supplemental map information (user report) · classification: the definitions, classifications and...

Supplemental Map Information (User Report) Project ID: South Florida and Everglades Update Project, R04Y04P04 Project Title or Area: Southwest Florida Area – Phase 1. Source Imagery: 1999 NAPP, CIR, 1:40,000 scale positive transparencies with 1999 DO(Q)Qs (USGS digital ortho(quarter)quads. Collateral Data: NRCS (National Resource Conservation Service, formerly Soil Conservation Service [SCS]) digital soils data, DRG’s (digital USGS topographic maps) and digital Land Use/Land Cover Classification System (FLUCCS) data provided by South Florida (SFWMD) and Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). The aerial photography from 1972 and 1984 were scanned and rectified to the 1999 DO(Q)Qs and were also used as collateral to corroborate water level and photo signature changes. Inventory Method: State-of-the art technology with digital geographic information system (ArcGIS 8.2/8.3) and aerial photointerpretation (stereo imagery to the side) were used to update the maps and allow preliminary analysis. The on-screen photointerpretation was done using ArcMap at a scale range of approximately 1:3500 to 1:5000. Occasionally, imagery was zoomed to a larger scale in complex areas or to tie adjoining maps. Collateral data, such as soils, DRG’s, FLUCCS, and National Park Service maps, and (SFWMD) vegetative data were used extensively. Scanned imagery from 1972 and 1984 was used as collateral to aid in on-screen digitizing. A Personal Geodatabase (PGD) file based management and tracking system was developed in-house and used to track production. Each quad was produced as a PGD and tied to adjacent project quads, naming conventions followed USGS protocols. The primary photo base, 1999 DO(Q)Q’s were acquired along with corresponding NAPP, 1999, 1:40,000 scale, CIR, transparency photos. The original intent of the update was to change existing digital line work and attributes to reflect the changes in the wetlands. However, after working on the first few PGD’s, it was obvious that the old data would not serve as a good starting point for updates to the 1999 photography. This was primarily due to the excessive number of omission and commission errors resulting from the scale and quality limitations of the 1972 and 1984 aerial photography, and poor spatial alignment from the original zoom transfer rectification and board digitizing methods used to create the original data set. With these facts, the decision was made that it would take more effort to update the existing digital data than to capture new digital data. The first field reconnaissance trip of the project was taken to Naples and Collier counties in November 2001 to verify photo signatures and document vegetation, soils, and hydrology at each site. Field data, Global Positioning System (GPS) points, digital pictures, and video were collected at each site and used for documentation in the geodatabase. The same documentation method was used on additional trips within the project area, including a helicopter reconnaissance flight that covered the area from Marco Island to the Everglades National Park. Field data, DO(Q)Q’s and supplemental digital collateral map data were incorporated into personal geodatabases and updates were made by the biologists using ArcGIS 8.2 and 8.3. Updating (using/modifying) the existing 1979 and 1984 digital data were initial concerns of the project.

Classification: The definitions, classifications and categories of wetlands and deepwater habitats used in this update are those described in Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States, Cowardin et al. (1979). This ecological definition was the National standard for wetland mapping, monitoring and data reporting as determined by the Federal Geographic Data Committee. In general terms, wetlands are lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on the surface. Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. Wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes: 1) at least periodically the land supports predominantly hydrophytes; 2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; 3) the substrate is nonsoil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year. Areas of deepwater, traditionally not considered wetlands, are included in the classification system as deepwater habitats. Technically, deepwater habitats are permanently flooded lands lying below the deepwater boundary of wetlands. Data Limitations: NWI maps do not show all wetlands, but attempt to show most photointerpretable wetlands given considerations of map/photo scale and wetland delineation practices. A target mapping unit (tmu) is an estimate of the size class of the smallest group of wetlands that NWI attempts to map consistently; it is not the smallest wetland mapped. Recognize that some wetland types are conspicuous and readily mapped (e.g., marshes and ponds) and smaller ones may be mapped. Temporarily flooded wetlands and some types of forested wetlands (pine flatwoods) were more difficult to recognize on the imagery which may result in omission or similar upland areas included as wetland. For this project, tree islands, open water pockets in mangrove swamps, alligator holes and fish hatchery ponds were mapped down to 0.1 acre or less. NWI maps should show most wetlands larger than the tmu. No attempt was made to identify regulated wetlands from other wetlands. Recognize that maps produced through photointerpretation are not as accurate as one prepared from on-the-ground surveys, so NWI boundaries are generalized. Detailed on-the-ground and historical analysis of a single site may result in a revision of the wetland boundaries established through photographic interpretation. In addition, some small wetlands and those obscured by dense forest cover may not be included in this data set. Federal, State, and local regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over wetlands may define and describe wetlands in a different manner than that used in this inventory. There is no attempt, in either the design or products of this inventory, to define the limits of proprietary jurisdiction of any Federal, State, or local government or to establish the geographical scope of the regulatory programs of government agencies. Persons intending to engage in activities involving modifications within or adjacent to wetland areas should seek the advice of appropriate Federal, State, or local agencies concerning specified agency regulatory programs and proprietary jurisdictions that may affect such activities. General description of the Project Area:

