Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refugeand Conservation Area

Polk, Osceola, Okeechobee, and Highlands Counties, Florida

January 2012

Refuge Contact Information

For more information about the refuge and conservation area, including land acquisition and public use opportunities,please contact:Charlie Pelizza, Refuge Manager4055 Wildlife WayVero Beach, FL 32963772.581.5557 x1 (office)772.581.5510 (fax)email: evergladesheadwaters@fws.gov

www.fws.gov/southeast/evergladesheadwaters

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Establishing the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation AreaPolk, Osceola, Okeechobee, and Highlands Counties, Florida

Cattlemen move a herd across their Polk County ranch along the shores of Lake Kissimmee.Photo credit: Carlton Ward Jr / CarltonWard.com

Ken SalazarUnited States Secretary of the Interior

Everglades Headwaters National WildlifeRefuge and Conservation Area

"This initiative is aimed at preserving a rural working ranch landscape to protect and restore one of the greatgrassland and savanna landscapes ofeastern North America."Interior Secretary Ken Salazar

Everglades Headwaters Conservation PartnershipWorking together through public-privatepartnerships is the key to conservingCentral Florida's great grasslands andprairies, the remnants of a once vastecosystem.

The 150,000-acre EvergladesHeadwaters National Wildlife Refugeand Conservation Area is the collabora-tive vision of multiple partners to add theconservation pieces needed to foreverprotect the Kissimmee River Basin's nat-ural resources. As such, this project hasfew peers in the National WildlifeRefuge System. Working with privatelandowners and public entities, the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service will use a com-bination of refuge land and easements toconnect existing pockets of conservationareas. The goals are to create wildlifecorridors, protect rare species, restorewetlands and provide outdoor recreation,while supporting working ranches.

To accomplish these common goals, theService is committed to developing long-term partnerships with local communi-ties, landowners, ranchers, recreationalusers, local businesses, organizations,

and the public, as well as with local,State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.Together, we can conserve the best of theEverglades Headwaters for future gen-erations to enjoy, with its abundantwildlife, clean water and rural heritage.

Existing Conservation in the Kissimmee River BasinThe network of existing conservationlands within the Kissimmee River Basinincludes State parks, State wildlife man-agement areas, the Avon Park Air ForceRange, The Nature Conservancy'sDisney Wilderness Preserve, and agri-cultural lands.

Wildlife, Habitats, and the Conservation NeedThe Kissimmee River Basin has a longhistory of cattle ranching, farming andforestry. Its mosaic of sandhill and scrub,freshwater wetlands, prairies, pine flat-woods and pastures support iconicFlorida species, including the Floridablack bear, Florida panther, Floridagrasshopper sparrow and Florida scrub-jay. Hundreds of other rare species alsocall this area home, some of which existnowhere else in the world.

As Florida continues to grow and devel-op, these natural resources and ruralway of life are under pressure. Thethreats include water pollution, urbandevelopment and fragmented habitats.As the nation's leading conservationagency for wildlife and habitat protec-tion, the Service is working with publicand private land managers, as well asother partners, to realize a cohesivevision for the landscape.

Land Protection Plan and Environmental AssessmentThe Land Protection Plan (LPP) and theFinal Environmental Assessment (EA)for the Everglades Headwaters NationalWildlife Refuge and Conservation Area

were signed by Service Director DanAshe in January 2012. Director Ashe'sapproval of these documents authorizesthe Service to begin negotiating withlandowners to acquire land or interest inland, thereby establishing the refuge andconservation area.

The LPP will guide the establishment ofthe refuge and conservation area. TheLPP outlines the resource protectionneeds; presents the methods the Servicecould use in working with conservationpartners and interested landowners toaccomplish these needs; and details alayout of the lands that could be includedin the project, including conservationprotection priorities for the refuge andconservation area.

The Final EA analyzes the anticipatedimpacts of the alternatives, addressespublic comments and identifies the pre-ferred alternative. Based on these pointsof consideration, it concludes with a"Finding of No Significant Impacts."After sufficient lands and conservationeasements have been acquired, anotherintensive planning effort will take placeto develop a long-range managementplan called the ComprehensiveConservation Plan.

