caladesi island state park unit management plan approved - Florida

122 Pages·2008·9.31 MB·English

CALADESI ISLAND STATE PARK
UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN

APPROVED

STATE OF FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Division of Recreation and Parks

June 15, 2007
Florida Department of Charlie Crist
Governor
Environmental Protection
Jeff Kottkamp
Lt. Governor
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building
3900 Commonwealth Boulevard
Michael W. Sole
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000
Secretary

June 18, 2007

Ms. BryAnne White
Office of Park Planning
Division of Recreation and Parks
3900 Commonwealth Blvd.; M.S. 525
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Re: Caladesi Island State Park Lease #2385

Dear Ms. White:

On June 15, 2007, the Acquisition and Restoration Council recommended approval of
the Caladesi Island State Park management plan. Therefore, the Office of
Environmental Services, acting as agent for the Board of Trustees of the Internal
Improvement Trust Fund, approved the management plan for the Caladesi Island State
Park. Pursuant to Sections 253.034 and 259.032, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 18-2,
Florida Administrative Code this plan’s ten-year update will be due on June 15, 2017.

Approval of this land management plan does not waive the authority or jurisdiction of
any governmental entity that may have an interest in this project. Implementation of
any upland activities proposed by this management plan may require a permit or other
authorization from federal and state agencies having regulatory jurisdiction over those
particular activities. Pursuant to the conditions of your lease, please forward copies of
all permits to this office upon issuance.

Sincerely,

Paula L. Allen
Office of Environmental Services
Division of State Lands
Department of Environmental Protection
“More Protection, Less Process”
www.dep.state.fl.us
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................1
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF PLAN.......................................................................................1
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM OVERVIEW........................................................................5
Management Authority and Responsibility........................................................................5
Park Goals and Objectives......................................................................................................6
Management Coordination....................................................................................................8
Public Participation.................................................................................................................9
Other Designations..................................................................................................................9
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMPONENT
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................11
RESOURCE DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSMENT.........................................................11
Natural Resources.................................................................................................................11
Cultural Resources................................................................................................................20
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM......................................................................21
Special Management Considerations.................................................................................21
Management Needs and Problems.....................................................................................22
Management Objectives.......................................................................................................23
Management Measures For Natural Resources................................................................24
Management Measures For Cultural Resources...............................................................27
Research Needs......................................................................................................................27
Resource Management Schedule.........................................................................................28
Land Management Review..................................................................................................28
i
LAND USE COMPONENT
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................29
EXTERNAL CONDITIONS..................................................................................................29
Existing Use of Adjacent Lands...........................................................................................30
Planned Use of Adjacent Lands...........................................................................................30
PROPERTY ANALYSIS.........................................................................................................31
Recreation Resource Elements.............................................................................................31
Assessment of Use.................................................................................................................32
CONCEPTUAL LAND USE PLAN.....................................................................................35
Potential Uses and Proposed Facilities...............................................................................37
Facilities Development..........................................................................................................38
Existing Use and Optimum Carrying Capacity................................................................39
Optimum Boundary..............................................................................................................39
TABLE
TABLE 1 - Existing Use and Optimum Carrying Capacity...............................................39
LIST OF ADDENDA
ADDENDUM 1
Acquisition History and Advisory Group Documentation.................................A 1 - 1
ADDENDUM 2
References Cited.........................................................................................................A 2 - 1

ADDENDUM 3
Soil Descriptions.........................................................................................................A 3 - 1
ii
ADDENDUM 4
Plant and Animal List................................................................................................A 4 - 1
ADDENDUM 5
Designated Species List.............................................................................................A 5 - 1
ADDENDUM 6
Priority Schedule and Cost Estimates......................................................................A 6 - 1
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FNAI Descriptions of Natural Communities......................................................................1
DHR Cultural Management Procedures..............................................................................9
2003 Land Management Review Report............................................................................19

MAPS
Vicinity Map...............................................................................................................................2
Reference Map............................................................................................................................3
Soils Map...................................................................................................................................13
Natural Communities Map....................................................................................................15
Base Map...................................................................................................................................33
Conceptual Land Use Plan.....................................................................................................36
Optimum Boundary Map.......................................................................................................41
iii

INTRODUCTION
Caladesi Island State Park is located in Pinellas County about two miles and west of the
town of Dunedin (see Vicinity and Reference Maps). The park is accessible by private
boat or watercraft and a ferry service is provided from nearby Honeymoon Island State
Park, at the western terminus of State Road 586. The entrance to Honeymoon Island
State Park is five miles west of U.S. Highway 19. The vicinity map also reflects
significant land and water resources existing near the park.

