J.R. Alford Greenway - Leon County

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DRAFT 10/4/12 Additional language regarding public participation was inserted on 2/18/13 and corrected program dates were inserted on 2/26/13 OVERVIEW This is an update of the original Management Plan, adopted in 2003 by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners and the State of Florida, that was developed for the J.R. Alford Greenway (JRAG), commonly known as the J.R. Alford Greenway (Greenway). The Greenway is managed and maintained by Leon County’s Division of Parks and Recreation. Of the total 881.10 acres, approximately 387 acres (44%) are comprised of forested areas, 59 acres (7%) are wetlands, 340 acres (39%) are pasture or old fields, with the remaining 91 acres (10%) as water features. The remaining acreage encompasses the parking area and the trail system. The JRAG is located within the Red Hills Region of northern Florida. It is bounded on its west and north sides by single‐family residential development, and on its east and south sides by Lake Lafayette. (An extension of the lake on the east side of the Greenway is locally called Alford Arm.) An active CSX railroad line runs along the southern border of the Greenway. The JRAG is managed as single‐use recreation, consistent with the protection of natural and historical resources. The primary purpose of this acquisition was to provide protection for the historical vistas, rolling hills, and forested and open areas of the Greenway, its wildlife habitat and historical and cultural resources, including the Block‐Stearns and Chaires Massacre sites, and the adjacent Lake Lafayette and Alford Arm, and to provide open space and recreational in an area of the County that is continuing to urbanize. The Greenway’s land use designation in the local Comprehensive Plan is Recreation/Open Space. The County has created a multi‐use trail system throughout the Greenway, a trailhead with a large parking area, a water mister, and portable restroom, and limited signage throughout the Greenway. Several old fields have been planted with Longleaf pine, while others have been planted with wildlife food plots. A schedule of prescribed burning has also been instituted for the purpose of vegetation and wildlife habitat, as well as the removal of invasive plant species. The JRAG is part of the Tallahassee – Leon County Greenways system, which includes the J.R. Alford Greenway, the Lafayette Heritage Trail Greenway, the Klapp‐Phipps Greenway, and the St. Marks Headwaters Greenway, as well as several smaller greenways and conservation land parks. Officially part of Florida’s Greenways and Trails System, the JRAG has also been designated as a National Recreation Trail®. As described elsewhere in this Plan, there are several invasive exotic plant species found in various locations on the Greenway. There is only one known exotic invasive animal species: Solenopsis invicta, known in the United States as the red imported fire ant (or RIFA). Fire ants have been reported on the Greenway in various locations, mostly in open fields. There are no beaches, dunes, or mineral resources on the Greenway. The JRAG is not within an Aquatic Preserve, nor within a Designated Area of Critical Concern, and it does not have any designated Outstanding Florida Waters. Based on the location and ecology of the Greenway, there are a number of native and listed avian, mammalian, reptilian, and other species, including the American alligator and the Southern Lady Fern, that may be expected to be found on or near the Greenway. 1
I. INTRODUCTION DRAFT 10/4/12 Additional language regarding public participation was inserted on 2/18/13 and corrected program dates were inserted on 2/26/13 Location of Property The property, commonly known as the J.R. Alford Greenway (JRAG or Greenway), is located in Leon County, Florida (Map 1). The Greenway borders Lake Lafayette, of which significant portions are owned by local and state government. Roadway access to the Greenway is provided by Pedrick Road. There are three trail‐only access points, two near the northeastern corner of the Greenway and one near the southwest corner. Land Acquisition History and Ownership The five parcels comprising the subject property were approved for acquisition by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida on June 22, 1999. The parcels were acquired fee simple through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks, Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) Land Acquisition Program. The agreement was negotiated by the Division of State Lands under the Preservation 2000 Florida Greenways and Trails program. The five parcels comprising the subject property were approved for acquisition by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida on June 22, 1999 for $5,042,928 with Preservation 2000 funds. On February 24, 2000, Lease Number 4259 was executed between the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (Trustees) to the Office of Greenways and Trails and then subleased to Leon County, the designated manager, via Lease Number 4259‐01. Amended on December 7, 2010, the Lease expires on February 23, 2050. A copy of the original Trustees agenda item dated February 24, 1998, the Purchase Agreement, legal description and other supporting documents are provided as Appendix A. Nearby Public Lands and Designated Water Resources There are ten parks and greenways within three miles of the Greenway (Table 1 and Map 2), including several publicly‐owned parcels of land adjacent to the JRAG. The Tallahassee – Leon County Greenways Master Plan, adopted in 2004, recognizes these parks and greenways and identifies proposed trails intended to connect these areas to the maximum extent possible. As noted by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (Appendix B), the JRAG is located on the north side of the CSX Railroad tracks from both the Lake Lafayette Trail Park (LLTP), managed by the City of Tallahassee (COT) and the L. Kirk Edwards Wildlife Environmental Area (WEA), managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Both the LLTP and the WEA connect to the Lake Lafayette Paddling Trail. The southwest corner of the Greenway is adjacent to land owned by the COT. The COT has design plans to build a grade‐separated, multi‐use trail bridge over the CSX railroad to connect to the LLTP at Piney Z. The boundary and existing trails at LLTP connects to the boundary and existing trails at Tom Brown Park. The COT’s trail connection could extend to the Greenway and implement the larger Buck Lake Greenway. On the northern boundary, the Greenway is adjacent to a neighborhood known as Observation Pointe. There is a non‐motorized, natural surface trail extending from JRAG through the 2
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J.R. Alford Greenway - Leon County

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