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Home South Florida Water Management District
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  1. Home
  2. our work
  3. land management
  • Flood Control
    • Overview
    • Emergency Management
    • Keeping Canal Right of Way Clear
    • Flood Protection Level of Service
  • Water Supply Planning
    • Overview
    • Upper Kissimmee Basin (CFWI) Plan
    • Lower Kissimmee Basin Plan
    • Upper East Coast Plan
    • Lower East Coast Plan
    • Lower West Coast Plan
    • Alternative Water Supply
    • Water Supply Facilities Work Plans
  • Water Quality Improvement
    • Overview
    • Restoration Strategies
    • Long-Term Plan
    • Everglades Technical Oversight Committee
  • Ecosystem Restoration - By Region
    • Overview
    • Everglades
    • Kissimmee River
    • Lake Okeechobee
    • Coastal Watersheds
    • Florida Bay
  • Ecosystem Restoration - Projects and Programs
    • Advancing Key Priority Projects
    • CERP Project Planning
    • CERP Funding and Implementation
    • Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project
    • EAA Storage Reservoir Project
    • Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program
    • Water Storage Strategies
    • Picayune Strand Restoration Project
  • MFLs & Water Reservations, & RAAs
    • Minimum Flows & Minimum Water Levels
    • Water Reservations
    • Restricted Allocation Areas
  • Land Management
    • Overview
    • Vegetation and Exotic Control
    • Python Elimination Program
    • Land Assessment
  • Local Projects and Programs
    • C-100A Canal Vegetation Removal Project
    • C-15 Canal Vegetation Removal Project
    • Cocohatchee Canal I-75 Loop Interchange Tree Removal Project
    • Lake Belt Mitigation Committee
  • Addressing Blue-Green Algae
  • Resiliency
    • Overview
    • Resiliency and Flood Protection
    • Resiliency and Water Supply
    • Resiliency and Ecosystem Restoration
    • Water and Climate Resilience Metrics
    • Central and Southern Florida Flood Resiliency Study
    • Sea Level Rise and Flood Resiliency Plan
    • Resiliency Coordination Forum
endangered Florida scrub jay

Land Management (Stewardship)

Why Land is Important for Water

There's a natural connection in Florida between water and land. Land catches and absorbs rainfall, holding it in lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands. While on land, water has time to slowly seep into groundwater aquifers, replenishing our drinking water supply.

Land for Conservation and Restoration

As the South Florida Water Management District's responsibilities have broadened over the decades to include ecosystem restoration, lands were purchased for their hydrologic benefits. Programs such as the 1981 Florida Resource Rivers Act, commonly known as "Save Our Rivers," provided state funding for environmentally sensitive lands to be acquired, restored, protected and managed. Caring for the land requires an ongoing commitment to protect water resources, native plant communities, fish and wildlife populations and natural features of the land. We work with the private sector and other resource agencies as we dovetail our efforts for the public's benefit.

Public Use and Ongoing Activities

Providing public access to public lands is mandated by the state and boldly embraced by the District. We cooperate with other state agencies, the federal government, counties, municipalities and the private sector to develop recreational access sites and appropriate facilities that are compatible with protecting our natural resources.
 

Related Links

  • Land Management Plans

 

Conservation Land Maps

map of land management regions

  • 1: Upper Lakes Land Management Region
     
  • 2: Kissimmee/Okeechobee Land Management Region
     
  • 3: East Coast Land Management Region
     
  • 4: Everglades Land Management Region
     
  • 5: West Coast Land Management Region
     

 

Managing Land and Monitoring Resources

Managing more than 1 million acres of public lands is an important responsibility for the South Florida Water Management District. A large number of these conservation lands are open to the public for recreation and nearly all these lands require some form of stewardship activity. The District relies on other agencies and the private sector to help manage some of these lands. Cooperative agreements set forth the type and extent of management assistance provided. Where cooperating entities, such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the Florida Forest Service, have their own rules for a tract of land, the District's regulations supplement those.

Click the tabs below to learn more about management activities on SFWMD lands.
 

  • Natural Resources
    Monitoring
  • Exotic Plant
    Control
  • Prescribed
    Burning
  • Range
    Management
  • Resource
    Protection
  • General
    Maintenance
Natural Resources Monitoring

WHY DO WE MONITOR LAND?

The South Florida Water Management District monitors its land resources to determine the most effective practices for managing land for environmental purposes and to document the results of management activities.

Active land management of natural areas is required in two situations, both of which require ongoing monitoring and evaluation:

  • Land designated for conservation that has been modified by human activity but will be restored to natural conditions
  • Land already in its natural condition that must be maintained

Restoration is the most challenging kind of land management. It requires a range of actions, such as blocking or filling of drainage ditches, treatment of large stands of invasive exotic plants with herbicide, selective harvesting of timber and intense or frequent prescribed fire. Restoration projects typically call for frequent monitoring because the ecosystem responds so dramatically to restoration actions.

HOW DO WE MONITOR?

Vegetation analysis »

Native vegetation is monitored on SFWMD conservation lands because it is not only valuable in itself but critical in determining habitat value for wildlife. Plants are easier to see and count than animals, but more than 500 species of plants grow on District lands. Trained botanists are essential to this work.

