NATL and the Surge Area Wetland

What NAAC requests of LVL Endorse the concept that academic users of NATL will benefit from having easy and inviting access to the Surge Area Wetland Approve the building of two sections of corral fence as a start toward implementing this concept Here’s what the Natural Area Advisory Committee unanimously approved that I request of you.

This map was prepared this spring by Alex H This map was prepared this spring by Alex H. as information for a site visit to the Surge Area Wetland by the Conservation Area Land Management [CALM] committee. It shows the relationship of the areas designated Preservation Areas 1 and 2 in the 2000-2010 update of the Campus Master Plan. One is now named “Natural Area Teaching Lab” but does not include the parts of NATL known as SEEP and Natural Area Park. The other now has the name of Surge Area Wetlands and has been reduced in area by new buildings used as workshops by UF Housing. SAW is about 12 acres that drains into NATL and that is contiguous with it to the north and to the south of the surge area.

Aerial photo showing where NATL will be and a body of water that will become the main feature of the “surge area wetland.” Note that there is little vegetation around the shallow [and temporary] lake and none within the lake.

50 years later the lake is eutrophic and surrounded by willows.

The northwest corner of SAW contains some hammock similar to what is in NATL across the street.

The dominant feature of SAW is of course the lake The dominant feature of SAW is of course the lake. It is surrounded by a dense growth of royal fern, which is flooded in times of frequent rains (as was the case when this picture was taken last week. In the light spot at upper center and upper right, you can see the willows that surround the lake (but which I did not wade out to). This wetland is unlike anything in NATL in its vegetation and physical features.

Fiberglass/Aluminum Baffle What seems likely to become another academic asset of SAW is a project to improve the stormwater-treating function of the wetland. (This is from a presentation that LVL saw this spring in connection with the stormwater management problems of the land to the east that Phil Emmer plans to develop as an apartment complex.) It envisions a barrier that will cause stormwater to take a cleansing path through the lake rather than flowing directly parallel with Archer Road, into NATL’s sinkhole pond, and then directly into the Florida aquifer. [The stormwater includes some that comes directly from Archer Road.]

Four-board corral fence, erected in 1995, was the first improvement that NAAC recommended for NATL. It was eventually extended and now serves to delineate the east and north boundaries of NATL where they contact Natural Area Drive and the Cultural Complex.

The red line indicates the north limits of the Surge Area as they were modified in 1997 when the east and south boundary fences were established for NATL. The part north of the red line contains the stormwater retention area for two storage buildings build by PPD. SAW area is well positioned to serve some of the same functions as the academic-only area of NATL and it has features that are in no way duplicated in NATL.

The 1997 boundary fence was field fencing The 1997 boundary fence was field fencing. [The 1995 corral fence was not extended southward along the area annexed from the Surge Area.] Part of the current proposal is to replace the portion of the field fence that is along Natural Area Drive with an 89 ft extension of the four-board corral fence. [In this picture the end of the corral fence (which is where the field fence makes a right-angle turn westward) is the field fence corner post which can be seen just north of the power pole with the two transformers and just south of the only large tree trunk that is close to Natural Area Drive.

That portion is shown here in purple (west side of Natural Area Drive) That portion is shown here in purple (west side of Natural Area Drive). The rest of the proposal is to erect a matching section of corral fence across the street along the border of the Surge Area Wetlands (the purple line on the east side of Natural Area Drive). This would include a gateway at the north end similar to the one into NATL. This section would be 80 ft. [There also should be an opening in the new NATL fence to match the one into SAW.]

Here is the site of the proposed SAW corral fence Here is the site of the proposed SAW corral fence. The dead vines at lower left are on a post that marks the south end of the proposed new NATL fence.

What NAAC requests of LVL Endorse the concept that academic users of NATL will benefit from having easy and inviting access to the Surge Area Wetland Approve the building of two sections of corral fence as a start toward implementing this concept Again--