• Geography: The overall South Florida and Everglades Update project area is comprised of the Outer Coastal Plain Mixed Forest Province and the Everglades Province. It covers 120 quadrangles or approximately 8,000 square miles (20,720 sq. km.). Phase One of this strategic mapping effort focuses on the Southwest Florida area where fish and

wildlife habitats are vulnerable to anthropogenic change, loss and degradation. Approximately 3,000 square miles (7,770 sq. km) or 46 quadrangles have been updated This completed area stretches along the southwest coast of Florida from the Myakka River to Whitewater Bay and covers portions of Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Lee, Collier and Monroe counties. It includes the fast growing communities of Naples and Fort Myers-Cape Coral. It covers developments with familiar names like Marco Island, Rotunda, Leigh Acres, and Golden Gate Estates. The Southwest Florida project area includes protected natural areas such as Big Cypress and Corkscrew swamps and many important Fish and Wildlife Service Refuges from the Caloosahatchee in the northern part of the study area to Florida Panther and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge in the southern part. It includes important ecologically sensitive estuaries, bays, and aquatic preserves such as Estero Bay and Rookery Bay. Lastly, and most importantly, it borders the Western Everglades. The Everglades occupy an extensive, almost flat marl and limestone shelf generally covered with a few feet of muck and a little sand. Elevation ranges from sea level to 25 ft (7.6 m). The low, level coastal plain contains large areas of swamps and marshes, with low beach ridges and dunes rising several feet above them. Poorly defined broad streams, canals, and ditches drain into the ocean. In the interior, hammocks rise a few feet above the general area. Average annual temperatures in this tropical climate range from 70 to 75F (21 to 24C), with minimums from October to February. The area is frost-free practically all year. An average of 50 to 65 in (1,280 to 1,660 mm) of rain falls per year, mostly between late spring and the middle of autumn.

• Vegetation: The vegetation of the outer coastal plain mixed forest province is

characterized as a temperate rainforest, also called temperate evergreen forest or laurel forest. The province is comprised of the Beech-Sweetgum-Magnolia-Pine-Oak Forest section. Natural wetland vegetation communities include: salt flats, high and low salt marshes, mangrove swamps, prairies, savannahs, shallow and deep marshes, bottom land forests, shallow and deep swamps, cypress and bay swamps, and pine flatwoods. Natural upland vegetation communities include: sandhills, sand scrub, xeric hammocks, beach dunes, shell mounds, maritime hammocks, hardwood and pine forests. Lianas and epiphytes are abundant. A striking example of epiphyte accumulation is the Spanish "moss" that festoons oak and baldcypress, and other trees of the eastern Gulf coast. The extensive coastal wetlands and interior swamps are dominated by red maple, laurel, water oaks, sweetgum, willow, bays, black gum and cypress. Most areas are covered by subclimax pine forest, which has an understory of grasses and sedges called savannahs. In the Everglades province, about one-fifth of the area is covered by tropical moist hardwood forest. Cypress forests are most extensive, but mangrove is widespread along the western and southern coasts. Much of the area is open marsh covered by phreatophytic grasses, reeds, sedges, and other aquatic herbaceous plants. Several areas covered by dense grasses are classified as medium-tall grasslands, with sawgrass and three-awns as major plants. Within these grasslands there are mesic habitats called "hammocks" that rise above the surrounding, usually wetter areas. These hammocks contain groves of low to medium-tall broadleaf evergreen trees and shrubs. Mahogany,

redbay, and palmettos are common. One also finds strangler fig and abundant epiphytes.

