2012 FDOT Mitigation Plan - Southwest Florida Water Management ...

Project Description
A. Overall project goal: The Colt Creek State Park (5,118 acres) tract was a high priority tract for public land
acquisition for over 30 years, and was jointly acquired from the Overstreet family by the SWFWMD, FDEP, and
Polk County in June, 2006. The tract was considered a priority acquisition for habitat preservation, restoration
and enhancement due to the ecologically valuable location within the Green Swamp (Designated Area of Critical
State Concern) and thousands of acres of adjacent public lands (refer to Figures A & B). One of the adjacent
parcels is the SWFWMD-owned Fussell Tract, which was purchased using the Water Management Lands Trust
Fund. The overall project goal is to utilize the FDOT mitigation program for the preservation, restoration and
enhancement of 294 acres of wetland habitat within the Hillsborough River watershed portion of Colt Creek S.P.
and 600-1,000 acres within the Withlacoochee River watershed portion of Colt Creek S.P.
B. Brief description of current condition: Colt Creek S.P. has a variety of upland and wetland habitats,
however the Overstreet family incorporated many land use changes and drainage ditch features over a 60-year
period to increase the productivity for ranching operations. The tract has an extensive network of wetland and
upland-cut ditches, and approximately half of the former upland habitats were converted to improved pastures.
The majority of the remaining native habitats have various alterations to hydrology and vegetative communities
due to the ditch drainage features and land use activities. Some of the pastures were historically wetland habitat
(Figures C & E), and the remaining wetlands have altered drainage patterns and minimal hydroperiods due to the
drainage ditches. As a result, pine flatwoods and hardwood hammocks that historically bordered the cypressdominated
forested wetlands have provided a seed source to generate pine and hardwood species in the drained
wetlands; particularly slash pine, live oak, laurel oak, and red maple. Many of the unconverted upland habitats
that were historically dominated by pine flatwoods haven't received adequate fire management, resulting in
recruitment and generation of the same hardwood species present in the outer wetland zones. Additional site
information is provided in Attachment A and site photos. Figures C-F depicts the wetland ecosystems proposed
for enhancement.
C. Brief description of proposed work: The total acquisition of Colt Creek S.P. cost $54.5 million. The FDOT
mitigation program funded $7.5 million toward the acquisition of the 713 acre portion within the Hillsborough
basin. Mitigation credit in the Hillsborough basin portion is provided by preserving, enhancing and restoring
forested and non-forested wetland habitat (Figures C-F) by constructing ditch blocks to restore historic surface
and ground water flow conditions. These wetlands will be buffered by restoring upland habitat buffers within
adjacent pastures, and enhancement of existing upland habitats by reintroducing appropriate land management
activities such as thinning hardwoods and implementing a prescribed burn plan. Additional wetland habitat
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