Northwest
Florida Conservation Coordination
The E. O. Wilson Biophilia Center,
Bruce Florida, February 5, 2010
Participants Session Summary Document
Purpose:
A coordination meeting for environmental groups and various affected resource
agencies in the Florida Panhandle to assess wildlife and habitat conservation
activities and potential future actions. The meeting is to allow participants
and agencies to be briefed on their activities in the region and what
they hope to achieve in the upcoming year and beyond.
Given the
economically difficult times many of the groups have experienced, as well
as the ongoing need for increased citizen conservation action in Northwest
Florida, the meeting is an opportunity for each group to increase their
understanding of the current threats and actions, build individual group
capacity, enhance working relationships, and generate discussion on time
tested and new ideas and plans for wildlife and habitat conservation across
the Panhandle.
Workshop
Agenda With Presentations
10:00 Introduction & Overview of
the Purpose of the Meeting - Charles Pattison, 1000 Friends of Florida
and Laurie Macdonald, Defenders of Wildlife - Includes having participants
identify themselves and their affiliation and an explanation of the
day design and purpose
10:10 Overview
of Land Conservation Actions in the Florida Panhandle and Valued Prospects
for Wildlife Connectivity and Resource Conservation
11:15 Conservation
within Developing or Proposed Large Developments and Corridors in the
Panhandle
Blackwater
& Eglin AFB
The
Knight Property and West Bay Sector Plans
- George
Willson, Willson Consulting LLC and Florida Audubon Board Member,
and serves the Conservation Fund.
Apalachicola/Chipola
Rivers & Forest, Tates Hell and St. James Island
12:30
Lunch & Networking
1:30 Tour
of the Biophilia Center
2:30 Striving
Toward Consensus - Conserving a Natural Resource and Wildlife Habitat
Network in Northwest Florida - Group discussions on identifying areas
of strategic importance and areas of coordinated action for NW Florida
Conservation
4:00
Adjourn
Workshop
Participants Session Points and Consensus Items
Transportation
1. A major focus should be on maintaining habitat connectivity, including
stopping bad road projects through intact systems and planning wildlife
crossings for any new corridor roads being planned/developed in the Panhandle.
For example wildlife over/underpasses with preserved natural areas on
either side linked to large preserved natural tracts. This means to shape
transportation projects in a way that prevents/minimizes habitat fragmentation
and should include retrofitting of existing roadways to increase their
connectivity, Steps to achieve may include forming a transportation/conservation
workgroup in Panhandle; green infrastructure training; web site development
for public education and workshops in the Panhandle. This
point also received High-level support from the workshop attendees.
2. Need a better (more integrated) Conservation Lands to Transportation
vision and plan for the Panhandle. This point
also received some support from the workshop attendees.
3. Several parcels of land in the Greenway are separated by
major highways; for example Eglin AFB is separated from Blackwater State
Forest by I-10 and US 90 (Bears have been hit crossing in this area).
The Greenway will not be effective without wildlife crossings at key locations.
4. Future energy costs and how this may affect urban development and transportation.
5. Deal more effectively with the NWFTA
Lands
Conservation
1. Provide funding for Florida Forever. Need to go out to local chambers
of commerce, business groups, and get with local state congressional representatives.
The assembled group rated this as extremely important.
One of the most highly rated.
2. Assist with the development of local, regional
and/or watershed-based land trusts in the Panhandle. Also
got high support from the assembled workshop crowd.
3. Protect natural lands from human intrusion - Limit access.
6. Seek the use of more conservation easements in the Panhandle - it is
a good tool and landowners may find added benefits through the recent
tax exemptions for conservation lands addressed by the 2008 Amendment
4. This point also received substantial support
from the workshop attendees.
7. Promote landscape level conservation and connectivity for various conservation
objectives and trails needed.
8. Develop Natural corridors to protect and promote healthy DNA exchange
for species health.
9. Look off property when planning conservation/habitat linkages - Link
one property to the next to sustain habitat linkages.
10. Make whatever cross-state linkages that may be possible (Up the river
corridors to Alabama and Georgia and upland forested areas, such as Blackwater
State Forest to Conecuh National Forest in Alabama)
Land Management
1. Perform prescribed burns on a timely scale - as regularly as "nature"
would have done it.
2. Work to eliminate/control invasive species
3. Promote changes to laws/regulations to protect natural resources and
reduce adverse effects of current laws and regulations.
4. Focus on conservation, reuse and waste avoidance of potable water.
5. Encourage government agencies to plant trees on vacant lands that are
not being used for other purposes for carbon dioxide sequestration.
6. Need a private landowners assistance management program - provide and
increase funding and staff to these efforts through Division of Forestry,
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the NRCS. (E.g., these programs
help private landowners burn their lands responsibly,,, no plow lines
through good groundcover areas)
7. Habitat Fragmentation of Flora and Fauna is increasing in the Panhandle
- Need clear land use strategies to limit/reduce/mitigate such fragmentation.
8. Appropriate sufficient resources for public lands management that includes
prescribed fire, control of invasive species and uses public/private partnerships
and working groups and arrangements. Model to follow in the Panhandle
- GCPEP Ecosystem Support Team.
9. Beach habitat land management is as important as land acquisition.
Priority
Land Conservation Areas/Tracts and Corridors/Linkages
- Fill gaps
in NW Florida River corridors (encourage Alabama/Georgia to do so likewise)
- Yellow
River Ravines infill parcels and buffer development
- Escribano
Point
- St. James
Island - Bald Point State Park to Tate's Hell/Apalachicola National
Forest Linkage This point also received some
support from the workshop attendees.