Invader species in both provinces include melaleuca and Brazilian pepper. These are not separated out as a separate class from the native species in this project. Melaleuca trees (Melaleuca quinquenervia), also known as punk trees or paperbark tea trees, are native to Australia. In Australia, melaleuca is well-known, planted in parks, valued by beekeepers, attractive to birds and bats. In fact, because of development, melaleuca trees in some parts of Australia are the subject of conservation efforts. In Florida, however, melaleuca is a pest, first introduced for ornament in 1906 (Laroche 1994b), melaleuca was scattered aerially over the Everglades in the 1930s (Austin 1978). Melaleuca is widely planted, and recommended as late as 1970 as “one of Florida’s best landscape trees” (Watkins 1970). Melaleuca is extremely fast growing and produces dense stands that displace native plants, diminish animal habitat, and provide little food for wildlife (Laroche 1994b). Melaleuca grows in terrestrial as well as in completely aquatic situations and has become abundant in pine flatwoods, sawgrass marshes, and cypress swamps of south Florida (Nelson 1994). The Everglades, the mostly treeless "river of grass", in some places has become the "river of trees", a completely alien habitat to the plants and animals that have evolved to live in the glades. Since its introduction into the state, melaleuca has taken over hundreds of thousands of acres of Everglades, threatening the very existence of this internationally known eco-treasure. The first insect biological control agent released in Everglades by U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1997 (Cox News Service).

Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) is one of the most aggressive of the invasive nonindigenous plants in Florida. This species is a native of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. It is thought to have been introduced into Florida by 1842-1849 as a cultivated ornamental plant. It is invading aquatic and terrestrial habitats, greatly reducing the quality of native biotic communities in the state. Brazilian Pepper successfully colonizes several native plant communities: hammocks, pinelands and mangrove forests. Though this tree is not particularly cold-hardy, in 2001 it occurs as far north as St. Augustine on the Atlantic coast and Cedar Key on the Gulf coast of Florida.

• Soils: In the Outer Coastal Plain Mixed Forest Province, soils are mainly Ultisols,

Spodosols, and Entisols. These soils are derived mainly from coastal plain sediments ranging from heavy clay to gravel, with sandy materials predominant. Silty soils occur mainly on level expanses. Sands predominate in upland areas, but they also cover broad flats in central and west central Florida and are typically well drained, deep sandy soils. In wetland areas, soils are typically poorly drained with more organics and loam below a sandy surface layer..Soils in the depressional marshes, swamps, and floodplains are usually very poorly drained, have more organic material in the surface layer, and are usually referred to as mucks.

• In the Everglades province, histosols are the principal soils. In slightly less wet parts of e

southern Everglades, Inceptisols occupy extensive areas. These soils are also very poorly drained, have more organic material in the surface layer, and are usually referred to as mucks.

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NRCS soils data were available for the project area and covered Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Lee, Collier and Monroe counties. Typical hydric soils in these counties consist of: Basinger, Boca, Chobee, Estero, Felda, Gator muck, Holopaw, Isles, Kesson, Malabar, Manatee, Myakka depressional, Okeelanta muck, Pineda, Placid, Pompano, Riviera, Samsula muck, Sanibel muck, Terra Ceia muck, Valkaria, Winder, and Wulfert muck.

Description of wetland habitats:

NWI WETLAND CLASSIFICATION CODES, COWARDIN DESCRIPTION AND COMMON TERMINOLOGY

NWI CODE - WATER REGIME

COWARDIN DESCRIPTION

COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

M1UB (L)

Marine, subtidal, unconsolidated bottom

Open ocean none

M2US2 (M, N, P) Marine, intertidal, unconsolidated shore

Beaches, sandbars none

M2AB3 (M, N) Marine, intertidal, aquatic bed, rooted vascular

Seagrasses Halodule wrightii (shoal grass) Ruppia maritima(widgeon grass)

Thalassia testudinum(turtle grass)

Syringodium filiforme(manatee grass)

E1UB (L) Esturine, subtidal, unconsolidated bottom

Esturaries, bays, ocean inlets, waterways

none

E1AB3 (L) Estuarine, subtidal, aquatic bed, rooted vascular

Estuaries, bays, ocean inlets, waterways

Halodule wrightii (shoal grass) Ruppia maritima(widgeon grass)

Thalassia testudinum(turtle grass)

Syringodium filiforme(manatee grass)

E2US2 (M, N, P) Estuarine, intertidal, unconsolidated shore, sand

Sand bars, mud flats, salt flats

none



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

E2US3 (M, N, P) Estuarine, intertidal, unconsolidated shore, mud

Sand bars, mud flats none

E2RF2 (N) Estuarine, intertidal, reef, mollusk

Oyster bar none

E2FO3 (M, N, P) Estuarine, intertidal, forested, broad-leaved evergreen

Tidal marshes, salt marshes, bays, intercoastal waterways, estuarine tidal river floodplains

Avicinnia germinans (black mangrove) Conocarpus erecta (buttonwood) Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove) Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove)

E2FO4 (P) Estuarine, intertidal, forested, needle-leaved evergreen


Pinus elliottii (slash pine) Juniperus silicicola(Southern Red Cedar)

E2SS3 (N, P) Estuarine, intertidal, scrub shrub, broad-leaved evergreen


Avicinnia germinans (black mangrove) Baccharis spp. (false willow, saltbush)

