CAPE CORAL, PINE ISLAND, SANIBEL and MATLACHA PASS AREAS Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve 448.61 acres adjacent to Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park Nominations 58, 91, 95, 96, 99, 137, 262, 280, 372, 400-2 Treated torpedo grass and guinea grass along fence line Ranger staff documented unauthorized small fishing footbridge constructed within preserve, will be removed soon Management Plan Status: MOU with DEP, Approved by BOCC 6/3/2008 Yucca Pens Preserve 231 acres parcels near FWC-managed Yucca Pens Nominations 75, 102, 107, 202, 281 Sprayed Brazilian pepper, melaleuca and earleaf acacia along fence line Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 11/27/2007; second edition in progress Pine Island Flatwoods Preserve 730 acres St. James City Nominations 92, 121, 147, 168, 184-2, 346, 402 Sprayed Brazilian pepper, Caesar weed and balsam apple Treated vines growing on fence lines, removed two Bismark palms growing into fence line Sprayed weeds around barn and pump house Portion of hiking trail near bald eagle nest closed to public access planning with consultant for shrimp pond restoration to monitor results from spray field quarterly testing, working with DEP to address the arsenic contamination Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 6/20/2006; second edition approved 12/6/2016 Pine Island Flatwoods Preserve - Bayside 190 acres St. James City Nomination 389 Sprayed Caesar weed, cogongrass, tropical soda apple, balsam apple, earleaf acacia and hairy indigo Staff reviewed long-leaf pine planting area for re-planting by contractor Two staff workdays to remove cabbage palms from planned future prairie habitat area to work on restoration plan Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/10/2012 Galt Preserve 265 acres St. James City Nominations 152, 155, 185-2 Hiking trails mowed and fire lines disked Sprayed exotic vegetation and weeds along trails, storm water retention area and power line easement Trimmed around pavilions and bridges, treated fire ant hills, new mulch added to walkway paths Portion of hiking trail near bald eagle nest closed to public access Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/16/2007; second edition approved 4/5/2016 Buttonwood Preserve 267.6 acres Pine Island Nomination 276-2 Treated Brazilian pepper and Australian pines Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 8/5/2014 Pineland Site Complex 8 acres Pine Island Nomination 48 Newly-hired coordinator inspected property to become familiar with land management history FWC awarded $11,000 grant for exotic plant control Management Plan Status: None (partnership)
Smokehouse Bay Preserve 268 acres Pine Island Nominations 55, 315 Fire lines mowed Exotic treatment for Brazilian pepper, balsam apple, cattail and date palm Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 2/9/2010 Cayo Pelau Preserve 126 acres island just south of Charlotte County line Nomination 161-3 Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 10/14/2008; second edition approved 8/7/2018 Cayo Costa Preserve 0.3 acres adjacent to Cayo Costa State Park Nomination 397-2 Management Plan Status: None needed (partnership) Carver Preserve 189 acres Pine Island Nomination 368 Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 2/9/2010 Ding Darling Preserve 11 acres Sanibel Nominations 503, 551 Management Plan Status: None needed (partnership) NORTH CENTRAL LEE COUNTY AREA Prairie Pines Preserve 2,654 acres between I-75 & US-41, north of Del Prado Extension Nominations 134, 194 Marked trails and fire lines mowed and disked Sprayed melaleuca, Brazilian pepper, java plum, silk oak and climbing fern Cleared overgrown large trees and vegetation from fence lines, cleared remaining downed trees from Hurricane Irma Installed new trail markers along equestrian trail Gopher tortoise burrows marked on berm for maintenance vehicles to avoid Property loss report submitted for fence break, staff repaired Removed broken bench from loop trail Ranger staff issued trespassing citations to two individuals who illegally entered preserve with unauthorized vehicle Ranger staff documented trail sign that was used for target shooting at Lost Lane access gate Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 9/14/2004; second edition approved 1/6/2015 Yellow Fever Creek Preserve 339 acres Yellow Fever Creek area, S & E of Del Prado Blvd. Nominations 138, 156 Hiking trails mowed and fire lines disked Removed silt fence around newly-installed parking area, trimmed vegetation in drainage ditch Sprayed Caesar weed, guinea grass and cogongrass Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 8/7/2007; second edition approved 5/17/2016 Page 2 of 9
