TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received a complete prospectus proposing the establishment of a mitigation bank pursuant to the 2008 Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources regulations (33 CFR Part 332) as described below
If you are interested in receiving additional project drawings associated with this public notice, please send an e-mail to the project manager by electronic mail at Jerilyn.Ashworth@usace.army.mil.
SPONSOR: Miami Dade Land Co., LLC
5550 Newbury Street, Suite B
Baltimore, MD 21209
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The proposed project identified as Snapper Creek Mitigation Bank (SNAPMB) is a proposed 713.37-acre wetland mitigation bank. The project site is located on the north of the Homestead-Miami Speedway, west of SW 122nd Avenue, east of SW 142nd Avenue, and South of Mowry Drive/ SW 320th Road, in Sections 13, 14, 15, 22, and 23, Township 57 South, Range 39 East, in Homestead, Miami-Dade County, Florida.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES:
Latitude: 25.465559°
Longitude: -80.406029°
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY: Pursuant to 33 CFR 332.8(d)(4), the Corps has posted a full copy of the SNAPMB prospectus online so that it is available for review by the public. The prospectus may be downloaded from the Regulatory In-Lieu Fee and Bank Information Tracking System (RIBITS) at web address: https://ribits.ops.usace.army.mil/ords/f?p=107:10:7545434583775::::P10_BANK_ID:6382
Once on the RIBITS homepage, select "Jacksonville" from the "ALL DISTRICTS" drop down menu located in the lower left corner of the screen. Once the district filter has been selected, click on the “Banks & ILF Sites” link located in the Navigation box (upper left corner). This will generate a list of projects, scroll down the list and click on the “Snapper Creek Mitigation Bank” link. On this page, click on the "Cyber Repository" link located on the menu bar above the General Information box, then click on the Prospectus Documents folder to access the prospectus associated with the SNAPMB project.
If you are unable to access the web address, a copy of the prospectus is available upon request to the project manager listed at the end of this public notice.
PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: The overall goal of the SNAPMB is to re-establish and rehabilitate the hydrology and community structure of palustrine emergent wetland habitat and associated upland buffers through the cessation of agricultural activities, marl removal, exotic and nuisance species control, and planting of native species. Specific objectives include:
• Re-establish the hydrology and community structure for 553.67 acres of sawgrass marsh habitat.
• Re-habilitate 2.88 acres of limnetic habitat through restoring the appropriate hydrology and community structure.
• Establishment of 143.74 acres of upland pine rockland habitat.
ECOLOGICAL SUITABILITY OF THE SITE: The historical pre-disturbance condition of SNAPMB was likely emergent freshwater marsh, marl prairie, glades marsh and pine rockland habitat. However, the site has been farmed since the early 1900s, when the farmers created the local ditch network that divides the parcel. By 1952 the entire sit was cleared of native vegetation, and the ditches were fully excavated. Between 1954-1965 the Central and South Florida (C&SF) North Canal and C-103 canal were excavated. Water currently runs off into the ditches which directly flow south into the North Canal, and discharges into the C-103 canal to flow out into Biscayne Bay.
The site is currently under the threat of continued of agriculture and potentially low density development. The proposed bank is also located immediately adjacent to conservation lands within the Biscayne Bay Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER), a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). These areas have been identified as priority habitat for conservation for aquifer recharge, surface water protection and treatment, water quality, and support for local threatened and endangered species. SNAPMB will also provide a buffer between the BBSEER lands and existing urban development.
The proposed SNAPMB is located within the flight path of the runway for the Homestead Airforce Reserve Base (HARB) and is limited to the type of vegetation allowed within the glades marsh habitat. The wetland design needs to minimize the potential for open water which attracts larger birds and increasing the potential for bird strikes. The sponsor also proposes the use of prescribed fire incoordination with HARB. Fires would only be scheduled for weekends, when the planes would not be flying. To restore the parcel back to its pre-disturbance condition, the sponsor proposes to cease all agriculture activities, including the removal or row crop and tree farming. They will remove limerock to achieve wetland elevations to support the proposed glades marsh, removal of invasive and exotic species, and planting of native vegetation.
ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF THE BANK: The proposed SNAPMB would be established and operated by Miami-Dade Land co., LLC (Troy Anderson) as the Sponsor with the assistance of Ryan Diebler with GreenSource Environmental Professionals, Inc. The property that comprises the SNAPMB is owned by Miami-Dade Land Co., LLC. The SNAPMB is proposed to be established as a wetland mitigation bank. Following SNAPMB successful implementation and attainment of final success criteria, long-term management activities will be implemented in order to ensure the sustainability of SNAPMB. In addition, the Sponsor will provide sufficient financial assurances to ensure construction and long-term management of the proposed SNAPMB.
PROPOSED SERVICE AREA: The SNAPMB proposed service area includes the eastern portions of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and a portion of the HUC-8 basin for the Florida Southeast Coast (HUC 8: 03090206). More specifically it includes twenty-two HUC-12 Sub-basins that primarily consist of the Miami Ridge/Atlantic Coastal Trip EPA Level IV Ecoregion with several small portions of the Everglades EPA Level IV Ecoregion.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: The Corps is evaluating the undertaking for effects to historic properties as required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Initial Corps review of the project area indicates that there are no known historic properties documented within the proposed SNAPMB boundaries. This public notice serves to inform the public of the proposed undertaking and invites comments including those from local, State, and Federal government Agencies with respect to historic resources. The Corps shall continue identification and assessment review for historic properties and our final determination relative to historic resources may be subject to additional coordination with the State Historic Preservation Officer, those federally recognized tribes with concerns in Florida and the Permit Area, and other interested parties.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: The Corps has determined the proposal may affect the Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi), the wood stork (Mycteria americana), Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi), and the Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumops floridanus). The Corps will request initiation consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act by separate letter.
The Corps has determined the proposal would have no effect on any other listed threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat
ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH): This notice initiates consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service on EFH as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 1996. No EFH is located within, or areas affected by the project. Our initial determination is that the proposed action would not have a substantial adverse impact on EFH or Federally managed fisheries in the South Atlantic Region.
NAVIGATION: The proposed SNAPMB is not located in the vicinity of a federal navigation channel.
SECTION 408: The sponsor will require permission under Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (33 USC 408) because the activity, in whole or in part, would alter, occupy, or use a Corps Civil Works project.
NOTE: This public notice is being issued based on information furnished by the applicant. This information has not been verified or evaluated to ensure compliance with laws and regulation governing the regulatory program. The jurisdictional line has not been verified by Corps personnel.
COMMENTS: Comments regarding the proposed mitigation bank should be submitted in writing to the District Engineer at the address below within 30 days from the date of this notice.
QUESTIONS concerning this application should be directed to the project manager, Jerilyn Ashworth, in writing at the Mitigation Programs Team, 4400 PGA Boulevard, Suite 500, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410; by electronic mail at Jerilyn.Ashworth@usace.army.mil; or, by telephone at (561) 545-3171.
IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES: Coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Services, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, and concerned citizens generally yields pertinent environmental information that is instrumental in determining the impact the proposed action will have on the natural resources of the area.
EVALUATION: After the end of the comment period, the district engineer will review all comments received and make an initial determination as to the potential of the proposed project to provide compensatory mitigation for activities authorized by Department of the Army permits. That determination will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefits, which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. Factors relevant to the proposal will be considered including conservation, economics, esthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historical properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food, and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and in general, the needs and welfare of the people.
The Corps is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other Interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the proposed activity. All comments received will be considered by the Corps during the formulation of the initial determination of potential for the proposed activity.
COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT CONSISTENCY: In Florida, the State approval constitutes compliance with the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan.
REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Any person may request a public hearing. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the designated comment period of the notice and must state the specific reasons for requesting the public hearing.
CLICK HERE for Public Notice and Graphics