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© RJ Wiley

Promoting Direct Land Acquisition and Preservation
Audubon will promote the acquisition of specific tracts of land for Conservation within the key ecosystems of Central Florida. Primary ecosystem targets for action are the Wekiva, St. Johns River-Econlockhatchee, Upper Kissimmee, Lake Wales Ridge, Green Swamp-Withlacoochee ecosystems and the Volusia Conservation Corridor. These ecosystems are the backbone of biological diversity, important bird areas, and vital water resource components that provide hope for Central Florida’s future sustainability. Notable examples of the specific success Audubon has had in this endeavor thus far are the acquisitions of the Joshua Creek and Yarborough Ranch tracts in the St. Johns-Econlockhatchee basins, the Neighborhood Lakes Tract in the Wekiva Basin, and the Colt Creek (Overstreet) tract in the Green Swamp. The total value of the investment in these purchases is in excess of $200 million. Near-term targets for ongoing acquisition efforts include the Lenholt Farms tract in the Wekiva basin, the Lonesome Camp Ranch, Parker-Poinciana (Avatar) and Lake Hatchinaha tracts in the Kissimmee Basin, and the Rainbow River Ranch. These tracts are in each case vital to the ecosystem within which they are embedded, and without prompt acquisition are at immediate risk of conversion to developed areas. Additional specific tracts will be identified as the Audubon program progresses. Audubon will lobby to promote purchase of these tracts through state, local, and water management district land acquisition programs.

Bald Eagle © RJ Wiley

Promoting a Regional Land Preservation Consensus
In order to explore the potential for a new regional environmental land acquisition initiative, develop a consistent approach to land preservation that crosses jurisdictional lines, and to begin marketing to attain a broad public consensus on the land preservation needs of the region, Audubon is promoting a regional consensus on the mapping of lands that must be protected and conserved. The objective will be to attain a decision by leaders of the seven county commissions in Central Florida (Orange, Lake, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, and Polk) to support a common GIS-based map identifying lands of high ecological value which should be conserved. Through Audubon’s prior leadership, a consensus map is in preparation under the auspices of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, and this process is incorporating the work of land acquisition programs and land managers from all seven counties. This map is an outgrowth of natural Central Florida (an effort Audubon has been involved in for the past four years), and should be complete before the end of 2007. Decisions to attain the political consensus should be complete in 2008. On a larger front, Audubon has advocated a fundamental shift in the way Florida manages growth, development, and land preservation. The Audubon approach is to guide these decisions based on science driven GIS maps that identify important environmental resource lands. Audubon has successfully advanced this concept through participation on the “Century Commission”. The Commission has accepted Audubon’s recommendations as a central priority of its work program, and has embarked upon creation of a “Critical Lands Identification Project” (CLIP) which will map the most environmentally important lands statewide. Audubon will continue to guide this critically important task and create a series of statewide maps that provide guidance for development/preservation decisions.

Promoting a Regional Land Acquisition Program
Audubon has taken the lead in the creation of a regional land acquisition program to supplement state, water management district, and local government land acquisition programs. Audubon promoted passage of a legislative amendment in 2007 allowing two or more government entities to create a regional land acquisition program through tax increment financing. Further development and promotion by Audubon of the regional land agency will follow the conclusion of a regional consensus – promoted by Audubon – on the mapped land preservation needs of the region as described above. In addition to directly acquiring land, this new regional entity may also broker regional trading of development rights as part of its mission. The development of a unified regional approach to land acquisition will also include reaching a consensus by public officials in the region to approach the Legislature for additional land acquisition funding.

Promoting Innovative Land Conservation Tools
Direct purchase of lands or conservation easements, even if aggressively funded, is only a partial solution to the conservation and preservation needs of Central Florida ecosystems. Other mechanisms are necessary as additional “tools in the toolbox”.

