The Southwest Florida Estuaries:
How do we restore and protect these valuable estuaries?

Poster presented May 1999, at the South Florida Restoration Science Forum

Part 1: Belle Meade Land Acquisition and Restoration

By: Todd Hopkins, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

(Click on map above for larger version.)

Watershed Plan The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR), located south of Naples on the Gulf coast of Florida, developed a Watershed Management and Restoration Plan for the Belle Meade. The Plan identified priority acquisition and restoration strategies.

Land Acquisition FDEP at RBNERR, in partnership with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, developed a CARL Project proposal for the Belle Meade watershed. The 19,000 acre project boundary included priority surface water flow ways into the Rookery Bay and Ten Thousand Islands estuary.

Belle Meade Work Group Established to resolve ongoing landowner concerns about the CARL acquisition process, the Work Group consisted of representatives from land owners, local government, and environmental interests. Chaired by RBNERR, the Group successfully developed a series of project recommendations that were approved by a multi-agency committee, and the CARL project moved forward swiftly. Currently, over 70% of the project has been purchased.

Restoration and Management Working in cooperation with the Florida Division of Forestry, Department of Transportation, and others, RBNERR has initiated a series of restoration projects designed to restore surface water hydropatterns to the estuary. Projects include the removal of over 12 miles of abandoned roads, installation of culverts, and wetlands restoration.