Pop Ash Creek Preserve 307 acres NW corner of Nalle Grade Rd. and Nalle Rd. Nomination 206 Treated guinea grass Interpretive sign about alligator safety installed near bench at southwest corner of the lake Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/31/2006; second edition approved 8/2/2016 Powell Creek Preserve 77 acres adjacent to Powell Creek canal, N. Bayshore Rd. Nomination 217 Staff workday to treat exotic vegetation in native planting area and along power line easement Pine tree reduction completed by staff Vehicle abandoned in parking lot, cited and subsequently towed after five days Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/31/2006; second edition approved 4/19/2016 CALOOSAHATCHEE and ORANGE RIVERS AREA Columbus G. McLeod Preserve 9 acres island in the Caloosahatchee River Nomination 79 Site inspection Management Plan Status: Approved by the BOCC 3/27/2007; second edition approved 9/5/2017 Olga Shores Preserve 92 acres rural Olga, along the Caloosahatchee River Nomination 550 Management Plan Status: first edition land management plan to be presented to BOCC soon Orange River Preserve 60.5 acres north shore of Orange River, west of Manatee Park Nominations 142, 470 Ranger staff documented dumped debris and unauthorized camping site on property Management Plan Status: Approved by the BOCC 11/21/2006; second edition approved 1/24/2017 Hickory Swamp Preserve 67 acres Peace Rd., south of Orange River Nomination 73 Hiking trails and fire lines mowed Exotics treatment in progress by contractor Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 10/17/2006; second edition approved 11/1/2016 Buckingham Trails Preserve 572 acres Buckingham Nomination 371 Hiking and equestrian trails mowed and fire lines disked Overgrown vegetation cleared from fence line Prescribed burn conducted Dec. 12 (25 acres burned) Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/10/2012 West Marsh Preserve 206 acres Buckingham, west of Harns Marsh Nomination 214-2 Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 5/14/2013 Page 3 of 9
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve 1,308.5 acres north shore of Caloosahatchee River Nominations 82, 108, 124, 158-2, 174, 175, 188, 225, 362, 472, 515 Sprayed exotics along fence lines and hiking trails Removed hazard tree from boardwalk Installed additional signage for bicycling on White Trail Sweetbay Trail temporarily closed in October due to bees, which were eventually relocated elsewhere Volunteer workday with FGCU students clearing overgrown vegetation along White Trail on Oct. 4 (7 volunteers, 27 hours value) Approved by BOCC 10/16/2007; second edition approved 3/6/2018 Billy Creek Preserve 51 acres Billy Creek Nomination 388 Management Plan Status: Still waiting for draft from City of Fort Myers HICKEY S CREEK MITIGATION PARK AREA Hickey s Creek Mitigation Park and Greenbriar Connector 96 acres parcels adjacent to HCMP Nominations 4, 101, 243, 250, 285, 326, 328, 331 Exotics treatment in progress by contractor Sprayed Brazilian pepper and Caesar weed along crushed shell path Boundary staking project completed by engineering consultant Volunteer workdays with FGCU students to trim vegetation and remove trash on Oct. 10, 15 and 29, and Nov. 3 (10 volunteers, 32 hours value) Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 12/2/2003; second edition approved 8/16/2016 Alva Scrub Preserve 1,155.5 acres northeast corner of County Nominations 57, 127, 136, 163-3, 195, 325, 357 Fire lines disked, trimmed oak limbs for tractor access on south fire line Sprayed exotics including Caesar weed, mission grass, guinea grass, balsam apple and wild taro Mapping preparation completed for bicycle trail Blocked off unauthorized trails that were created by contractor during exotics treatment Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 10/14/2008; amendment approved 11/5/2013 Daniels Preserve at Spanish Creek 243 acres northeast corner of county Nomination 260 Hiking trail mowed Sprayed Caesar weed and tropical soda apple Repaired unauthorized fence break from neighbor FWC awarded $14,500 grant for gopher tortoise habitat improvement Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 6/20/2006; second edition approved 9/20/2016 Page 4 of 9
