4th Annual Places You’ve Never Herped Event at Dixie Plantation

by Tall Timbers | Oct 25, 2018 | September 2014 | Vol 7 | No 3

4th Annual Places You’ve Never Herped Event at Dixie Plantation

By Kim Sash, Conservation Biologist

On April 26 and 27, the Orianne Society held their fourth annual Places You’ve Never Herped Event. Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy hosted the event at Dixie Plantation in Jefferson County, Florida. For the event, Tall Timbers partnered with the Orianne Society to start documenting the herp-to-faunal (reptiles and amphibians) species on Dixie Plantation. The Orianne Society is a non-profit organization focusing on conservation of imperiled snakes around the world. Each year the Orianne Society puts on the Places You’ve Never Herped event and advertises for a limited number of slots on their website (www.oriannesociety.org). After the event was posted this year, the 35 slots available filled up in less than three hours. Due to demand, we added an additional seven spots that were also filled that day.

A diverse group of people attended the event from all over the southeast; the oldest person was in their 60s and the youngest was a 9-year old aspiring herpetologist. The Orianne Society took care of the logistics for the event with help from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission employees who provided team leaders for both days of “herping” (looking for reptiles and amphibians). We divided into four teams and over the course of two days checked traps and did a lot of hiking through the various habitats on Dixie Plantation. On Saturday night the group was enlightened by two presentations, one by herpetologist, Pierson Hill on rare amphibians of the Florida Panhandle; I gave the other presentation on Tall Timbers Land Conservancy’s conservation efforts in the Red Hills.

At the end of day two, there were a bunch of muddy, wet and blistered folks on Dixie Plantation. We counted all the species we caught and produced a species list. A total of 55 species were found over the two days of searching, the most ever found for a Places You’ve Never Herped Event! A few of the standouts included the dwarf and lesser sirens (similar to a salamander, but without legs), a gopher tortoise hatchling, pine woods tree frogs and mud snakes. We also found a few pinewoods snakes, which had not been documented in Jefferson County since the 1980s. The group also got a county record finding the first black swamp snake ever recorded in Jefferson County. After the list was compiled, the Orianne Society gave out several prizes to individuals for the most amphibian/reptile species found, the largest snake found, the prettiest turtle, and the smallest salamander found.

Overall, it was a very fun weekend and several people saw species they had never seen before. The event could not have gone as smoothly as it did without the collaborative effort of the Orianne Society, Tall Timbers, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; the fine crew at Dixie Plantation contributed to the success. If you would like to join the Fifth Annual Places You’ve Never Herped Event, go to the Orianne Society webpage (www.oriannesociety.org) and become a member.

Thomasville Regional Airport expansion and the Aucilla River

by Tall Timbers | Oct 25, 2018 | September 2014 | Vol 7 | No 3

Thomasville Regional Airport expansion and the Aucilla River

By Neil Fleckenstein, Land Conservancy Planning Coordinator

Tall Timbers’ conservation easements protect many treasured resources in the Red Hills. The Aucilla River, a winding, spring-fed blackwater river is one of the most important. In addition to protecting miles of river frontage, Tall Timbers’ easements conserve over 44,500 acres of habitat in the Aucilla River basin. The river’s humble beginning near the Thomasville Airport belies the ecological, recreational, and historical importance of this regional resource. Its wildlife diversity, scenery, freshwater springs, and brief stretches of whitewater make it extremely popular with paddlers. Some of the most significant archaeological discoveries in the southeastern Unites States have occurred along the river. For these reasons, the Aucilla is designated as an Outstanding Florida Waterbody by the state of Florida.

The Aucilla River and the Thomasville Regional Airport—two seemingly unrelated proper nouns—share something in common: real estate. The Aucilla River begins approximately six miles northeast of Thomasville, near the airport’s main runway. The City of Thomasville is proposing to extend the length of that runway by 1,000 feet to better accommodate the class of business jets that currently use the airport. Due to the short length of the existing runway, departing aircraft currently are weight restricted on takeoff and often must make an added refueling stop to reach their destination. City officials note that providing adequate runway length is an integral component in meeting the present and future needs for business and recreational travel for the community and the Red Hills Region. 

