Corkscrew Regional Mitigation Bank |
Corkscrew Regional Mitigation Bank was established as a result of the State of Florida enacting legislation and rulemaking that encouraged each water management district to establish at least two mitigation banks. EarthMark Southwest Florida Mitigation, LLC, has developed the Corkscrew Regional Mitigation Bank in public-private contract with the South Florida Water Management District.
Corkscrew Regional Mitigation Bank is a 632.5 +/- acre parcel located in Southeastern Lee County. The bank’s northern border is adjacent to the 7,000 +/- Flint Pen Strand Addition/Imperial Marsh Mitigation Area and the land to the east is owned by Lee County’s 2020 Conservation Program. The bank’s proximity to the publicly owned land increases the bank’s ecological function for wetland and wildlife habitat restoration. CRMB will also complement conservation activities occurring or planned within this portion of Lee County providing greater ecological benefit to the area.
Located in the Estero Bay Drainage Basin, CRMB can offset impacts within the Estero Bay, West Collier and West Caloosahatchee Drainage Basins. In addition, the property is located in the Primary Panther Habitat area and is approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide Panther Habitat Units to projects impacting panther habitat.
Prior to restoration of the bank, the site was mostly pasture and isolated natural areas used for cattle grazing. A network of perimeter and lateral agriculture ditches within the farm fields altered the hydrology of the wetlands both by inundation and duration.
Restoration of the bank will include a mosaic of upland and wetland, forested and non-forested habitats through creation, enhancement, restoration and preservation in the pre-existing farm field and native lands in the northern portion of the bank. Groundwater elevations across the bank will increase by the elimination of the ditch system.
Native plant species such as the Slash Pine, Cabbage Palm, Cypress, Laurel Oak, Pop Ash, Pond Apple and others were planted within the Hydric Pine, Cypress and mixed wetland hardwood communities along with a direct seeding program for the dominating ground cover.
Maintenance activities will focus on the control of exotic and nuisance species and initiated upon the completion of the initial restoration work, shall continue until the bank reaches the final level of success and the long term management trust fund is fully funded.
; void(0);) Click for larger image |
; void(0);)