Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan - Alabama Department ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan Final Summary Document 3.4.2 Gulf Shores Wetlands Park Destroyed brush fences following Tropical Storm Hannah The County was approached by the City of Gulf Shores about the possibility of partnering, utilizing the BCWCP grant, to restore a degraded wetland area adjacent to the City’s new sportsplex. The site was inspected on several occasions and a preliminary determination was made that it would be suitable for restoration efforts. The site is adjacent to a small creek called Bright’s creek, and it is comprised of riverine wetlands that, over time, were used as borrow areas for highway construction projects. These borrow areas have evolved into small ponds which currently support a variety of aquatic life. Connecting these ponds with transitional wetland areas and removing soil berms could restore the hydrology on certain portions of the property. BCWCP staff received a formal request from the City of Gulf shores to conduct wetland restoration activities at the Gulf Shores Wetlands Park. The Baldwin County Commission allocated 60% of the cost of the wetland restoration activities at this site based on the preliminary cost estimate. Through this negotiation, the BCC encouraged the City of Gulf Shores to place the existing jurisdictional wetlands into a conservation easement. The conservation easement is between the City of Gulf Shores and the Baldwin County Commission, and it legally requires the City of Gulf Shores to protect the existing wetlands in perpetuity. Baldwin County staff will monitor this site periodically to ensure that no impacts occur. In addition, a comprehensive restoration plan was requested from the City of Gulf Shores prior to commencement of restoration activities at the site. The conceptual site plan of the project is included in Appendix 9.6 of this report. 35
Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan Final Summary Document Restoration activities began in the summer of 2003 at the Gulf Shores Wetlands Park. BCWCP and EPA staff visited the site during construction. Hydrologic connections were created between the ponds, instead of a slight grading of the surface soil. Also, picnic tables and gazebos were installed in the areas to be restored. The changes were discussed in great detail, and BCWCP staff negotiated with City for more extensive planting in the open water areas in order to create more wetland habitat. The plants were installed in August 2003. The plants that were installed were: bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), Juncus effusus, Scirpus californicus, Sagittaria latifolia, Peltandra virginica, Thalia geniculaba, Sarracenia leucophyllla, and Nymphea odorata. BCWCP continues to monitor the success of this project. Although the wetland restoration efforts were not maximized, the site was improved and will provide education and outreach to residents and guests of Baldwin County. Future wetland restoration activities will include binding documentation to ensure the success of the wetland restoration activities upon construction. Gulf Shores Wetlands Park 3.4.3 Baldwin County High School Wetland Restoration Project Staff worked with representatives from the USFWS Daphne Field Office and a teacher and principal at the Baldwin County High School (Bay Minette) to develop a Grady Pond wetland restoration project on the school’s campus. First, a conservation easement for the property was agreed to between the Baldwin County Commission and the Baldwin County Board of Education. This project involved the installation of a water control structure at a ditched outlet of the pond to help maintain a constant water level. Also a boardwalk and teaching classroom were designed to minimally impact the integrity of the Grady Pond. The boardwalk and classroom were constructed in fall of 2003. The boardwalk will be used by the students for educational purposes such as water 36
Page 1 and 2: The Baldwin County Wetland Conserva
Page 3 and 4: 3.2.3.2. Acquisition of GIS data la
Page 5 and 6: . List of Acronyms 1. ADCNR........
Page 7 and 8: d. Executive Summary The objective
Page 9 and 10: Baldwin County Wetland Conservation
Page 41: Baldwin County Wetland Conservation
Page 93 and 94:
Baldwin County Wetland Conservation
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
show all

Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan - Alabama Department ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?