The Important Bird Areas of Florida - National Audubon Society

The Important Bird Areas of Florida: 2000–2002 – Pranty – 2-Jul-02 120not known to occur in De Soto County until one was discovered within the Bright Hour Watershed in1996 +(TNC 1996).THREATS: development (portions of the ranches not within the conservation easements).CONSERVATION ISSUES: The perpetual conservation easement areas of this IBA are secure. +TNC(1996) mentioned that, “past disturbances to the tract have been few” and “the virtual absence ofexotics is remarkable for a property located in this area of Florida. The few roads on the tract are allunimproved and there are – amazingly for a property of this size – no utility or transmission corridorsrunning through the property. The entire project area has been so well-managed with regular,prescribed fire that the species composition, community structure, and integrity of the ranch appearnearly pristine over the vast majority of its natural land base.” • An apparently isolated and distinctpopulation of Florida Scrub-Jays occupies at least 300 acres (120 ha) of xeric oak scrub in the easternportion of the IBA (although the number of groups found in 1993 – 21 – suggests a greater amount ofhabitat). By 1996, the scrub was succeeding to xeric hammock +(TNC 1996), but restorationactivities were undertaken subsequently (M. Barnwell pers. comm., Southwest Florida WaterManagement District). This scrub-jay population should be monitored to insure its long-termsurvival. • Two singing male “Florida” Grasshopper Sparrows were discovered in 1990 butapparently were extirpated by 1997 (T. Dean pers. comm., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). However,an extensive amount of dry prairie is preserved within this IBA, and the site should be considered fortranslocation.Several large ranches between the Bright Hour Watershed and protected areas of the Lake WalesRidge retain extensive amounts of natural communities. It would be extremely worthwhile to considerobtaining perpetual conservation easements on these ranches to better protect native flora and faunaof the De Soto Plain.NOMINATED BY: Bill Pranty (Audubon of Florida)REFERENCE: +TNC. 1996. Bright Hour Watershed, Water Management Lands Trust Fund, Save OurRivers/Preservation 2000, project proposal application. Prepared for the Southwest Florida Watermanagement District. The Nature Conservancy. Tallahassee, FL.