TIPPEN BAY SCRUB-JAY CONSERVATION BANK

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The USFWS has issued the permit for the Tippen Bay Conservation Bank (TBCB), located in southern DeSoto County, FL, and to date has released the 239.3 credits associated with Phase I of the bank which are available for sale. The TBCB has established and manages the property as a conservation area that provides off-site mitigation alternatives for public and private developers for permitted activities that involve impact to the Florida scrub-jay. The placement of this property under a conservation easement benefits a diverse assemblage of native wildlife and plant species by expanding the existing network of conservation lands, resulting in large contiguous tracts of managed habitats known as the Brighthour/Fisheating Creek Conservation Corridor. The Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), federally and state listed as threatened, is the primary target species for this conservation bank. Other federal and state listed species, as well as non-listed species will benefit from this project.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

1. Preservation and management of land that currently is under threat of further conversion to agricultural use, and potential residential development.

2. Restoration of improved pasture habitats to maximize the total amount of scrub and upland associated habitats available within the TBCB and the region for the target species and other listed and non-listed plant and wildlife species.

3. Preservation of intact scrub and associated upland and wetland habitats that are currently utilized by scrub-jays, and will benefit this and other listed and non-listed plant and wildlife species.

4. Maintain or increase the population of Florida scrub-jays on the TBCB.

These objectives will be accomplished by implementing a restoration program which includes restoration of converted upland habitats, monitoring to measure the effectiveness of the restoration, implementing a long term management program, and establishing a conservation easement and financial assurances to ensure the continued management of the TBCB in perpetuity. Due to the large area the entire TBCB encompasses, there a phased approach to the release of credits has been established.

PHASE 1 DESCRIPTION

Phase 1 comprises 239.3 acres, including 78.6 acres of Scrub-Jay Type I Habitat consisting of xeric oak scrub, and 100.1 acres of Type II Habitat, consisting of palmetto prairie. A total of 39.8 acres of habitat previously cleared, but currently utilized by scrub-jays, will be enhanced to provide native shrubland habitat that will serve as important connectors and foraging areas. Phase 1 is occupied by three groups of scrub-jays that are currently utilizing the xeric oak, palmetto prairie and improved pasture habitats. Phase 1 also includes habitats that make up a portion of the travel corridor that scrub-jays utilize to move between Phase 1 and Phase 2 and 3 habitats. Portions of these will be enhanced to improve the structure to be more conducive for jay movement. These corridors are highly significant to the long-term survival of this population and must be preserved and managed to allow for continued movement and future immigration. Enhancement of the 39.8 acres of pasture in Phase 1 has begun and achievement of success criteria will be demonstrated prior to release of Phase 2 credits.

SERVICE AREA DESCRIPTION

Florida scrub-jay credits are proposed to be issued for impacts occurring within the

geographic boundaries of the Scrub-jay Metapopulation M21 (Lake Wales Ridge).  The

M21 covers a large geographic area (portions of Lake, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Hardee,

Highlands, Okeechobee, DeSoto, Glades, Charlotte, and Hendry counties).  Based on the

location of the TBCB, the USFWS designated Lake Wales Ridge Scrub-Jay Mitigation

Service Area is proposed to be utilized.  This proposed USFWS Service Area follows the

Mitigation Service Area recommended for this region in the Service’s Amended

Guidance for Assessing Mitigation Needs for Florida Scrub-Jay (February 24, 2004) and

the most recent Service Area Maps provided by the Service.

The TBCB’s geographic location, relative to scrub-jay populations, has been referred to

as a “Subregion connector” (Multi-Species Recovery Plan for South Florida) and part of

the “Prairie Connector Region” (Fitzpatrick et al. 1994).  As such, these populations

provide genetic and spatial diversity and an important link that will contribute to

maintaining scrub-jay populations across the region.  To illustrate, the TBCB is within

approximately 12.5 miles of Prairie Creek Preserve in Charlotte County, and 10.7 miles

of Platt Branch in Highlands County.  In Habitat Conservation Plans for the Florida

Scrub-Jay: A Biological Framework (Fitzpatrick et al. 1994), normal and maximum

dispersal distances across various landscapes are quantified, and indicated 5 miles across

pasture and overgrown scrub is normal and 15 miles is maximum.  

Because the study of metapopulations and subsequent scrub-jay conservation biology is

constantly evolving, future research may reveal the need to revisit current metapopulation

and/or service area boundaries.