1. Over the past 1.5 years, Audubon has promoted a county-wide development rights trading mechanism in Osceola County. At Audubon’s suggestion, the county has incorporated a form of this mechanism in its Comprehensive Plan. Audubon continues to work with the county and the Department of Community Affairs in order to refine the workability of the mechanism. The Osceola Transferable Development Rights program will require many developers of land in the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to purchase development rights from rural landowners outside the UGB in order to attain development approval. Another aspect of the program will allow landowners in the UGB to voluntarily purchase additional credits to increase development densities. Once the Osceola program is underway, Audubon will begin to promote this concept in other counties within the region.
2. Another tool Audubon is working with is “Rural Land Stewardship” (RLS). This evolving program was approved by the Legislature and modified during the course of legislative sessions over the past four years. Florida’s Department of Community Affairs is taking steps to further refine the RLS process and Audubon is directly involved in that effort. Under RLS, owners of expansive rural tracts may trade-off preservation and “agriculture only” easements over the substantial majority of their acreage in exchange for approval of development nodes of higher density on a small part of their property. Audubon is directly encouraging landowners and agencies to make the process work in Osceola County.
3. Additional innovative methods of land conservation are attainable through promoting creation of mitigation opportunities. Audubon is directly encouraging landowners to consider development of Mitigation Banks and similar use of land for mitigation as an alternative to conventional real estate development.

Directing Growth to the Right Places
The location of future roadways will direct where development goes in Central Florida. Audubon is working with road-building agencies to encourage avoidance of key ecosystems, and where ecosystems are crossed, to require stringent growth control and engineering measures to minimize impacts. Audubon is also seeking intervention by the State Department of Community Affairs and Governor’s office to require special “Task Force” processes, such as that successfully deployed through Audubon’s efforts in the Wekiva in 2002-2004. These processes are intended to engage local governments, state and federal environmental agencies, transportation agencies, and other stakeholders in a comprehensive set of decisions that help assure new infrastructure does not result in adverse land use and environmental consequences. Another goal of these process efforts is to harness transportation agency dollars to help leverage land preservation. Audubon’s current effort in this regard is directly engaged with the proper completion of the “Wekiva Parkway” and establishment of a new Task Force process in Osceola County south of West Lake Toho. Audubon will also engage in advocacy to local governments with the objective of guiding areas designated for urban development in local government comprehensive plans to locations that are compatible with the preservation of the remaining major ecosystems in the region. The revision of Local Government Comprehensive Plans required by the 2005 Growth Management Act amendments will be used as an entrée to incorporate protective urban service area limits and policy provisions guiding growth away from the defined ecosystems in local government plans. At the same time, Audubon will support and recommend specific actions to cluster and concentrate growth in areas that do not challenge the existence of the region’s intact ecosystems. Audubon’s goals will strive to ensure sustainable development that protects important ecosystems and quality of life for future inhabitants.

Limpkin © Jay Roach

Direct Engagement with Development Proposals
Audubon intervenes in regulatory and land use processes to comment on, and sometimes oppose, major development proposals. Audubon seeks preservation concessions that set aside high value habitats and wetlands in conservation easements. Audubon encourages concentration of density on the least environmentally sensitive portions of development project lands, and special conservation set-asides to protect key species such as Bald Eagles and their nesting sites. Audubon is currently engaged with comments and advocacy concerning six major Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) in Osceola County, two major DRIs in Lake County, as well as DRIs in Polk, Volusia, and Brevard Counties. Past efforts have helped shape three major DRI projects in Orange County. Other developments in sensitive locations that are not large enough to reach the DRI status are also selectively addressed by Audubon. Audubon strives to achieve a 50% or more preservation ratio for lands encompassed by major development projects.

Reducing Water Use through Development Design
Audubon encourages those planning commercial and residential real estate developments to avoid landscape designs that require irrigation. Typical lawns and shrubbery used as Florida developed in the past consume 50% or more of the potable water supply. If future development is encouraged and ultimately required to employ drought tolerant and xeriscape landscaping methods, and the use of turfgrass is minimized, dramatic reductions of water use are possible. This would conserve water for the benefit of our state’s natural ecosystems, and in fact represents the most attainable “low hanging fruit” in water supply planning. Audubon will advocate harvesting additional water through conservation as the primary way the region should plan and develop alternative water supplies for the future rather than other proposals which would risk environmental damage to the region’s river systems. Audubon will increase its activity on this issue and specifically in the Central Florida region. Audubon will evaluate the potential for utilizing “petitions for rulemaking” and similar tools to assure regulatory changes occur to reduce water wasted through poor landscape designs.