Conocarpus erecta (buttonwood)

Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove)

Melaleuca quinquenervia(punk tree)

Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle)

Rapanea spp. (myrsine)

Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove)



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

Schinus terebinthifolius(brazilian pepper)

E2SS4 (P) Estuarine, intertidal, scrub shrub, needle-leaved evergreen


Pinus elliottii(slash pine) Juniperus silicicola(Southern Red Cedar)

E2EM1 (N, P) Estuarine, intertidal, emergent, persistent

Tidal marshes, salt marshes, bays, intercoastal waterways, estuarine tidal river floodplain

Acrostichum spp. (leather fern) Disticilis spicata(salt grass) Juncus roemerianus (black needle rush) Salicornia virginica(glasswort) Sesuvium maritime(sea purslane) Spartina alterniflora(smooth cordgrass) Spartina bakeri(sand cordgrass) Spartina patens (saltmeadow cordgrass) Typha spp. (cattail)

LIUB (H, K, V) Lacustrine, limnetic, unconsolidated bottom

Lakes and reservoirs deeper than 6 meters

none

LIAB4 (H, K) Lacustrine, limnetic, aquatic bed, floating vascular

Lakes and reservoirs deeper than 6 meters

Lemna spp. (duckweed) Salvinia spp. (water fern)

L2UB (H, F) Lacustrine, littoral, unconsolidated bottom

Lakes and reservoirs less than 6 meters deep

none



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

L2AB3 (G) Lacustrine, littoral, aquatic bed, rooted vascular


Hydrilla spp. Nymphaea odorata(fragrant water lily) Nuphar luteum(spatterdock)

L2AB4 (H, G)

Lacustrine, littoral, aquatic bed, flooting vascular


Eichornia crassipes(water hyacinth) Lemna spp. (duckweed) Myriophyllum aquaticumparrot feather Pistia stratiotes(water lettuce) Salvinia spp. (water fern) Utricularia spp. (bladderworts)

L2US2 (C, A, R) Lacustrine, littoral, unconsolidated shore, sand

Sand flats, shoreline none

R1UB (V) Riverine, tidal, unconsolidated bottom

Tidally influenced river, low gradient

none

R1AB3 (V) Riverine, tidal, aquatic bed, rooted vascular


R1AB4 (V) Riverine, tidal, aquatic bed, flooting vascular


Eichornia crassipes(water hyacinth)

R1US2 (S,R) Riverine, tidal, unconsolidated shore, sand

Tidally influenced sand bar

none



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

R2UB (H) Riverine, lower perennial, unconsolidated bottom

River none

R2US2 (C, A) Riverine, lower perennial, unconsolidated shore, sand

Sand bar none

PUB (H, G, F, K, V, T)

Palustrine, unconsolidated bottom

Pond, impoundment or excavation, reservoir, fish farm

none

PAB3 (H, G, F, C, K, T)

aquatic bed, rooted vascular

Deep marsh, pond, impoundment, fish farm

Hydrilla spp. Nymphaea odorata(fragrant water lily) Nuphar luteum(spatterdock)

PAB4 (H, G, F, C, K, V, T, R)

Palustrine, aquatic bed, floating vascular

Deep marsh, pond, basin, impoundment, fish farm

Algae Eichornia crassipes(water hyacinth) Lemna spp. (duckweed) Myriophyllum aquaticumparrot feather Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) Salvinia spp. (water fern) Utricularia spp. (bladderworts)

PUS2 (C, A, T, R, S) Palustrine, unconsolidated shore, sand

Sand flat, basin none



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

PEM1 (H, G, F, C, B, A, K)

Palustrine, emergent, persistent

Marsh, prairie, meadow, basin, depression, impoundment or excavation, floodplain, oxbow,

Andropogon capillipes (chalky bluestem) Acrostichum spp. (leather fern) Aristida sp.

Carex spp. (sedges)

Cladium jamaicense (sawgrass)

Crinum americanum (southern swamp lily)

Cyperus spp. (flat sedges)

Cyperus compressus (poorland flatsedge)

Cyperus croceus (baldwins flatsedge)

Cyperus globulosus (baldwin’s flatsedge)

Dichanthelium aciculare (needleleaf witchgrass)

Disticilis spicata (salt grass)

Eragrostis elliottii (elliott lovegrass)

Eustachys petraea (stiffleaf finger grass)

Flaveria spp. (yellowtop)

Ilex glabra (gallberry)

Juncus effuses (soft rush)

Opuntia stricta (erect pricklypear)

Panicum spp. Panicum hemitomon

(maidencane) Panicum virgatum

(switch grass)



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

Paspalum monostachyum (gulfdune paspalum)

Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed)

Pityopsis graminifolia (narrowleaf silkgrass)