Bob Janes Preserve 5,620 acres northeast corner of the county Nomination 324 Fire lines disked and downed trees removed Onsite wells inspected by staff and engineering consultant Two hiking and equestrian trail access gates installed along fence with adjacent Telegraph Creek Preserve Additional trail markers added to Yellow, Blue and Green trails Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 6/24/2008; management plan draft to be presented to BOCC soon Telegraph Creek Preserve 1,730 acres northeast corner of the county Nominations 236-2, 412 Hiking trails mowed and fire lines disked Sprayed exotic vegetation along hiking trail, fence line and parking area Site inspection to determine condition of creek within preserve boundary Fence repaired on northern boundary Ranger staff issued warning and removed German tourist discovered to have been camping in the preserve for multiple nights Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 4/19/2011 SOUTH CENTRAL LEE COUNTY AREA San Carlos Bay-Bunche Beach Preserve 705 acres south of Summerlin Rd., east of Sanibel Causeway Nominations 59, 569 Volunteer workday with Keep Lee County Beautiful for International Coastal Cleanup Day on Oct.13, 66 lbs. of trash collected (25 volunteers, 75 hours value) A group of FGCU students regularly visited preserve to remove invasive Portia tree seedlings from beach shoreline Ranger staff issued multiple warnings to visitors with open containers of alcohol Management Plan Status: First edition approved by BOCC 9/9/2003; second edition approved 11/5/2013 Estero Marsh Preserve 243 acres adjacent to Estero Bay Preserve State Park Nominations 66, 128, 506 Sprayed exotics and mowed access easement Fence repairs along Island Park Road to coordinate with LCDNR staff regarding canal maintenance project Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 9/4/2007; second edition approved 6/19/2018 Mullock Creek Preserve 4.3 acres adjacent to Mullock Creek Nomination 303 Hand-pulled exotic vegetation Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 4/8/2008; second edition approved 3/6/2018 Koreshan Preserve 38 acres adjacent to Koreshan State Park (Boomer property) Nomination 258 Sprayed guinea grass Staff inspected native plantings in culvert replacement area overseen by Village of Estero, shared concerns about need for additional plantings to prevent erosion Ranger staff discovered abandoned large berry picking camp in southwest corner of the preserve Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/10/2012 Page 5 of 9
Deep Lagoon Preserve 272 acres spans from Deep Lagoon south to Gladiolus Dr. Nominations 77, 78, 116, 199-2 Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 6/28/2005; second edition to be presented soon to BOCC Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve 372 acres near the Six Mile Cypress Slough Nominations 53-2, 69, 216, 239-2, 298, 347, 348, 352, 360, 439 Newly-hired coordinator inspected several management units to become familiar with property Sprayed exotics on fence lines and hand-pulled melaleuca seedlings Treated cattails, West Indian marsh grass and torpedo grass around Gator Lake Volunteer workday to remove Caesar weed and hyacinth on Oct. 11 (4 volunteers, 8 hours value) Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 11/27/2012 Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve North 1,219 acres Nominations 390, 410, 422 Hiking and equestrian trails mowed Site inspection to determine status of exotic vegetation Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 11/27/2012 north of Six Mile Cypress Slough Matanzas Pass Preserve 1.05 acres adjacent to Matanzas Pass Preserve Nominations 283, 284 Sprayed Brazilian pepper, Caesar weed, cogongrass, arrowhead vine, and Sygodium along crushed shell trail Retreated guinea grass and nickerbean Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 5/2/2006; third edition approved 9/19/2017 SOUTHEAST LEE COUNTY AREA Gator Hole Preserve 175 acres north of Corkscrew Rd., approximately 3 miles east of I-75 Nomination 62 Prescribed burns conducted Nov. 13 and 19 (48 acres burned) Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 5/30/2006; second edition approved 10/18/2016 Wild Turkey Strand Preserve 3,105 acres north of Alico Rd. to SR-82 Nominations 90, 200, 345 Hiking trails and fire lines mowed and disked Trimmed grass along entrance and parking area Sprayed Brazilian pepper, melaleuca, torpedo grass and Peruvian