Next StepsPiecing together the EvergladesHeadwaters National Wildlife Refugeand Conservation Area will likely takeyears, if not decades. The primarysource of Federal funding will come fromthe Land and Water Conservation Fund,which is derived largely from off-shoreoil and gas leases. Other ways land andeasements may be acquired includedonations, leases and agreements as theService works with private landownersand conservation groups.

As the Service negotiates with willinglandowners interested in selling theirland or interest in their land, high priori-ty will be given to native habitats onwhich wetlands exist and can be restoredto benefit fish and wildlife.

As the refuge is established, public usesthat can occur on the refuge may include:Hunting and fishing;Environmental education and

interpretation;Wildlife observation and

photography; andHiking and horseback riding.

Other activities supporting these usesinclude: primitive camping and off-roadvehicle use on designated roads andtrails in support of hunting and research;and boating to support fishing access.The Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission will co-man-age refuge lands under the State wildlifemanagement area program to offer hunt-ing and fishing opportunities.

The Service will manage the refuge to:Provide habitat for threatened,

endangered and resident wildlife species;

Fill wetland drainage ditches to restore historic water storage capacity;

Provide breeding grounds for waterfowl;

Conduct prescribe burning and allow grazing to remove excess vegetation and restore nativeplant communities;

Control invasive species throughmanual, mechanical, and/or chemical means; and

Protect cultural and historical resources for the public to enjoy.

The conservation area will provideimportant opportunities for conservation,while at the same time maintaining theability of the ranching community to per-sist. Only those lands in which theService acquires partial interest will besubject to the terms and conditions ofthe easement, agreement or other tool(s)that will be used. Those lands chosen aspart of the conservation area will providevital connectivity and buffers for therefuge and other conservation landswithin the Kissimmee River Basin.

Dan AsheDirector of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

"Collaboration with the State of Floridaand other partner agencies, organiza-tions, and landowners is the hallmark ofthis effort and key to its success."U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe

Vision

To conserve, protect, and manage one of the greatgrassland and savanna landscapes of eastern NorthAmerica for current and future generations, protectingthe important wildlife and habitats of the working rurallandscape of Central Florida's Kissimmee River Basinthat is home to abundant fish and wildlife resources;that is vital to restoration and protection of the waterquality and quantity for the Everglades ecosystem; thatis resilient to the effects of global climate change; andthat offers outdoor recreational opportunitiesimportant to the region's economy.

Goals

Create a more connected conservation landscape by providing healthy habitats between existingconservation areas. These wildlife corridors will allow habitats and species to shift in response to urban development and global climate change.

Provide a wide range of quality habitats to support migratory birds, federally and State-listed species, State designated Species of Special Concern, and native wildlife diversity.

Improve the water quality, water quantity, and water storage capacity of the upper Evergladeswatershed in support of Everglades restoration goals and the water needs of Central andSouth Floridians.

Provide wildlife-dependent recreation and education. Refuge visitors of all abilities will enjoyopportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental educationand interpretation, while increasing knowledge of and support for conservation of the importantgrassland and savanna landscape of the headwaters of the Everglades.

Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area

The 50,000-acre refuge could potentially be located in up to six units. The Service has identified a largerarea, called the Conservation Focal Area (outlined by the blue areas on the map), within which to purchasethese refuge lands. This larger area will allow the Service to respond over time to changing landownerinterest and opportunities as they arise.

The conservation area will consist of up to 100,000 acres in partial interest, such as conservation ease-ments that prohibit development. This land will remain in private ownership, and the landowners will con-tinue to control activities on their lands. The map identifies a larger area, called the ConservationPartnership Area (outlined by a dotted line on the map), within which the Service will purchase and estab-lish the conservation area.

This is a voluntary program. Landowners are under no obligation to sell their properties or easements ontheir properties to the Service.

Savannah landscape of Central FloridaPhoto credit: George Willson

Eastern MeadowlarkPhoto credit: Carlton Ward Jr / CarltonWard.com

Children experiencing outdoor wildlife education.

Cattle ranchers rounding up a cow and calf along the shores of Lake Kissimmee.Photo credit: Carlton Ward Jr / CarltonWard.com

Florida black bearPhoto credit: Carlton Ward Jr / CarltonWard.com