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I I BABCOCK RANCH PRESERVE HYDROLOGICAL RESTORATION ASSESSMENT IN CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES 1- FLORIDA DIVISION OF FORESTRY HIGHLIGHTS: • Data collection and interpretation • Hydrologic assessment • • Field GPS mapping and delineation ■ Ecological analysis ■ ArcGIS databases • Wetland restoration _ ■ Multi-objective uses ■ Long-term monitoring plan Located in the southeastern corner of Charlotte cr.— b -11161111; --may-„;�F�:_ - County, the Babcock Ranch Preserve (BRP) covers '0.1,.;�4'•:. -.moi a •y� .. ' `4'., '. approximately 73,239 acres of land. Historically, the e`•6 nu:. N6=41 • o v '',':• .1_ ;� preserve has been used for timber production, row •pifo 'r • B +� y''. ' r r Icrop agriculture, the production of beef cattle, and ! p'pst4 j . It '• i. eco-tourism activities. Hydrologic systems within _ 6I r• ,$) a a', .. BRP have been altered over the years as numerous C 'j; 1/2::-,---'t ;; t . ' ' Iditch systems and surface water control structures i pJY , , t+G i= >t'D were put in place to facilitate agricultural activities. ' • � 's ~ti 1 n::.. The largest surface water flow-way on the BRP is � d'{4 ° ITelegraph Swamp that flows into the Caloosahatchee I ' • c ;u' '' ` River via Telegraph Creek. The objective of this ' ' ,•:°%i3 t tti•o'i--4' ft7S ..�g�,ATE$.'. l project was to complete a hydrological assessment r • Ci %d” I�•,y r Iand provide recommendations for the management, y' + ` *.t 6! restoration, and continued monitoring of the onsite f'$a h. 4 y i`� i `° .1 �"' =1 crnmCoSTy.' C (}-J ' 3. surface water systems in accordance with the BRP .,, tt«<ri, +.a - I Management Plan. c, v® t- b '� "I-JE 3� ® rF Subsequent to the data collection efforts, a field L _ . . La-j a'--,''I'---:;-0- Th I verification was performed and included digital photographs of significant wetlands, water bodies, flow-way features, drainage ditches, and control structures. ECT also assessed how surface waters/wetlands interact (or formerly interacted) with onsite ecosystems and off-site properties, with I emphasis on current and future agricultural management operations and the affects to these operations for management or harvest operations. In conjunction with these efforts, the GPS coordinates of significant points and linear features, along with descriptions and quantifications of the extent and I magnitude of the hydrologic alterations were determined. The existing and pre-development vegetation cover and land use was mapped using historic and empirical data, and the existing upland and wetland habitats were assessed in terms of plant species composition and functional attributes. Surveys were Iperformed to evaluate the extent of 33 previously identified invasive plant species. ECT then performed a planning-level GIS analysis and narrative of the changes in the wetland extent, I condition, surface water quality, and type of wetland plant communities resulting from the construction of drainage ditches, the filling of wetland areas, channelization, and the installation of control structures alone the surface water flow-ways affecting the hydro period and/or hydrology, and Iresulting artificial impoundments. I EV/ PROJECT PROFILE ae. a 1 Y.`FIADISCWLEt\WATER'PROFILESVITDACS-BABCOCK.DOC-030913