Polygonum sp. (smartweed)

Rhexia mariana (pale meadowbeauty)

Rynchospora spp. (beakrush)

Sabatia spp. (marsh pinks)

Sagittaria spp. (arrowheads)

Scleria reticularis (netted nutrush)

Spartina bakeri (sand cordgrass)

Typha spp. (cattail)

Thalia geniculata (alligator flag)

Woodwardia virginica (virginia chain fern)

PEM1 (V, T, S, R) Palustrine, emergent, persistent

Tidally influenced marsh, prairie, meadow, basin, depression, impoundment or excavation, floodplain, oxbow,

Acrostichum spp. (leather fern) Carex spp. (sedges) Cyperus spp. (flat sedge) Juncus roemerianus (black needle rush) Sagittaria spp. (arrowheads) Spartina bakeri (sand cordgrass) Typha spp. (cattail)



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

PSS1 (G, F, C, B, A, K)

Palustrine, scrub shrub, broad-leaved deciduous

Shrub swamp, floodplain bottomland

Acer rubrum (red maple) Hypericum spp. (St. John’s wort) Salix spp. (willow)

PSS1 (T, R, S) Palustrine, scrub shrub, broad-leaved deciduous

Tidally influenced shrub swamp, floodplain bottomland

Acer rubrum (red maple) Salix spp. (willow) Salix caroliniana (carolina willow)

PSS2 (G, F, C, A) Palustrine, scrub shrub, needle-leaved deciduous

Shrub swamp, floodplain bottomland, cypress dome

Taxodium ascendens (pond cypress) Taxodium distichum (bald cypress)

PSS3 (F, C, A) Palustrine, scrub shrub, broad-leaved evergreen

Shrub swamp, floodplain bottomland

Baccharis spp. (false willow, saltbush) Baccharis halimifolia (saltbush) Melaleuca quinquenervia (punk tree) Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle) Sabel palmetto (cabbage palm) Serenoa repens (saw palmetto)

PSS3 (V, T, R, S) Palustrine, scrub shrub, broad-leaved evergreen

Tidally influenced shrub swamp, floodplain bottomland

Baccharis halimifolia (saltbush) Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle) Sabel palmetto (cabbage palm)



COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

PSS4 (F, C, B, A) Palustrine, scrub shrub, needle-leaved evergreen

Pine flatwoods, Pinus elliottii (slash pine) Juniperus silicicola (Southern Red Cedar)

PSS4 (R, S) Palustrine, scrub shrub, needle-leaved evergreen

Tidally influenced scrub swamp

Pinus elliottii (slash pine) Juniperus silicicola (Southern Red Cedar)

PFO1 (H, F, C, B, A) Palustrine, forested, broad-leaved deciduous

Shallow and deep swamp, floodplain bottomland

Acer rubrum (red maple) Carya aquatica (water hickory) Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum) Nyssa sylvatica (black gum) Quercus laurifolia (laurel oak) Quercus nigra (water oak) Salix sp. (willow)

PFO1 (R, S) Palustrine, forested, broad-leaved deciduous

Tidally influenced swamp, floodplain bottomland

Acer rubrum (red maple) Salix spp. (willow)

PFO2 (G, F, C, A) Palustrine, forested, needle-leaved deciduous

Cypress dome, slough, deep swamp


PFO2 (T, R) Palustrine, forested, needle-leaved deciduous

Tidally influenced cypress




COMMON DESCRIPTION

COMMON VEGETATION

PFO3 (F, C, B, A) Palustrine, forested, broad-leaved evergreen

Bay swamp, everglades tree island

Gordonia lasianthus (loblolly bay) Magnolia virginiana (sweet bay) Melaleuca quinquenervia (punk tree) Sabal palmetto (cabbage palm)

PFO3 (T, R, S) Palustrine, forested, broad-leaved evergreen

Tidally influenced bay swamp, everglades tree island

Melaleuca quinquenervia (punk tree) Sabal palmetto (cabbage palm)

PFO4 (F, C, B, A) Palustrine, forested, needle-leaved evergreen

Pine flatwoods Pinus elliottii (slash pine) Juniperus silicicola (Southern Red Cedar)

PFO4 (R, S) Palustrine, forested, needle-leaved evergreen

Tidally influenced pine

Pinus elliottii (slash pine) Juniperus silicicola (Southern Red Cedar)

PFO5 (H, F) Palustrine, forested, dead

Deep swamp, impoundment or excavation

Description of other habitats:

The outer coastal plain mixed forest province provides habitat for a wide variety of animals. Except for a few isolated areas where black bear or the endangered Florida panther are found in small numbers, the whitetail deer is the only large indigenous mammal. Common small mammals include raccoons, opossums, flying squirrels, rabbits, and numerous species of ground-dwelling rodents. Bobwhite and wild turkey are the principal game birds. Migratory nongame bird species are numerous, as are migratory waterfowl. Winter birds are diverse and numerous. The red-cockaded woodpecker is an endangered species. Of the numerous species of reptiles found in this province, the American alligator is the largest. The Everglades province has a wide variety of influent species from adjacent areas of palmetto prairie, cypress swamp, magnolia forest, and mangrove. Slight changes in water level create substantial changes in habitat and fauna. Among the many mammals found are whitetail deer, Florida panther, black bear, raccoon, bobcat, opossum, skunk, various bats, marsh and swamp rabbits, cotton rat, and fox squirrel. Manatees inhabit estuaries and interlacing channels. Numerous species of birds live in this province. Before the water level in much of the Everglades was lowered by drainage, the area was home to large numbers of herons, egrets, limpkins, mottled ducks, Florida Everglade kites (snail kites), and other birds. The Florida Everglade kite is now classified as endangered. Characteristic lizards are the Caroline anole and the brown red-tailed skink. The rough green snake, key rat snake, and southern Florida coral snake are found here. The American alligator is a year-round resident.

List of wetland plant species with indicator status:

LIST OF OBSERVED WETLAND PLANT SPECIES WITH INDICATOR STATUS

(grouped according to genus and species ) * indicator status referenced from the Revision of the National List of Plant Species that occur in

Wetlands (2/15/97) A. Forested SCIENTIFIC NAMES COMMON NAME INDICATOR STATUS* Acer rubrum red maple FAC Anona glabra pond apple OBL Carya aquatica water hickory OBL Fraxinus pennsylvanica green ash FACW Gordonia lasianthus loblolly bay FACW Ilex opaca american holly FAC- Juniperus silicicola southern red cedar FAC Liquidambar styraciflua sweet gum FAC+ Magnolia virginiana sweet bay FACW+ Melaleuca quinquenervia punk tree FAC Nyssa sylvatica black gum FAC Persea borbonia red bay FACW Pinus elliottii slash pine FACW Pinus serotina pond pine FACW+ Pinus taeda loblolly pine FAC Pinus palustris longleaf pine FAC Plantanus occidentalis sycamore FACW- Quercus nigra water oak FAC Quercus laurifolia laurel oak FACW Sabel palmetto cabbage palm FAC+ Salix caroliniana carolina willow OBL Taxodium ascendens pond cypress OBL Taxodium distichum bald cypress OBL B. Scrub-shrub SCIENTIFIC NAMES COMMON NAME INDICATOR STATUS* Acer rubrum red maple FAC Baccharis spp. false willow FAC-FACW Cyrilla racemiflora titi FACW Hypericum spp. St. John’s wort FACU - OBL Ilex glabra gallberry FACW Ilex spp. holly FACW Iva frutescens marsh elder FACW+ Juniperus silicicola southern red cedar FAC Lyonia lucida fetterbush FACW Magnolia virginiana sweet bay FACW+ Myrica cerifera wax myrtle FAC+ Persea borboni red bay FACW

Scrub-Shrub (con’t) SCIENTIFIC NAMES COMMON NAME INDICATOR STATUS* Pinus palustris longleaf pine FACU+ Pinus elliottii slash pine FACW Pinus serotina pond pine FACW+ Pinus taeda loblolly pine FAC Quercus laurifolia laurel oak FACW Sabal minor dwarf palmetto FACW Sabal palmetto cabbage palm FAC Salix spp. willow OBL Salix caroliniana carolina willow OBL Serenoa repens saw palmetto FACU Smilax spp. greenbriar FAC C.. Emergent SCIENTIFIC NAMES COMMON NAME INDICATOR STATUS* Acrostichum spp. leather fern OBL Andropogon capillipes chalky bluestem FACU Andropogon virginicus broomsedge FAC- Aristida sp. Carex spp. sedges FAC-OBL Cladium jamaicense sawgrass OBL Cyperus spp. flat sedge FAC-OBL Cyperus compressus poorland flatsedge FACW Cyperus croceus baldwins flatsedge FAC Cyperus globulosus baldwin’s flatsedge FACDichanthelium aciculare needleleaf witchgrass FACU Eustachys petraea stiffleaf finger grass FACU- Eragrostis elliottii elliott lovegrass FACW Flaveria spp. yellowtop FACW Ilex glabra gallberry FACW Iris spp. iris OBL Juncus effusus soft rush FACW+ Juncus roemeranus black needle rush OBL Opuntia stricta erect pricklypear FACU- Osmunda cinnamomea cinnamon fern FACW+ Osmunda regalis royal fern OBL Panicum hemitomon maidencane OBL Panicum virgatum switch grass FAC+ Paspalum monostachyum gulfdune paspalum FACW Pityopsis graminifolia narrowleaf silkgrass FACU- Polygonum sp. smartweed FACW+ Pontederia cordata pickerelweed OBL Rhexia mariana pale meadowbeauty FACW+ Rhynchospora sp. beak sedge FACU- - OBL Sagittaria spp. arrowhead OBL

