HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 08 Aquatic Preserve Map & InfoIndian River County Manatee Protection and Boating Safety Comprehensive Management Plan
Figure 1-A: Aquatic Preserves (North County)
Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve
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Created October, 2001
Projection Albers
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Buffer Preserve boundary created by:
Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas
Both boundaries verified by:
Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas
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IRC Environmental Planning Section Page 12
August 2004
Indian River County Manatee Protection and Boating Safety Comprehensive Management Plan
Figure 1-B: Aquatic Preserves (South County)
Indian River - Vero Beach to Fort Pierce Aquatic Preserve
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IRC Environmental Planning Section
August 2004
0 Aquatic Preserve
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CAMA Map
Created October, 2001
Projection Albers r: —
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Page 13
Indian r River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve Information Page
Page 1 of 4
PV DEP Home About DEP Z
Programs 1Z Contact 1Z Site Map Z Search
Programs
About the Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve
" Coastal &
View_a Map
Size
Geomorohic Features
Aquatic
Contact
Watershed
Archaeological Features
Home
Descriotion of Site
Habitat
Uses
Information
Established
EcologicalImkortance
Manaaement Status
u Aquatic
Location
RareLEndan ered
g Species
References
Preserves
20 and 18-21, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).
Manao_ ement
National
Contact
" Rules
Size
Estuarine
The surface water area of the Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve is approximately
News
43.4 square miles or 27,966 acres.
Research
Laura Herren
" Public
The USGS watershed designation is the Indian River Lagoon.
Reserves
Aquatic Preserve Manager
3300 Lewis Street
Florida Keys
Fort Pierce, FL 34981
National
(772) 429-2995
Marine
Sanctuary
Description of Site
Coral Reef
The East Coast Florida Aquatic Preserves Office is responsible for the Indian River Lagoon (Malabar to
Conservation
Vero Beach), Banana River, and Mosquito Lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a 156 -mile long
Program
estuary that spans from Ponce de Leon inlet in the north to Jupiter Inlet in the south. Located on
Gulf of
Florida's east -central coast, the IRL is America's most diverse estuary. There are over 400 species of
Mexico
fish, 260 species of mollusks and 479 species of shrimp and crabs. The Indian River - Malabar to Vero
Proaram
Beach Aquatic Preserve overlaps temperate and the subtropical zones creating a highly diverse system.
Oceans
Because of this diversity, it was included in the EPA's National Estuary Program.
Information
Established
u About Us
The Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve was established on October 21, 1969 by the
Governor and Cabinet by resolution. In 1975, the Florida Legislature established The Florida Aquatic
Contacts
Preserve Act as codified in Chapter 258, F.S. The Aquatic Preserves are administered under Chapters 18-
20 and 18-21, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).
Manao_ ement
Plans
Location
" Rules
Size
Publications
The surface water area of the Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve is approximately
News
43.4 square miles or 27,966 acres.
Newsletters
Watershed
" Public
The USGS watershed designation is the Indian River Lagoon.
Notices
» Web Article Habitat
Archive
The Indian River estuary is long, narrow, shallow estuary that is bordered on the east by a barrier
island and on the west by the mainland. The major community types are mangrove dominated marshes
Related
or swamps, salt marshes, marine grass beds, drift algae, oyster bars, tidal flats, deep -water areas, and
Programs
spoil islands. There are several community types that border the aquatic preserve: coastal strand,
secondary dunes, floodplain forest, hydric hammock and urban areas. During the 1950's and 1960's
N Florida
most marshes were impounded for mosquito control purposes. Impounded marshes restrict tidal
Oceans
movement making them very susceptible to human impacts. Pollutants that enter this water body often
Council
remain there for extended periods of time without the aid of proper flushing.
Water
Ecological Importance
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/indian-malabar/info.htm 7/20/2010
Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve Information Page Page 2 of 4
Resources
Monitoring
Council The Indian River Lagoon generates over $800 million in revenue annually to the local economy. The
reconnected mangrove marshes and seagrass beds act as nursery grounds to recreationally and
Florida commercially important species, such as snook, grouper, snapper, seatrout, tarpon, and lobster. These
Reaional are just a few of the many species that spend a portion of their life cycle in the lagoon.
Marine
mapp—i ng The Indian River Lagoon is a wintering home to many species of migratory waterfowl.