- Whiting
Field to the Blackwater State Forest Connection.
- Chipola
River Corridor & Linkages
- Apalachicola
River Corridor& Linkages
- Ochlockonee
River Corridor & Linkage
- Econfina
to Upper Springshed/sandhills/recharge areas
- Coastal
Dune Lakes and their protection and conservation linkages.
Climate
Change Conservation Land Sub-issues
1. Use Seek and use climate adaptation monies to achieve acquisition
and management needs
2. Ensure mitigation strategies are developed and followed (e.g., sequestration).
11. Coastal Habitat protection must be linked back climate change planning
needs/strategies. This point also received substantial
support from the workshop attendees.
3. To help in mitigating storm damage need to address strategies
to protect coastal/riverine wetlands, restoring oyster beds, develop 'green
shoring' efforts, and protect our barrier islands, sand bars and other
natural coastal protectors.
4. Need to reemphasize the value and need of the Coastal Barrier Resource
Act lands (COBRA lands) and do not let shortsighted local development
efforts reduce these areas.
5. Promote natural areas as carbon dioxide sequestration system.
Education
& Economy
1. Sustaining conservation efforts in a declining economy when those
efforts have been dependent on development. In our past many of the conservation
efforts have been dependent or liked to accelerating growth and land development
(e.g., Florida Forever Funds)
2. Lack of local community support for conservation efforts in an economically
depressed or challenged region for much of the population located there.
3. Develop and pre- and post development tool and link this to financial
impacts of development, local and landscape level impacts to the land/habitat.
This point also received support from the workshop
attendees.
4. Build or further protection themes around springs and springsheds.
This point also received some support from the workshop attendees.
5. Value and use volunteers. Need efforts to get, train and use volunteer
efforts.
6. There is a need to educate at the county commission level about land
conservation issues, values, economies. There is presently often a disconnect
at this level regarding conservation concepts and issues. UF does provide
some such instruction to new commissioners - may need a Panhandle Conservation
component that incorporates environmental and growth management curriculum.
Would be good if it were mandatory.
7. Need to consider development of a "Strike Team" of Panhandle
conservationist that can present to local commissioners, chambers, LPAs,
businesses regarding the need for integrated landscape level conservation
throughout the Panhandle and the long-term natural and economic values
of such actions.
8. There is also a need to educate those that can influence commissioners
(constituents).
9. We need to brand the Panhandle region and then promote the brand.
10. Clearinghouse needed for ecotourism development possibilities [Can
emphasize Beaches-to-Forests (Santa Rosa County), WaltonOutdoors.com,
Great Florida Birding Trail] May develop by watershed, multicounty landscape
conservation areas - e.g., the Eglin AFB to Blackwater State Forest, to
Conecuh National Forest connections. Or the St. Marks, Apalachicola National
Forest and Tate's Hell State Forest/Wakulla State Forest connections.
11. In Apalachicola Basin we need an Ecosystem Services publication and
summary document.
12. Provide public access and education (public and private) in conservation
areas so people can understand conservation throughout the Panhandle.
(Nokuse is a good and growing example)
13. New Visioning Process(es) needed to build economic model/integrated
vision of the region that is based and inclusive of natural lands conservation/Transportation/Ecotourism/Military/Etc.
State plan to regional vision level such as MyRegion.org effort. This
point also received substantial support from the workshop attendees.
Planning
In-General & Comprehensive Plans
1. Patterns of urban growth are important to overall land conservation
efforts and strategies. Really need to limit urban sprawl. This
point also received substantial support from the workshop attendees.
2. Develop measures of carrying capacity and encourage policy
makers to limit human population to meet established carrying capacity.
3. Need to work to get conservation minded/trained folks on local planning
commissions. Get citizen at-large on the commissions rather than the often
developer stacked appointees. These LPA functions and decisions need more
public scrutiny and public notice. This point
also received some support from the workshop attendees.
4. Need a citizen education effort on the value of higher
density and energy efficient development over sprawling patterns - Should
work cooperatively with the developers, citizen, builder interests similar
to how the green building LEEDS has functioned. Should checkout and modify
the new LEEDS-Neighborhood Design criterion that are now coming out. Communication
and Collaboration is a MUST. This point also
received support from the workshop attendees.
5. Think through use and value
of Recreation Comprehensive Plans/Elements? Maybe can work toward the
development of a Comprehensive Recreational Vision for conservation lands
that addresses protection versus use issues. Again, working up the landscape
scale of local to cross-jurisdictional to basin-wide to Panhandle-wide.
Within this effort Recreational Best Management Practices need to be developed/sorted
out, etc. - Develop these BMPs and use them as land management tools to
better protect the underlying natural resources.
6. Need to think through and develop a conservation " End Point Plan"
for Tyndall AFB (also some of the Okaloosa County coastal Eglin Lands)
in the event of it being Closed/BRACed/sold off. Enact a congressional
instrument that precludes Tyndall AFB from becoming available for development
in the event that the Department of Defense ever declares it excess/BRACed.
Designate it to become a national seashore, national wildlife refuge or
estuarine research reserve if the military mission and use goes away.
This point also received substantial support
from the workshop attendees.
7. Integrate conservation planning with land use and local
development planning - and increase support for conservation.
8. Promote local ecosystems as an economic attribute/resource. Stress
the economic values of landscape level conservation lands and natural
corridor connections that are sustainable and develop integrated vision
(Local to basin-wide, to larger landscape view to still larger Panhandle
vision for the future. This point also received
substantial support from the workshop attendees.
9. Work to eliminate building or even further habitation on
coastal barrier islands
Miscellaneous
1. Oil Drilling. This point also received support from the workshop
attendees
