June 2018: Planted scrub oaks and wire grass in the FWC Royce scrub restoration area. The simple water tower in the background supplied water to 400 scrub oaks and 100 wire grass plants via the irrigation lines in the picture.
First, a big thanks to all the Ridge Rangers and Lake Placid Garden Club members who helped set up the irrigation system and then planted oaks and wire grass in the May/June 2017 scrub habitat restoration effort! In June of the this year Ridge Rangers followed up on the 2017 plantings with a one-year survival/health survey, and the oaks and wire grass that you planted are thriving!
The banner photo at the top of this newsletter shows Ridge Rangers and Lake Placid Garden Club members planting scrub oaks and wire grass in the restoration area in May 2017.
Previous restoration plantings by the Ridge Rangers saw a big improvement using plant additives in the potting stage, and last year a simple gravity-powered irrigation system was also implemented which supplied water to each plant throughout the year. As shown in the below graph, the irrigation had a huge positive impact, with 90% of the scrub oaks and wire grass surviving and healthy one year after planting.
The May/June 2017 scrub restoration plants are doing great, but from here on they will be on their own. During the rainy season underway now in July 2018, the Ridge Rangers removed the irrigation system to return the restoration area to a natural state.
July 21, 2018: Ridge Rangers collect the flagging and disconnect the lines in the irrigation system prior to rolling it up for removal.
Because of the huge difference it made, we’ll be implementing an irrigation system with the upcoming restoration plantings in August and early September. This restoration area is also at the FWC Royce unit, but is a former citrus grove and will be new to most Ridge Rangers.
Planting dates are August 4, August 25, and September 8 … come join us! See the events below for more information and links to map location and to sign up.
You can see a short video of the Ridge Rangers water tower being moved to provide irrigation in the new scrub restoration area on the Ridge Rangers Flickr site at https://flic.kr/p/KRBLNX .
Saturday, August 4, from 8 am to around noon
FWC Royce Unit, Lake Placid
We’ll be having watermelon and a hot dog cookout right after this planting .. come join us!
This native scrub plant planting will be in a new restoration area (a former citrus grove) at the Royce Unit, and most Ridge Rangers haven’t worked in this area before. This effort will also be different in that we’ll be planting a much greater variety of plants, including Scrub Hawthorn, Rusty Lyonia, Garberia, Blazing Star, Gopher Apple, Bear Grass, Paw Paw, October Flower, and many more!
Restoring this habitat will create homes for endangered species like the Florida Scrub Jay and the Gopher Tortoise.
This is the first of three planting workdays for this restoration area. The others are on August 25 and September 8.
The FWC Royce Unit is part of the Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area and is located to the northeast of Lake Placid and near Lake Istokpoga. The most distinctive natural community on the Lake Wales Ridge is scrub, home to one of the rarest collections of plants and animals in the world. Healthy scrub has the appearance of a miniature forest with trees seldom taller than 10 feet and open patches of sand. The WEA contains 20 of 22 federally listed plant species known to occur on the Lake Wales Ridge.
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Saturday, August 11, from 8 am to around noon
FWC Platt Branch, near Venus, FL
We'll be removing an old ranching fence to return the area to a pristine natural site, and to increase safety for both workers and wildlife. Removing an old fence from an other-wise great natural area is always very rewarding!
Platt Branch Wildlife & Environmental Area comprises 1,972 acres and is located about 16 miles south of Lake Placid and east of Fisheating Creek. Diverse natural communities at Platt Branch provide habitat for wildlife and include well-managed pine flatwoods, scrub, cutthroatgrass seeps, and wetlands such as depression marshes and floodplain swamps. These habitats support a remarkable diversity of wildlife, including protected species such as the gopher tortoise, fox squirrel, Florida scrub-jay and red-cockaded woodpecker.
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Thursday, August 16, from 8 am to around noon
Bok Tower Gardens, near Lake Wales
BTG Land Manager Katrina Noland will be leading a workday planting native plants to restore a natural area at the Gardens.
Bok Tower Gardens is a leader in conservation in central Florida, with efforts including: curating a National Collection of rare plants, performing rare plant rescues, researching the basic biology of plant species, reintroducing plants into the wild, offering educational opportunities. and networking with other conservation organizations
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Saturday, August 18, from 8 am to noon
Archbold Biological Station, near Venus
We’ll be working in small teams to walk through a section of the Red Hill area at Archbold surveying for rare plants (Eriogonum Floridanum) as well two invasive plants .
You’ll be trained in how to identify the plants and record the information on provided GPS units.
This is a great way to see the amazing view from Archbold's Red Hill!!
Archbold Biological Station (5,193 acres) and the Archbold Reserve (3,648 acres) together comprise a 8,840-acre globally-significant preserve, located in the Florida scrub, one of the most distinctive natural habitats in the United States. Archbold provides secure access to study areas and organisms on land that is managed for scientific purposes. The Station is a series of relict sandy dunes, including xeromorphic scrubs, flatwoods and the 90-acre Lake Annie. Agricultural and natural lands lie to the west on the Archbold Reserve. Neighboring state-owned lands and private conservation easements mean that the Station lies within a protected area network totaling 16,200 acres. Fire is the prevalent ecosystem process in scrub. The Station provides experimental manipulation, through large and small-scale prescribed burning, to test hypotheses about ecological responses to fire. This region supports many of the rarest species in North America. Archbold is host to 19 federally-listed species and is regarded as critical for the long-term global viability of numerous endemic scrub species.
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Saturday, August 25, from 8 am to around noon
FWC Royce Unit, Lake Placid
This planting will be in a new restoration area (a former citrus grove) at the Royce Unit, and most Ridge Rangers haven’t worked in this area before. This effort will also be different in that we’ll be planting a much greater variety of plants, including Scrub Hawthorn, Rusty Lyonia, Garberia, Blazing Star, Gopher Apple, Bear Grass, Paw Paw, October Flower, and many more!
Restoring this habitat will create homes for endangered species like the Florida Scrub Jay and the Gopher Tortoise.
This is the second of three planting workdays for this restoration area. The last one is on September 8.
The FWC Royce Unit is part of the Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area and is located to the northeast of Lake Placid and near Lake Istokpoga. The most distinctive natural community on the Lake Wales Ridge is scrub, home to one of the rarest collections of plants and animals in the world. Healthy scrub has the appearance of a miniature forest with trees seldom taller than 10 feet and open patches of sand. The WEA contains 20 of 22 federally listed plant species known to occur on the Lake Wales Ridge.
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No Ridge Rangers workday on Saturday September 1st due to the Labor Day weekend.Have a great holiday!
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