Technically, Caladesi is no longer an island. Dunedin Pass, that once separated it from
Clearwater Island to the south, has in recent years filled with sand, joining the two
islands. Visitors can now reach the park by walking north from Clearwater Beach.

Currently the park contains approximately 2,470.32 acres. The initial acquisition was a
donation by the City of Dunedin in 1966. From 1967 through 1969, additional
acquisitions were made using funds for the Land Acquisition Trust Fund and the
Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The last acquisition was a donation in
1983.

At Caladesi Island State Park public outdoor recreation and conservation of the
property is the designated single use (see Addendum 1). There are no legislative or
executive directives that constrain the use of this property.

Caladesi Island is one of Florida’s few remaining intact, undeveloped barrier islands
and less than ten percent of the uplands have been disturbed to provide visitor and
support facilities. Further disturbance has been in the form of invasive exotic plants
and by a network of small canals dug throughout the mangroves for mosquito control
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The island is three-quarters of a mile wide at its
broadest point. In length, it stretches about four miles; the length includes three small
satellite mangrove islands. Cultural resources are evident in the remains of a Pre-
Columbian burial mound, a shell scatter site and of a nineteenth century homestead.

Caladesi Island is a favored destination for boaters, tourists and a popular site for beach
recreation. An annual survey of U.S. recreational beaches by the University of
Maryland’s Laboratory for Coastal Research, consistently places Caladesi Island in the
top ten (2006, 2007 ranking was number 2). The ranking rests on 50 criteria including
width, softness of sand, water temperature, pollution and crowding.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE PLAN
This plan serves as the basic statement of policy and direction for the management
Caladesi Island State Park as a unit of Florida's state park system. It identifies the
objectives, criteria and standards that guide each aspect of park administration, and sets
forth the specific measures that will be implemented to meet management objectives.
1
Werner-Boyce
Salt Springs
Hidden
State Park
Lake
^_ Project
New Port
Richey
Robert Crown Starkey
Wilderness Area Wilderness Park
Key Vista
Gulf of Nature Park
Mexico
Holiday
Brooker
Creek
Preserve
Anclote Key Brooker
Preserve Creek
Tarpon Brooker
State Park Headwaters
Springs Creek
£¤ Buffer
£¤ 19
19 Preserve
Lake
595 55 Rogers
Park
John Chestnut
Senior Park
Honeymoon Island
State Park
586
Pinellas County
Aquatic Preserve The Hammock
Caladesi
Island Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve
State Dunedin 580
Park
Philippe Park
Legend
Interstates
Alligator Lake Management Area
FDOT US Routes
FDOT State Routes 60
FDOT Local Roads Tampa
Park Boundary Bay
Private Lands
Clearwater
Developed
Undeveloped Pinellas County §¨¦
Public Lands Aquatic Preserve 275
Federal Managed Areas
State Managed Areas
Local Managed Areas Gateway
Private Managed Areas Tract
Aquatic Preserves
£¤
Sources: Florida Natural Areas Inventoy, 2004 92
Florida Land Use, Cover and Forms
Classification System, 2007
´
Miles
CALADESI ISLAND VICINITY
0 1.25 2.5 5
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
STATE PARK Division of Recreation and Parks MAP
Office of Park Planning
(cid:0)
(cid:1)
(cid:2)
(cid:3)
(cid:15)(cid:16)(cid:9)(cid:4)(cid:17)(cid:18)(cid:16)(cid:16)(cid:9)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:1)(cid:9)(cid:3) (cid:4)(cid:5)
(cid:2)(cid:6)
(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:11)(cid:4)(cid:7)(cid:12)(cid:1)(cid:13)(cid:14) (cid:7)(cid:8)
(cid:20) (cid:1) (cid:21)(cid:21)(cid:9)(cid:10) (cid:22) (cid:18) (cid:7)(cid:4)(cid:23) (cid:22) (cid:15) (cid:15) (cid:1)(cid:9)(cid:3)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:1)(cid:2)
(cid:8)
(cid:3)
(cid:13)
(cid:20)
(cid:3)(cid:6)
(cid:9) (cid:18)(cid:8)(cid:13)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:8) (cid:1)(cid:0)(cid:0)(cid:3)(cid:0)
(cid:19)
(cid:17)(cid:6)
(cid:16)