Emergent (con’t) SCIENTIFIC NAMES COMMON NAME INDICATOR STATUS* Saururus cernuus lizard tail OBL Scirpus spp. bulrush OBL Scleria reticularis netted nutrush OBL Spartina alterniflora saltmarsh cordgrass OBL Spartina bakeri sand cordgrass FACW+ Thalia geniculata alligator flag OBL Toxicondendron radicans poison ivy FAC Typha latifolia broad-leaf cattail OBL Vitis rotundifolia muscadine FAC Woodwardia virginica virginia chain fern OBL

D. Aquatic Bed SCIENTIFIC NAMES COMMON NAME INDICATOR STATUS* Algae Eichornia crassipes water hyacinth OBL Lemna spp. duck weed OBL Halodule wrightii shoal grass OBL Hydrilla spp. hydrilla OBL Myriophyllum aquaticum parrot feather OBL Nuphar luteam spadderdock OBL Nymphaea spp. water lily OBL Pistia stratiotes water lettuce OBL Ruppia maritima widgeon grass OBL Salvinia spp. water fern OBL Syringodium filiforme manatee grass OBL Thalassia testudinum turtle grass OBL Utricularia spp. bladderworts OBL

NATIONAL LIST OF WETLAND PLANT SPECIES The USFWS has prepared a National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands: South Carolina (Reed 1988) which assigns an indicator to each plant species found in wetlands. This wetland indicator describes the frequency of occurrence of an individual plant species in wetlands versus non-wetlands within the State (similar plant lists are available for or other Regions and States in the United States). Table I lists both the common name and scientific name, as well as the wetland indicator, for common wetland plants that occur in the Southeastern mixed forest ecoregion. The following wetland indicators have been assigned to plants which occur in wetlands:

Obligate (OBL): Occur almost always (estimated probability >99%) under natural conditions in wetlands. Facultative Wetland (FACW): Usually occur in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands. Facultative (FAC): Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated Probability 34%-66%). Facultative Upland (FACU): Usually occur in uplands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%). Non-wetland (UPL): Occur in wetlands in another region, But occur almost always (estimated probability >99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the region specified. If a species does not occur in wetlands in any region, it is not on the National List.

Regional specialized conventions:

1. NWI photointerpretation conventions (January 1995) will be followed.

2. Split classes and subclasses will be avoided and split into separate polygons when practical.

3. Drained wetlands will be indicated by the “d” modifier.

4. Digital soils data will be followed where it is available. Hard copy soil surveys will

be used when digital data are not available.

5. Digital Land Use/Land Cover data will also be used based upon availability.

6. Linears will be avoided as well as “micro-photointerpretation.”

7. Subclasses will be used in every class except “UB” and Palustrine “US.”

8. Lacustrine areas (20 acres or greater) will be classified in both limnetic and littoral

subsystems.

9. Mangrove swamps will be classified with “N” or “P” water regimes. Pure coastal mangrove habitats will be classified as E2FO3N or P and E2SS3N or P. Mixed mangroves will typically be classified as E2FO3/SS3N or P, or E2SS3/EM1N or P (or their recipricols) according to the greater spatial extent of the class as evidenced by the “photo-signature”.

10. Aquatic bed (AB) will be used in all Systems and will be classified as either rooted

“AB3,” or floating “AB4”. Representative rooted aquatic vascular species include fragrant water lily, spatterdock, hydrilla, shoal grass, widgeon grass and turtle grass. Representative floating aquatic species include duckweed, water hyacinth, water lettuce, water fern, and bladderworts.

11. Pine flatwoods consist of slash pine, saw palmetto, wax myrtle, gallberry, and native

grasses. The difference in the mesic and hydric flatwoods usually is found in the herbaceous species of the ground cover and the density of the saw palmettos. The hydric flatwood savannah type areas will be characterized by mixed classes either PFO4/SS3A or PFO4/EM1A (or their recipricols) according to the greater spatial extent of the class as evidenced by the “photo-signature”.