primrose willow Hand-pulled Wright s nutrush, trimmed palms around munitions buildings Native planting of pine trees in mitigation area Meeting with environmental consultant to discuss status of hydrological restoration Volunteer workday collecting and removing trash on Nov. 1 (4 volunteers, 12 hours value) Management Plan Status: First edition approved by BOCC 6/28/2005; second edition approved 8/10/2010 Imperial Marsh Preserve 854 acres north of Corkscrew Rd., 9 miles east of I-75 Nominations 93, 259, 288, 321, 334, 567 Fire lines mowed Exotics treatment in progress by contractor Reviewed berm breach restoration plan Management Plan Status: First edition approved by BOCC 10/18/2005; second edition approved 4/28/2009; third edition drafting underway Page 6 of 9
Flag Pond Preserve 67 acres Daniels Rd., east of I-75 Nomination 197 Site inspection to plan for exotics treatment contract Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 3/27/2007; second edition approved 12/6/2016 BONITA SPRINGS AREA Edison Farms 3,922 acres north of Hidden Cypress Preserve, east of I-75 Nomination 474-2 Approximately 700 acres of exotic vegetation treated by contractor (a portion is grant-funded) Management Plan Status: fieldwork underway to draft first edition land management plan Imperial River Preserve 39 acres mouth of the Imperial River Nomination 81 Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 6/7/2000; second edition approved 6/5/2007; third edition approved 9/19/2017 Pine Lake Preserve 174 acres west of Bonita Grande Rd., south of E. Terry St. Nominations 119, 301 Fire lines mowed Sprayed Mexican clover and torpedo grass Communicated with contractor about wetland mitigation monitoring for SFWMD permit compliance Planning underway for hydrological restoration Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 9/6/2005; second edition approved 11/3/2015 Hidden Cypress Preserve 430 acres near Wellfield Rd. and Liberty Youth Ranch Way Nomination 249 Two loose bulls from Edison Farms removed by cattleman Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/8/2013 Oak Creek Preserve 3.9 acres Oak Creek Nomination 344 Site inspection Coordinated with City of Bonita Springs for their planned upcoming exotic vegetation treatment along creek Management Plan Status: Approved by BOCC 1/7/2014 CREW 40.5 acres Nominations 419, 428, 465, 469, 482, 483, 512, 519, 568 Site inspection Management Plan Status: Managed with SFWMD properties under its management plan Page 7 of 9
GENERAL UPDATES Preserve boundary signs updated with stickers to reflect revised Parks county ordinance FERAL HOG TRAPPING & REMOVAL Location October November December Buckingham Trails Preserve 0 11 8 Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve 0 0 3 Pine Island Flatwoods Preserve 0 11 0 Prairie Pines Preserve 1 0 3 Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve North 13 2 2 Telegraph Creek Preserve 6 0 0 Yucca Pens Preserve 34 24 12 TOTAL HOGS REMOVED: 130 GUIDED NATURE WALKS Location Date Attendance Prairie Pines Preserve 10/6/2018 8 Wild Turkey Strand Preserve 10/20/2018 8 Wild Turkey Strand Preserve - Buckingham Army Air Field history walk 11/10/2018 33 Prairie Pines Preserve 12/1/2018 10 Powell Creek Preserve 12/7/2018 2 Galt Preserve 12/8/2018 8 Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve 12/15/2018 4 TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 73 EDUCATION OUTREACH December 2018-March 2019 guided walk schedule published Staff represented Conservation 20/20 at Ding Darling Days Festival (Oct. 14), Wiggins Pass Nature Festival (Oct. 27) Panther Festival (Nov. 3) and Charlotte Harbor Nature Festival (Nov. 17) Staff presented to FGCU Invasive Species survey class (Oct. 1) and FGCU Wildlife Club (Oct. 16) Wild coco orchid nature spotlight written by Conservation 20/20 staff published in The News-Press on Nov. 25 Page 8 of 9
Acronym definitions BOCC Board of County Commissioners C20/20 Conservation 20/20 DEP Florida Department of Environmental Protection DOT Lee County Department of Transportation FDOT Florida Department of Transportation FFS Florida Forest Service FMPD Fort Myers Police Department FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission LAMSID Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District LCDNR Lee County Department of Natural Resources LCDCD Lee County Department of Community Development LCSO Lee County Sheriff s Office SFWMD South Florida Water Management District Page 9 of 9