Tall Timbers is well aware and supportive of the vital role the airport plays in the local and regional economy, our transportation infrastructure, and way of life for the seasonal and year round residents of the Red Hills Region. Tall Timbers planning staff have met with City officials, airport consultants, and other interested parties and provided recommendations for moving forward with this project, while also protecting the headwaters of the Aucilla River. 

In comments provided for the official permit record, Tall Timbers recommended that during the construction period, the City strictly adhere to all National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) construction permit requirements related to erosion, sedimentation, and stormwater management. We asked that the City place particular emphasis and added protection during the height of summer storm season when heavy rain events could wash enormous amounts of sediment into Lost Creek, an important tributary of the Aucilla River. We also requested, in the likely event the City applies for and receives a variance to Georgia’s 25 foot minimum vegetative buffer zone for state waters, that the City use extreme care and all appropriate structural and non-structural management techniques to ensure the Aucilla River and its tributaries are protected from harm.

Tall Timbers also noted that the City’s preferred option for expanding the runway will result in the loss of 5.75 acres of wetlands and more than 26 acres of forestlands that buffer, filter, treat, and cool stormwater that leaves the airport, enters Lost Creek, and eventually discharges into the Aucilla River. We urged the City to go beyond traditional best management practices for treating stormwater from the airport. We recommended evaluating a range of structural and nonstructural practices to most effectively manage stormwater rate and volume and improve stormwater quality before it enters Lost Creek. 

Finally, we noted that the airport runway extension will affect Lost Creek Forest, a publically accessible forest conserved through a collaborative effort involving Thomasville, Thomas County and many Red Hills residents. Tall Timbers recommended that the City develop an “interested parties” list to regularly communicate project progress and other relevant information to the public. This would be a prudent step given the potential for this project to impact Lost Creek/Lost Creek Forest and the Aucilla River, two publicly accessible recreational sites. Providing regular updates on the status of the airport construction project on the City’s website and other social media platforms will also improve communication with the public about an important project that should receive more public attention and scrutiny.

Tall Timbers believes this project can be completed in a manner that achieves the goal of enhancing the performance of the airport for its many customers while simultaneously protecting the regionally important Aucilla River and its tributaries. To do so will require that the City exceed minimum standards of protection and opt to aggressively protect vital Red Hills’ natural, scenic, and recreational public resources. We look forward to working with the City as this project moves forward. 

Should you have any questions about this issue, please contact Neil Fleckenstein at 850-893-4153, ext. 335.

Protection of the Aucilla River and its watershed is a high priority for the TTLC.  Photo by Richard Lenz 

Tall Timbers Endorses Florida’s Amendment 1

by Tall Timbers | Oct 25, 2018 | September 2014 | Vol 7 | No 3

Tall Timbers Endorses Florida’s Amendment 1

Tall Timbers joins other leading conservation organizations in endorsing the Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, Amendment 1 on the November 4, 2014 ballot. The purpose of the Amendment is to provide a stable, dedicated funding source for the acquisition of land or purchase conservation easements. The measure, if approved by voters would dedicate 33 percent of net revenues from the existing excise tax on documents to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for 20 years. The Fund would be able to acquire, restore, improve, and manage conservation lands including lands protecting water resources and drinking water sources, forests, fish and wildlife habitats, recreational trails and parks, rural landscapes including working farms and ranches. The Tall Timbers Board recommends that where appropriate, these conservation and recreational lands should include opportunities for hunting on public lands.

Allison DeFoor, former advisor to Gov. Jeb Bush, remarked “Without pristine waters and unspoiled landscapes, Florida will lose the special appeal that has fueled our growth and prosperity…Amendment 1 ensures that our state dedicates adequate dollars into the most essential of public goods- protecting our waters and conserving our lands; it “lives within our means” by ensuring that taxes aren’t raised to do so; and it provides an earnest return on investment for generations to come…”. Tall Timbers urges its supporters to VOTE YES on AMENDMENT 1.

For more information on Amendment 1 go to: http://www.voteyeson1fl.org/