Ridge Rangers February 2017 Newsletter

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission sent this bulletin at 01/31/2017 03:36 PM EST

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Ridge Rangers are volunteers restoring wildlife habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge and nearby areas in Central Florida.

February 2017

In this newsletter:

FWC celebrates 75 years of wildlife management area conservation success
February Ridge Rangers Events
Ridge Rangers in January

FWC celebrates 75 years of wildlife management area conservation success

In 2017, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the wildlife management area system, one of the state’s greatest natural treasures. The FWC oversees this statewide network of remote and scenic lands, managing them for conservation and recreation. To celebrate the milestone and help people discover the opportunities these public lands offer, the FWC is hosting free events throughout the year. Here's more about Florida's amazing wildlife management areas:

Florida's wildlife management area system (WMA) started with the purchase of Babcock Webb in 1941 in Charlotte and Lee counties. By the 1960s, there were 28 WMAs.
Today, Florida has one of the largest systems of public lands in the country at nearly 6 million acres. FWC is the lead manager or landowner on over 1.4 million acres and works in partnership with other governmental or private landowners on another 4.5 million acres.
These lands are the best of the best of what wild Florida has to offer and span a variety of habitats from longleaf pine uplands and pine flatwoods to the hardwood hammocks and sawgrass savannas of the Everglades

WMAs provide many recreational opportunities including paddling, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, photography, wildlife viewing, and target shooting at areas with a public shooting range. They also offer a wide range of hunting opportunities including special hunts for families and people with disabilities. Brochures and maps for each WMA are available. Brochures and maps for each WMA are available.

Florida’s WMAs are essential to wildlife - both common and imperiled species. Abundant wildlife and healthy habitats are the result of dedicated professionals – wildlife biologists, land managers, partners and volunteers – who work hard to ensure fish and wildlife have the conditions they need to thrive. The FWC uses its scientific expertise and a comprehensive ecological approach to manage a variety of wildlife while balancing public access to these wild lands.

The Ridge Rangers workday maintaining Red-cockaded Woodpecker nests at Platt Branch on February 4th is one of the WMA 75th Anniversary events, see http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/PlattBranchFeb2017RCW .

You can learn about more WMA 75th Anniversary events at http://www.myfwc.com/viewing/recreation/celebrate75/

February Ridge Rangers Events

Saturday, February 4, from 8 am to around noon.

Help Red-cockaded Woodpecker Nests

FWC Platt Branch, near Venus

Once common in the vast expanses of mature pine forests that covered much of the southeastern coastal plain, the red-cockaded woodpecker is now a federally listed endangered species. Today, the birds' preferred habitat -- the longleaf pine ecosystem -- has been eliminated from 97 percent of the lands it once occupied. To help protect nests during upcoming controlled burns, we’ll be clearing vegetation around trees with Red-cockaded Woodpecker nests and artificial cavities.

For the full details, location map, and to sign up, please see http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/PlattBranchFeb2017RCW .

This workday is part of FWC's celebration of 75 years of Florida's Wildlife Management Areas.

FWC Platt Branch comprises 1,972 acres and is located about 16 miles south of Lake Placid, 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.

Saturday, February 11, from 8 am to around noon.

Remove Sand Pines to help Scrub-jay Habitat

FWC Silver Lake, near Avon Park.

We’ll be cutting down intruding sand pines to prevent the trees from taking away precious habitat for endangered Florida Scrub-Jays.

We're reducing the density of sand pines and returning the acreage to oak scrub. Scrub-jays won't use areas with sand pines as predators like Cooper's Hawks use them to hide in.

We'll be using hand saws, loppers, and chainsaws (for those qualified) to cut down sand pines in an ongoing Scrub-jay habitat restoration effort.

Details, map, and sign up at http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/SilverLakeJan2017

The FWC Silver Lake Scrub property is a part of the Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area (LWR WEA), and has an active scrb jay population and is one of the Jaywatch survey locations. It’s also home to one of the few consistently active Kestrel nest boxes on the LWR WEA, which gives many Ridge Rangers a chance to see Kestrels and their nests, eggs, and fledglings during the annual spring surveys.

Wednesday, February 15, from 8:45 AM to around 1 PM

Winter 2017 Meeting of the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Working Group

South Florida State College, near Avon Park

Meeting Theme: Protecting our Lands

All Ridge Rangers welcome.

For the meeting agenda, full details, and to register, please see the meeting webpage on EventBrite at this link.

The mission of the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Working Group is to ensure the long-term protection of the native plants, animals and natural communities of this unique region of Florida. Members accomplish this by encouraging information exchange, promoting research, sharing plans and solutions, coordinating training, and fostering public awareness and support.

Saturday, February 18, from 8 AM to noon.

Eliminate Invasive Flame Vine

Archbold Biological Station, near Lake Placid

We’ll be searching for and herbiciding invasive flame-vine at Archbold’s Red Hill Area.

Invasive plants will take over habitat, taking away territory for endangered species and other wildlife.

See http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/ArchboldFeb2017 for maps, full details, and registration.

This workday will be led by Archbold's Laura Elston.

The Archbold Biological Station is a research institute with a surrounding 5,192.63-acre estate near Lake Placid, Florida. It includes an extensive area of Florida scrub, a scientifically interesting and highly threatened ecosystem.

Saturday, February 25, from 9 AM to around noon.

Remove Invasive Natal Grass

Warea Tract of the Seminole State Forest, near Clermont

The Warea Tract is an outparcel of the Seminole State Forest and was purchased for its incredible botanical diversity. Unfortunately, Natal Grass is invading from surrounding residential developments and needs to be removed by hand to protect the native plants. We'll be moving through the Sandhill Habitat at this tract and removing the invasive grass and placing in bags.

For more details and to sign up, please see http://outreach.myfwc.com/event/WareaFeb2017

Learn more about the Florida Forest Service's Seminole State Forest at http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Seminole-State-Forest

Ridge Rangers in January

January 10, 2017: Ridge Rangers prepare to sow and mark acorns in the scrub habitat restoration area at FWC Royce.

Ridge Rangers were busy in January 2017!

We repotted hundreds and hundreds of native scrub oaks, wire grass, cutthroat, and bear grass sprouts for restoration planting next summer.
We removed enough old bottles and metal debris from FWC Carter Creek to fill two pickup truck beds!
In the restoration area at the FWC Royce Unit, we sowed 4,000 scrub oak acorns across 6 acres!
We hand-pulled bags and bags of invasive natal grass in conservation areas at Bok Tower Gardens and the Seminole State Forest.
At FWC Carter Creek, we eliminated 400 intruding sand pines over 20 acres to restore scrub oak habitat for Florida Scrub-jays!

Removing old dumped metal at FWC Carter Creek on January 7, 2017.

Editor: Bill Parken, Ridge Rangers Coordinator, bill.parken@myfwc.com

Ridge Rangers are volunteers helping to restore wildlife habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge and nearby areas in Central Florida. Learn more

Ridge Rangers website: myfwc.com/ridgerangers

Upcoming schedule at Ridge Rangers Online Calendar.

Want to participate in the Ridge Rangers program? Apply here, or just look on our calendar, sign up for a workday and come on out! There are no dues and no commitments in the Ridge Ranger program.

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