12. Ponds, sloughs, deep and shallow marshes dot the landscape in much of south Florida

and will usually be classified as: Ponds- PUBH, G, or F Sloughs- PEM1C or F; PSS1, 2, 3 or 4, C or F; PFO1, 2, 3 or 4, C or F Deep marshes- PEM1G or F Shallow marshes- PEM1C or A

13. Fish hatcheries are numerous throughout the study area. They are composed of a

series of small excavated ponds each contained by a small levee. Typically the multiple ponds that make up the hatcheries will be mapped as a single polygon and labeled PUBKx regardless of the overall polygon’s size.

14. Rapid Infiltration Basins and/or water treatment lagoons that are used to store water

for irrigating citrus groves will be mapped according to their vegetative photo signature. These basins and/or lagoons are enclosed by an earthen levee and serve as water storage areas by having water pumped in and out of them. Due to this fact, these areas will carry the “K” (artificially flooded) water regime and the “h” (impounded) modifier.

15. The Peace River floodplain is dominated by red maple mixed with cypress, black

gum, laurel oak, sweetgum, water oak, water hickory and cabbage palm with sloughs containing pure and mixed cypress. The main floodplain will be classified as PFO1C and the cypress sloughs will be classified as PFO2F, or G. Fresh tidal water regimes

will be used on the lower Peace River floodplain approximately south of State Road 761. The classification of these floodplain areas will be PFO1R, S or T with mixed subclasses being 1/3 and 1/2 and their reciprocals.

Other discussion of mapping issues (image quality, water conditions, etc.): In the Punta Gorda area, there are numerous pine flatwoods on poorly drained soils. Examples of these soil types are: Boca fine sand, Bradenton fine sand, EauGalle sand, Hallendale fine sand, Immokalee fine sand, Myakka fine sand, Oldsmar fine sand, Punta fine sand, Wabasso fine sand, and Smyrna fine sand. These soils were originally listed as hydric, but were dropped from the state hydric soils list in 1990. These soil types are described as having water tables within 10 inches of the surface for 2-4 months. Even though these areas have a lush grey-blue and black understory signature and can be mistaken as wetland, they are in fact uplands with dense stands of saw palmetto and scrub oak with an over story of slash pine in most areas. In the flatwoods, only areas on mapped hydric soils will be mapped and a conservative approach to wetland delineation will be used. In the Rotunda and Charlotte Harbor areas, massive road and canal networks for housing developments were created in the mid 60's. This development activity has greatly impacted wetlands in these areas due to the draining, leveling, and scraping away the natural vegetation with the addition of approximately 1' of fill over the natural topsoil. This fact was ascertained during field review. Wetland interpretation in these areas is very difficult due to subtle differences between wetland signatures on hydric soils vs. upland photo signatures on non-hydric soils where chalky blue stem (FACU) is present in wetland areas while upland areas are covered with grape vine (FAC). The grape vine gives a dark grey signature appearing to be wetland, but in fact is a false wetland signature similar to blackberry. In the Alva and Lehigh Acres area, there are numerous basins/depressions on depressional hydric soils that were not delineated in the original data set. These basins were confirmed as wetland during field review and consist of chalky bluestem, switch grass, narrow leaf silk grass, flat sedges, needle leaf witchgrass, stiffleaf finger grass, elliott lovegrass, gulfdune paspalum, netted nutrush, muscadine, soft rush, virginia chain fern, and slash pine. Photo signatures for these wetland areas are anomalous to other wetland signatures in that these signatures are white and light grey with a white ring outlining their perimeter. Classifications will consist of PEM1A or C, and PEM1Ad or Cd.

References: A Guide to Selected Florida Wetland Plant Communities, 1988. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Regulatory Division. Bailey, Robert G., (1980). Description of the Ecoregions of the United States, United States Department of Agriculture. Cowardin, L.M, V. Carter, F.C. Golet, and E.T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. 131 p. Digital Florida Landuse and Cover Classification System, 1995. South Florida Water Management District, 1997. Digital Soils and Soil Surveys, Various publication dates throughout project, depending on county, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Dressler, R. L., Hall D. W., Perkins, K. D., and Williams, N. H., 1987. Identification Manual for Wetland Plant Species of Florida. University of Florida, Insitute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1991. Florida Wetland Plants: An Identification Manual, 1998. Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Guide to the Natural Communities of Florida, 1990. Florida Natural Areas Inventory and Florida Department of Natural Resources. Langeland/Burks, (http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/melainv.html), Identification & Biology of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas. Non-Native Invasive Plants in the United States, 2001. University of Florida, IFAS, Center for Aquatic Plants, please visit http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/melainv.html. Photointerpretation Conventions for the National Wetlands Inventory, 1995. United States Department of Interior, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Reed, Porter B. Jr., Revision of the National List of Plants Species That Occur in Wetlands: 1997, United States Department of Interior, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Weeds in Florida, SP 37, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 1991. Revised: April 2003. Please visit the EDIS Website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

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