The Important Bird Areas of Florida - National Audubon Society

The Important Bird Areas of Florida: 2000–2002 – Pranty – 2-Jul-02 189OSCEOLA FLATWOODS AND PRAIRIESPublicly owned sites are Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area (32,394 acres; 12,957 ha), ThreeLakes Wildlife Management Area (59,490 acres; 23,796 ha), and Triple N Ranch WildlifeManagement Area (10,894 acres; 4357 ha). Private lands are sought for acquisition or conservationeasements under the Big Bend Swamp–Holopaw Ranch CARL–FF Project (54,425 acres [21,770ha], unacquired), Osceola Pine Savannas CARL–FF Project (24,189 acres; 9675 ha remaining) andRanch Reserve CARL–FF Project (35,300 acres [14,120 ha], with perpetual conservationeasements obtained on 11,768 acres [4707 ha]). [what about Escape Ranch?]Osceola County216,692 acres (86,676 ha), with 102,778 acres (41,111 ha) acquired, and perpetual conservationeasements obtained on an additional 11,768 acres (4707 ha)[This IBA needs additional information]LOCATION: in central and southern Osceola County, encompassing much of the area south of U.S.Highway 441 between the Kissimmee River and the Osceola/Brevard county line. Contiguous withthe Kissimmee Lake and River IBA to the west, and near the Upper St. Johns River Basin IBA to theeast.DESCRIPTION: several large conservation areas linked by private ranches encompassing a vast rural areain the central Peninsula. About half of this IBA is in public ownership, while protection of theremainder is sought via perpetual conservation easements. Public properties are managed primarilyfor hunting. Data for this IBA are largely limited to Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area andranchland accessible along public roadways. Annual visitation for the wildlife management areas is:____ recreationists and ____ hunters for Bull Creek, ____ recreationists and ____ hunters for ThreeLakes, and ____ recreationists and ____ hunters for Triple N Ranch. Private properties along thenortheastern shore of Lake Marian not currently sought for preservation have been added to this IBAbecause they support several Bald eagle nests.OWNERSHIP: Florida Division of Wildlife (Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area), St. Johns RiverWater Management District (Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area and Triple N Ranch WildlifeManagement Area; managed by Florida Division of Wildlife), and private owners (remaining acreageof the Osceola Pine Savannas CARL–FF Project, and ranches sought for conservation easementsunder the Big Bend Swamp–Holopaw Ranch CARL–FF Project; to be monitored by St. Johns RiverWater Management District). [what about Escape Ranch?]HABITATS: *longleaf pine flatwoods, *temperate hammock, *dry prairie, *non-native pasture, *cypressswamp, *depressional marsh, pine plantation, sandhills, xeric oak scrub, scrubby flatwoods, sand pinescrub, citrus groves, hardwood swamp, bayhead, cattail marsh, riverine, lacustrine, artificial (sodfarm)LAND USE: *conservation, *hunting (16,000 hunter days [Three Lakes only?]), *cattle grazing (0.08cattle/acre; 0.032 cattle/ha [Three Lakes only?]), recreation, timber production, agriculture (citrus andsod production)IBA CATEGORIES: significant populations of Endangered, Threatened, FCREPA, and Watch Listspecies; complete diversity of dry prairie and longleaf pine flatwoods species; significant naturalhabitats; and long-term research.AVIAN DATA: Avian data are quite limited, owing to the inaccessibility of much of the area, but typicalspecies of flatwoods, prairies, and associated habitats are supported (including large numbers of WildTurkeys), as well as significant populations of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and “Florida”Grasshopper Sparrows. One of the densest nesting concentrations of Bald Eagles in North Americaoccurs in the region. Crested Caracaras probably occur in greater numbers than IBA data suggest. Alittle-known xeric oak scrub/scrubby flatwoods ridge runs southeast through this IBA, south beyondthe IBA boundary to areas south and east of Yeehaw Junction. A few groups of Florida Scrub-Jays