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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 2.2. Environmental The project area consists of a man-made canal with a shoreline contammg a highly sensitive mangrove vegetative community. Mangrove communities contain unique and valuable natural resources that are important to the environment and as such, are protected by various federal, state and local regulations. These communities are particularly important because they serve as nursery environment providing shelter to juvenile species of fish and other marine life. Additionally, mangroves provide nesting and roosting habitat for resident and migratory bird species found throughout southern Florida. Leaves from red mangrove and mangrove associates are an integral part of the shoreline food web. The federally endangered East Indian manatee is known to occupy mangrove communities throughout southern Florida. The manatee occurs primarily in Florida and southeastern Georgia and is usually found in freshwater, brackish, and saltwater habitats. Because manatees cannot survive very long in water below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, south Florida is utilized as part of the manatee's natural winter range. Miami-Dade County is one of four Florida counties to have state- approved manatee protection plans. At this time it is not known whether manatees sighting occur in the project canal, however, according to Critical Habitat maps, the project area is located in close proximity to critical habitat for this species. The East Indian manatee is currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and, as such, is federally protected. 2.3. Access Canal Usage The Access canal may have been used in the past as boat access to the properties east of the proposed bridge alignment. The Winston Towers to the North side have no access to the canal edge with the exception of the far Northwest section which is used for boat slips. East of the North Bay Road in the north side is development propeliies out to the seawall, the location is potentially boat slips location and the team will have to research that information in order to coordinate the bridge. An agreement will need to be in place to ensure that no issues will arise for the bridge design and boat traffic. The South side is the mangrove area. As of today the canal may be used as drainage relieve to the waterway / Intercostal. In the south side no location for boat slips where observed and no such use is anticipated. 2.4.R!W The access canal R/W appears to be close to 200' where the north 100-feet belong to CAVALRY Corporation and the south 100-feet belonging to the City of Sunny Isles Beach as per county appraisal records. The North approach to the proposed bridge is a public R/W 50 feet wide, the western side in the R/W is being used for perpendicular parking to access the boat slips at the northwest end of the canal. At the south end there is no R/W dedicated to access the canal border. Is our understanding that the City of Sunny Isles Beach T:\MARKETING\PROPOSALS\MARKETING.07\0724 pedestrian bridge\Doc\Pedestrian Bridge and boardwalk.