Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan - Alabama Department ...

Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan Final Summary Document
Rationale: Highly traveled road corridors (defined here as government maintained since
a government entity would not normally maintain a road that was not highly traveled)
which bisect wildlife habitat create disturbances which negatively impact wildlife. In
addition to the obvious traffic disturbances, secondary development (i.e. Commercial
enterprise) is often located adjacent to these road corridors which can lead to further
wildlife impacts. Also, roads which bisect a wetland reduce habitat capability by
fragmenting the landscape. This variable was identified remotely through county digital
centerline data. The NWI often have gaps in wetland polygons where roads exist.
Therefore, a 100’ road buffer was used to identify all wetlands that are actually affected
by the presence of a road.
Data Column: roads; subtract 1 point
Question 2: Is the adjacent land use compatible with supporting the expected wildlife as
indicated by being located in one of the following land use categories: agriculture,
rangeland, forest or wetland?
Rationale: Land use adjacent to a wetland habitat has a significant impact upon the
species which utilize that habitat. Wetlands are more valuable for habitat when
surrounding land use meets specific wildlife needs such as temporary escape, resting
cover and seasonal food sources. Agricultural or forest lands adjacent to wetlands
provide better wildlife habitat than a subdivision or shopping center. This variable was
identified remotely through digital land use data from FEMA.
Data Column: WILDLULC; 1 point
Question 3: Is the water regime of the observed wetland either semi-permanently flooded (F) or
permanently flooded (H)? (According to NWI).
Rationale: A water source is a critical requirement for all species, both for habitat
purposes and for drinking. The above water regimes provide both of these components.
These regimes provide habitat for many wading birds, and also provide species with a
good source of water to satisfy their daily water requirements. This variable was
identified remotely through digital NWI data.
Data Column: wat_reg; 1 point
Groundwater Maintenance
Question1: Is the observed wetland inside the zone of influence (designated wellhead protection
area for the 10 year time of travel capture zone) of a major groundwater pumping
center (withdrawal rates of three to four million gallons a day)?
Rationale: Historically, wetlands in the Project area served as aquifer discharge areas.
Recent development, however, has increased the need for large groundwater pumping
stations in the Project area. These pumping stations draw down water in the aquifer thus
forcing the wetland to engage in an aquifer recharge function. So the wetlands within the
zone of influence become important in replenishing aquifer supplies and filtering
109