Natural Communities
|
Liz Sparks
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In early
descriptions, Lake Lafayette was referred to as a prairie lake,
perhaps indicating that it was mostly a shrubby wetland with
widely fluctuating water levels, dependent on rainfall, surface
water flow and seepage into the aquifer (partly via a
sinkhole). Construction of earthen dikes, a railroad line and
other alterations, changed the lake’s natural hydrology,
dividing it into the three separate lakes that exist today.
The WEA
and its extensive swamps and marshes help to recharge the
groundwater and cleanse the surface water that flows into the
Lake Lafayette system from surrounding development. The wetlands
also provide valuable nesting habitat for wood ducks and other
waterfowl and a variety of wading birds, including the
endangered wood stork. Today, over half of the L. Kirk Edwards
WEA is comprised of cypress swamp, with some trees over a
century old.
FWC contracted with the
Florida
Natural Areas Inventory to map natural communities and
collect data on vegetation structure and composition for each
community.
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