Regional Waterway Management System for Lee County, Phase 2.

摘要

The Regional Waterway Management System for Lee County is a collaborative effort by the Lee County Division of Natural Resources, the West Coast Iniand Navigation District, and the University of Florida Sea Grant Program. The Phase 2 report addresses the Pine Island Sound Basin and the region's principal waterway management issue-balancing the phenomenal growth of its boating population with conservation and management of its estuarine resource. The project devises and uses methods that allow for the simultaneous use and protection of coastal waters, while still maintaining the economic vitality of coastal communities. This approach evaluates the human ecosystem (boat user) and waterway system (environment) jointly, concurrently, and spatially; and is consistent with municipal, county, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and WCIND goals of facilitating safe boating and reducing boating impacts on natural resources. The project's design criteria are: (a) fit channel maintenance to boat draft needs; (b) minimize impacts on bay habitats; (c) prioritize and evaluate management alternatives on a regional scale; and (d) identify information products, for boaters and shore residents, which encourage environmental awareness by users of neighborhood waterways and boat access channels.