Land Management Restoration

Overview

The District accomplishes water resource restoration through several programs, primarily our springs program, Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM), land management activities, and mitigation.

Land Management Restoration Accomplishments

During Fiscal Year 2015-2016 (October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016)

  • The Williford Spring restoration project that was completed in 2015 remained closed to the public until July 26, 2016, when the District held a grand opening celebration. Costing more than $2.1 million, this project involved sediment removal, restoring spring shoreline areas, providing stabilized access to the spring, and recreation improvements including a new parking area, boardwalks, interpretive trails, pavilions, and a canoe tie-up dock that will help prevent future impacts by voluntarily asking the public to refrain from paddling canoes into the spring area. Public response to the project has been very positive.
  • One of three cooperative projects to restore the eroding shorelines and address stormwater impacts along Holmes Creek was completed. The remaining two projects, i.e. Live Oak and Hightower Springs landings, are scheduled for completion by the end of FY 2016-2017. These projects are being constructed by Washington County with funding assistance from the District.
  • After site stabilization and a landscape plant grow-in period, the Devil’s Hole swallet in Washington County was opened to the public as a day use recreation area and reservable campsite within the Econfina Creek WMA.
  • The streambank restoration project was completed at Walsingham Park in Washington County. This cooperative project, implemented by USFWS and District staff with funding from FFWCC, utilized geotextile bags to stabilize the eroding shoreline. The restored shoreline was landscaped with native vegetation and several tons of rip-rap rock was removed from the creek.
  • Seed for District groundcover projects were collected from District land on the Econfina Creek WMA. The District continues to research, refine, and establish new habitat restoration techniques that increase species diversity and ecosystem health.
  • The District completed hand planting of 1,198 acres of disturbed longleaf pine habitat. These habitat restoration activities enhance groundwater recharge, improve wetland functions, and offset wetland losses caused by FDOT projects. This project involved the planting of 830,598 longleaf pine tubelings within two WMAs. 

During Fiscal Year 2014-2015 (Oct 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015)

  • The Williford Spring restoration project was completed in 2015. Costing more than $2.1 million, this project involved restoring spring bank areas, providing stabilized access to the spring, sediment removal, and recreation improvements including a new parking area, boardwalks, interpretive trails, pavilions, and a canoe tie-up dock that can help prevent future impacts by limiting the number of canoes that enter the spring area.
  • One cooperative project to restore the eroding streambank on Holmes Creek is 80 percent complete. This project is being constructed by Washington County with funding assistance from the District.
  • A shoreline stabilization project was completed at Devil’s Hole swallet in Washington County. This project, implemented by District staff, utilized a non-structural approach utilizing geotextile bags to stabilize the eroding shoreline with a vegetated retaining wall. In addition, steps and a small dock with a ladder for entering and exiting the swallet were constructed.
  • The majority of the streambank restoration project was completed at Walsingham Park in Washington County. This project, implemented by District staff, utilized geotextile bags to stabilize the eroding shoreline.
  • Seed for District groundcover projects were collected from District land on the Econfina Creek WMA. The District continues to research, refine, and establish new habitat restoration techniques that increase species diversity and ecosystem health.
  • The District completed hand planting of 1,723 acres of disturbed longleaf pine habitat. These habitat restoration activities enhance groundwater recharge, improve wetland functions, and offset wetland losses caused by FDOT projects.  Additionally, 995,800 longleaf pine tubelings were planted within three WMAs.

 During Fiscal Year 2013-2014 (Oct 1, 2013 – September 30, 2014)

  • The Williford Spring restoration project commenced in May 2014.  This $1.54 million project involves restoring spring bank areas, providing stabilized access to the spring, sediment removal, and recreation improvements including a new parking area, boardwalks, interpretive trails, pavilions, and a canoe tie-up dock that will help prevent future impacts by limiting the number of canoes that enter the spring area.  The project will be completed in 2015.
  • Two cooperative projects were commenced to improve recreation areas and restore eroding streambanks on Holmes Creek.  These projects are being constructed by Washington County with funding assistance from the District.
  • A shoreline stabilization project was started at Devil’s Hole swallet in Washington County.  This project, being implemented by District staff, utilizes a non-structural approach utilizing geotextile bags to stabilize the eroding shoreline with a vegetated retaining wall.
  • Seed for District groundcover projects were collected from District land on the Econfina Creek WMA.  The District continues to research, refine, and establish new habitat restoration techniques that increase species diversity and ecosystem health.
  • The District completed hand planting of 1,483 acres of disturbed longleaf pine, wet pine flatwoods, and wiregrass habitat.  These habitat restoration activities enhance groundwater recharge, improve wetland functions, and offset wetland losses caused by FDOT projects.  Additionally, 989,500 longleaf pine tubelings were planted within two WMAs.  The District also reestablished groundcover habitat, planting 108,900 plugs of wiregrass on disturbed habitat sites at the Sand Hill Lakes Mitigation Bank and the Choctawhatchee River/Holmes Creek WMA.

During Fiscal Year 2012-2013 (Oct 1, 2012 – September 30, 2013)

  • The District helped restore approximately 225 feet of stream bank at Dead River Landing in Walton County. Land managers constructed a vegetative retaining wall (non-structural approach) to stabilize an eroding riverbank at a popular recreation site.  The project was built by Walton County staff with assistance from the District.
  • In its ongoing reforestation and groundcover habitat restoration program, the District completed hand planting of 621 acres of disturbed longleaf pine, wet pine flatwoods, and wiregrass habitat across northwest Florida. These habitat restoration activities enhance groundwater recharge and improve wetland functions and also offset wetland losses due to Department of Transportation projects.
  • More than 284,000 longleaf pine tubelings were planted on the Perdido River, Escambia River, Yellow River, Choctawhatchee River, and Econfina Creek water management areas (WMAs) and the Sand Hill Lakes Mitigation Bank.
  • The District also reestablished groundcover habitat, planting more than 372,000 plugs of upland/wetland wiregrass and toothache grass on disturbed habitat sites on the Sand Hill Lakes Mitigation Bank and the Perdido River mitigation tract.
  • Seeds for many District groundcover projects were collected from District land on Econfina Creek WMA. The District continues to research, refine, and establish new habitat restoration techniques that increase species diversity and ecosystem health.