Since 1995, the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission, in cooperation with the Florida Department
of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Mine Reclamation, has been
working to restore the Upper Saddle Creek Basin at Tenoroc. Funding
for the project comes from the Florida Department of
Transportation's wetlands mitigation fund, the Florida Department
of Environmental Protection's non-mandatory reclamation fund, and
the Commission's Aquatic Habitat and Restoration Enhancement
fund.
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Tenoroc's Saddle Creek Tract surrounds a portion of
Saddle Creek, a tributary of the Peace River. Saddle Creek was once
a major water source for the Peace River. The natural drainage
patterns of the watershed were disrupted by mining operations in
the 1960s. Unreclaimed ponds, overgrown with vegetation and filled
with clay sediments, now retain rainwater that once flowed through
Saddle Creek and into Lake Hancock. Rain not captured in Tenoroc's
lakes and ponds flows into and through old mining ditches,
bypassing land once cleansed by wetlands.
Biologists and engineers are working to convert 400
to 600 acres of mined areas into functional wetlands. These
wetlands will provide ideal habitat for waterfowl and wading birds
and will substantially increase the discharge of clean water into
Saddle Creek, thereby helping to remedy the water shortage in the
Upper Peace River basin. The enhanced habitat conditions will also
increase the recreational opportunities for both bird watchers and
anglers. During restoration, invasive exotic plant species will be
removed and replaced with native vegetation.
Tenoroc's 986-acre Bridgewater Tract was opened in
2006. Located within the city limits of Lakeland, this tract is the
site of an ambitious project to reclaim a significant portion of
its wetlands and upland habitats. The project is a cooperative
venture with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Department
of Transportation, the Southwest Florida Water Management District,
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Two mitigation wetlands,
totaling 39.9 acres, provide important water quality treatment to
Lake Parker. Wetland construction activity was designed with public
access in mind. A new road system, boat launching facilities, and
other habitat restoration efforts add to the available recreational
opportunities.
A second restoration projct designed to restore a
portion of the headwaters of Saddle Creek was completed in
2008. The goal of this project was to create an ecological
landscape that improves water quality and quantity discharges from
a settling area. This watershed restoration project created
55 acres of forested and herbaceous wetlands and 23 acres of stream
channels needed to feed the created wetlands. A total of
118,096 herbaceous plants and 21,352 forested wetland trees were
planted. Sand removed during wetland construction was used to
create 38 acreas of planted gopher tortoise habitat.
The largest restoration project to date is the
creation of a wetland/lake system on the eastern side of
Tenoroc. So far, the project has created a 161-acre waterfowl
area with manageable water control structures and a 1.5 mile stream
to provide water to the wetland. A 131-acre mined site was
reclaimed, and a drainage ditch through an existing bayhead was
removed and restored. Total native plants re-established in
these restored areas included 5,191 trees, 92,782 shrubs and grass
plants, and 167,705 herbaceous aquatic plants. Only partially
completed, the project is still under construction.
Additional restoration activities under contract include
construction of additional wetlands and water flow way through five
lakes. The project is expected to be finished by 2015.
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