Gulf -of
Rare / Endangered Species
Mexico
Alliance
Icommon Name
Scientific Name
State
Federal
LIFE
Program_
I
IFish
(common snook
Centropomus undecimalis
n/a
n/a
(mangrove rivulus
Rivulus marmoratus
SSC
n/a
I
(Reptiles
(American alligator
Alligator mississipiensis
SSC
T (s/a)
(Atlantic green turtle
Chelonia mydas mydas
E
E
(Eastern indigo snake
Drymarchon corais couperi
T
T
(Atlantic salt marsh snake
Nerodia fasciata taeniata
T
T
I
Birds
i
Iroseate spoonbill
Ajaia ajaja
SSC
n/a
Ilittle blue heron
Egretta caerulea
SSC
n/a
reddish egret
Egretta rufescens
SSC
n/a
(white ibis
Eudocimus albus
SSC
n/a
(American oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatus
SSC
n/a
bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
T
T
( least tern
Sterna antillarum
T I
n/a
(Mammals
I
(Florida manatee
Trichechus manatus
E I
E
II
Plants
I
(Johnson's seagrass
+Halophila johnsoni
E I
n/a
State listings are taken from the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or, as with plants
Florida Department of Agriculture.
Federal listings are taken from the United
States Fish and
Wildlife
Service. E= Endangered; T= Threatened;
T (s/a)= Threatened due to similarity
in appearance; SSC=
Species of Special Concern; UR= Under
review; n/a= information not available or no designation listed;
C=Commercially exploited
Geomorphic Features
Indian River Lagoon, Sebastian Inlet, Sebastian River
There are 55 spoil islands located throughout the lagoon. These islands are remnants of dredging the
Intercoastal Waterway in the 50's.
Archaeological Features
The Ais Indians occupied the shores of the Indian River Lagoon for several thousand years before the
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Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve Information Page
Page 3 of 4
first Europeans arrived. They depended on the lagoon for transportation and for food. They left behind
many burial mounds and trash mizzens. While many of these mizzens were used as fill material for
roads earlier this century, some were studied extensively.
Uses
Recreational:
Recreational uses include, but are not limited to, fishing, claming, swimming, boating, and nature
appreciation.
Commercial:
Commercial uses include fishing, aquaculture, commercial marinas, and ecotourism.
Education:
Educational uses include field trips conducted by staff and volunteers.
Research:
Research in lagoon is greatly varied. Ongoing research focuses primarily on seagrass health and
ecological functions.
Adjacent Land Use:
Adjacent land uses include urban areas, mosquito impoundments, and publicly owned conservation
lands.
Management Status
The Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas is the lead management agency. The Governor and
Cabinet, acting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, approved the
management plan on January 21, 1986.
Major management issues currently being addressed are stormwater inputs from canals and other
point sources, marsh reconnections, dredging, muck accumulations, spoil island enhancements, seagrass
surveys/transects, and invasive exotic plant removals.
The continued improvement of the Indian River Aquatic Preserve will rely on controlling the freshwater
inputs to the estuarine environment. The timing, quantity, and quality of the stormwater input will be of
the utmost importance to restoring this estuary of national significance.
Spoil Island Management Plan
During dredging of the Intercoastal Waterway in the 1950's, spoil was deposited on either side of the
channel creating islands within the lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon Spoil Island Management Working
Group was established to coordinate the management activities of various state and federal agencies as
they pertain to these islands. Along with select user groups, the agencies goals are to implement the
provisions of the Spoil Island Management Plan, aid in assessment of spoil islands, enhance the
environmental quality of the islands, and provide enhanced public use management strategies. Based
upon physical structure, ecological importance, and historical use, data was used to classify spoil islands
into usage categories that include conservation, education, passive recreation or active recreation. The
Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve contains 55 of the 137 spoil islands designated in
the plan and contains a mix of all usage categories. Currently, selected islands are undergoing exotic
plant removal, revegetation studies, and shoreline erosion control. These methods will not only aid in
biological rehabilitation of the spoil islands, but also will increase public access to selected islands and
thus increase public awareness.
For more information on spoil island management, including volunteer opportunities, please visit The S_ooil
Island Enhancement Proaram.
Mangrove Planting Technical Advisory Committee
The Mangrove Planting Technical Advisory Committee is a multi -agency task force exploring several
options of establishing mangroves along eroding shorelines. The primary method is by PVC encasement.
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Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve Information Page Page 4 of 4
References
Indian River (Malabar to Vero Beach) Aquatic Preserve Management Plan, Florida Department of
Natural Resources. January 1986.
Indian River Lagoon Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan. South Florida Water
Management District and the St. John's River Water Management District. September 1994.
Indian River Lagoon Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. Indian River Lagoon National
Estuary Program. November 1996.
Indian River Lagoon: Spoil Island Management Plan. Florida Department of Natural Resources. June
1990.
Wood, Don. Florida's Endangered species, Threatened Species and species of Special Concern. Florida
Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. April 1996.
Last updated: August 27, 2009
3900 Commonwealth Boulevard M.S. 235 Tallahassee, Florida 32399 850-245-2094 (phone) / 850-245-2110 (fax)
Contact Us
DEPHome ( Abet DEP i C2n acL- 5 I Seams I Site Map
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/indian-malabar/info.htm 7/20/2010