Native Habitat Inventory Final Report 2004 - St. Lucie County

Site Number: 11
Site Rank: B Total Acreage: 579
Edge Acreage: 224 Percent Core to Edge: 38.8
Table 1. Ecological Criteria Scores by Natural Community Type. This is an areaweighted
average value score for each natural community present on site. Numbers in
bold have significant above average resource value (>3.0). Natural Communities in bold
have at least two of the content resource values (rarity, connectivity, and completeness)
above average (>3.0). Overall Ecological Value = 0.58
FNAI Natural
Community Rarity Connectivity Completeness Vulnerability Manageability
BW / Basin
Swamp 2.6 2.2 3.3 3.0 3.3
BW /
Depression
Marsh 3.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 4.0
FW /
Bottomland
Forest 3.3 1.6 3.4 3.0 3.4
WF / Wet
Prairie 2.2 4.0 2.1 3.0 2.7
NA - agriculture
- improved
pasture 1.0 1.0 1.0 3.0 1.0
NA - agriculture
- unimproved
pasture 2.0 3.0 2.6 3.0 2.6
NA - developed 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9
NA - developed
- ditch 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.9 1.0
NA - developed
- road 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Key Features – Rare species present include gopher tortoise, airplants, and white
ibis. The large size of the site and the broad patches of Bottomland Forest (>250 acres)
are important features. Invasive exotics present include Lygodium microphyllum and
Schinus terebinthifolius. Currently the exotics are patchily distributed.
Importance – The large size of the tract, if preserved, would provide sufficiently
large habitat for many more common species. The large swaths of bottomland may
provide foraging opportunities for waders.
Connectivity – Greater than half-mile from existing conservation lands.
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