pest Species Sci
Page 369 and 370:
St. Marks Unit exotic species infes
Page 371 and 372:
Wakulla Unit exotic species infesta
Page 373 and 374:
Panacea Unit exotic species infesta
Page 375 and 376:
IX. Existing and Potential Partners
Page 377 and 378:
Wakulla County Red Cross Tallahasse
Page 379 and 380:
X. Inventory and Monitoring Efforts
Page 381 and 382:
Surdick/University of Florida, Cent
Page 383 and 384:
XI. Wilderness Review Summary Wilde
Page 385 and 386:
Figure 33. Lands evaluated as poten
Page 387 and 388:
within the inventory area west of t
Page 389 and 390:
XII. Intra-Service Section 7 Biolog
Page 391 and 392:
There are few documented records of
Page 393 and 394:
B. bald eagle Actions to minimize i
Page 395:
IX. Reviewing Ecological Services O
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?