Animal censuses »

Supporting populations of native wildlife is one of the most important environmental purposes of District conservation lands. Each kind of animal requires a different approach to monitoring. Large birds and deer can be spotted from aircraft. Nesting songbirds are best located by their territorial calls. Nocturnal and secretive species such as Florida panthers can be detected by their tracks or droppings or by motion-capture cameras with flashes. Burrowing species such as gopher tortoises and sand skinks can be monitored by counting burrows or tell-tale marks left when they move through the sand. The elusive, nocturnal Florida muskrat makes nests of grasses and reeds that can be located by wading around in wetlands. The SFWMD relies heavily on experienced wildlife biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for monitoring animal populations.

Panoramic photo monitoring »

Photography is an efficient way to document the condition of a natural habitat. Although a photograph rarely allows identification of all plant species, it does instantly record a great deal of information about the sizes and spacing of trees, the density of shrub understory and the presence of grasses or herbaceous plants as a ground cover. These aspects of vegetation are what ecologists call habitat "structure" ̵ a very important part of what makes habitat suitable for particular wildlife. For example, scrub jays require shrubbery with open sandy areas and no large trees, while red cockaded woodpeckers demand large, well-spaced pines with little or no shrub layer. Effective land management has a lot to do with maintaining desirable habitat structure for native wildlife. A series of annual photographs tells the story of land that is basically unchanging, land gradually improving in structure or land that is moving away from ideal condition. This information helps the manager to adjust actions to meet wildlife goals. Comparing panoramas from different seasons is also a good way to get a feel for changes in habitat structure.

Exotic Plant Control

Due to the extensive alteration of natural ecosystems and a subtropical climate that favors their growth, exotic plants have become well-established in the environments of South Florida. Invasion of natural communities by exotic plants on SFWMD properties can result in total displacement of native plants, loss of wildlife habitat, alteration of local hydrology, changes in natural fire conditions and degradation of public use areas. Exotic plant control consists of proper application of various environmentally acceptable chemical herbicides combined with biological controls and mechanical techniques.

  • Vegetation and Exotic Control
Prescribed Burning

Fire management is part of an integrated stewardship program for restoring and maintaining the natural state and condition of SFWMD-owned and managed ecologically significant areas. Most native plant communities in Florida are fire-adapted thanks to the historically high rate of lightning-induced fires. Prescribed burns during the heaviest growing season are favored because of their historic significance and ecological benefits. Restoration of a natural fire regime to reduce the frequency of dangerous wildfires is a major goal of the fire management program.

Because prescribed fire is such an important tool for managing conservation lands in Florida, fire gets special monitoring attention. Each fire is evaluated with respect to how fast it spreads, size of flames, degree of charring of tree trunks and scorching of canopy, burning of litter and upper soil layers and consumption of shrubs and palm fronds. Weeks after a fire, the recovering forest is evaluated for mortality of trees and shrubs and for boring insect infestations of injured or stressed trees. Information from fire monitoring is used by land managers to make decisions about how much fuel will be allowed to accumulate and what weather conditions will be appropriate before the next fire is planned.

  • Prescribed Burning – A Land Management Tool [PDF]
Range Management

Many of the lands acquired by the South Florida Water Management District have historically been used as cattle range. Previous owners are provided the opportunity to retain grazing rights through leasebacks and reservations for a pre-determined period. Grazing leases are being established through a private/public partnership on selected projects where sufficient rangeland is available and where the presence of cattle does not interfere with or negatively affect other resource management goals. These leases strive to encourage management partners to provide maintenance services (e.g. fencing, mowing, roller chopping, exotic plant control) in lieu of payment. Leases generally run for a period of five years, placing rangeland back on the county tax rolls during that time. In addition, leases reduce District management costs by encouraging in-kind services in lieu of lease payments.

Resource Protection

The resource protection program utilizes a multi-faceted, multi-agency approach to protect the public and the vital natural resources found on and within the public lands and resource management areas. As part of the program, the SFWMD has adopted rules that govern public use on these District lands.

An array of contractual and non-contractual arrangements are entered into by the SFWMD wherein law enforcement officers from county sheriff's offices, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection patrol public lands, including those acquired under Save Our Rivers to enforce federal and state laws and administrative code. Common problems encountered by these law enforcement officers, associated with the protection of natural areas, include: hunting, fishing and boating violations; dumping of wastes; unauthorized off-road vehicle operation; and trespassing onto adjacent private properties.

Report a Problem

Problems or violations occurring on these public properties may be reported to the South Florida Water Management District by calling (800) 432-2045.

To report wildlife violations, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:

  • Statewide: (888) 404-FWCC [3922]
  • From a cell phone: dial *FWC

In case of emergencies, contact your local sheriff's office at: 911

General Maintenance

General maintenance is required for the large number of fire lines, roads, fences, culverts, houses and sheds associated with South Florida Water Management District lands. These activities include waste cleanup, building fire lines, repairing and replacing perimeter fences, mowing roadsides, replacing and repairing culverts and grading roads. Houses, barns, sheds and public use facilities also require periodic maintenance and repair for safe and enjoyable use by the public.

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South Florida Water Management District

Contact Information

3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406

561-686-8800

800-432-2045 (Florida Only)

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