Enhancing Historic Wetland Communities through Historic Flow Pattern Restoration in the Little Withlacoochee River Basin, Baird Tract

摘要

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Florida Division of Forestry (DOF) has been involved with wetland assessments and restoration activities on the Baird Tract (Baird Unit of the Richloam Wildlife Management Area) for the past 15 years. The 11,000-acre Baird Tract is located in central Florida in Sumter County at the north end of an 870-square-mile area designated as the Green Swamp. The Green Swamp contains large expanses of poorly drained flat terrain, where the groundwater is close to the surface. The swamp is the headwaters for the Withlacoochee, Hillsborough, Peace, and Ocklawaha Rivers. Due to its regional importance, thousands of acres have been purchased to protect and manage the natural resources within the Green Swamp. Many years prior to the State's purchase, drainage ditches, canals, and roads were constructed throughout the Baird Tract to drain the wetlands to improve commercial timber operations. Therefore, the restoration of the natural flow patterns and wetland hydrology in the Baird Tract is critical to maintain the health of the Green Swamp and the Little Withlacoochee River Basin as well as reduce flood risks. Descriptions of the project and wetland restoration activities to date are summarized below.