(cid:0)(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:3) (cid:8)
(cid:3)
(cid:15)
(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:5) (cid:2)(cid:6)
(cid:8)(cid:5)
(cid:18)
(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:4)(cid:14)(cid:5)(cid:15)(cid:7)(cid:16)(cid:17)
(cid:11)(cid:5)(cid:1)(cid:18)(cid:19)
(cid:0)(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:1)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:1)(cid:9)(cid:3)
(cid:19)(cid:20)(cid:9)(cid:4)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:9)
(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:11)(cid:4)(cid:7)(cid:12)(cid:1)(cid:13)(cid:14)
(cid:24)(cid:1)(cid:18)(cid:7)(cid:19)(cid:9)(cid:18)
(cid:23)(cid:22)(cid:15)(cid:15)
(cid:0)(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:2)(cid:11)(cid:12)
(cid:13)(cid:14)(cid:10)(cid:5)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:15)(cid:7)(cid:0)(cid:16)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:16)(cid:17)(cid:3)
(cid:22)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:19)
%(cid:5)(cid:31)(cid:5)(cid:2)&(cid:6)!(cid:13)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:12)
(cid:17)
(cid:16) $(cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:8)(cid:31)(cid:6)!(cid:13)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:12)
(cid:8)
(cid:3) (cid:25)(cid:0) !(cid:6)"(cid:29)(cid:8)(cid:4)(cid:9)
(cid:15)
(cid:13)(cid:6) (cid:25)(cid:0) !(cid:6)(cid:19)#(cid:6)"(cid:29)(cid:1)(cid:14)(cid:3)(cid:9)
(cid:3)
(cid:8)(cid:14) (cid:7)(cid:29)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:28)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:5)(cid:29)(cid:2)(cid:6)(cid:30)(cid:8)(cid:2)(cid:4)(cid:9)
(cid:10) (cid:20)(cid:26)(cid:1)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:5)(cid:16)(cid:6)(cid:27)(cid:13)(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:28)(cid:3)
(cid:13)
(cid:8) (cid:27)(cid:8)(cid:13)(cid:31)(cid:6)(cid:15)(cid:29)(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:4)(cid:8)(cid:13)(cid:11)
(cid:3)
(cid:7)(cid:12)
(cid:0)(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:10)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:24)(cid:19)
(cid:22)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:24) (cid:24) (cid:21) (cid:22)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:24) (cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:24)(cid:24) (cid:25)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:14) (cid:26)(cid:23)(cid:28)(cid:23)(cid:26)(cid:23)(cid:24)(cid:0)(cid:23)(cid:7)(cid:29)(cid:21)(cid:12)
(cid:10)(cid:25)(cid:21)(cid:25)(cid:23)(cid:7)(cid:12)(cid:21)(cid:26)(cid:27)
The plan is intended to meet the requirements of Sections 253.034 and 259.032, Florida
Statutes, Chapter 18-2, Florida Administrative Code, and intended to be consistent with
the State Lands Management Plan. With approval, this management plan will replace
the October 25, 2001, approved plan. All development and resource alteration
encompassed in this plan is subject to the granting of appropriate permits; easements,
licenses, and other required legal instruments. Approval of the management plan does
not constitute an exemption from complying with the appropriate local, state or federal
agencies. This plan is also intended to meet the requirements for beach
and shore preservation, as defined in Chapter 161, Florida Statutes and Chapters 62B-
33, 62B-36 and 62R-49, Florida Administrative Code.

The plan consists of two interrelated components. Each component corresponds to a
particular aspect of the administration of the park. The resource management
component provides a detailed inventory and assessment of the natural and cultural
resources of the park. Resource management problems and needs are identified, and
specific management objectives are established for each resource type. This component
provides guidance on the application of such measures as prescribed burning, exotic
species removal and restoration of natural conditions.

The land use component is the recreational resource allocation plan for the unit. Based
on considerations such as access, population and adjacent land uses, an optimum
allocation of the physical space of the park is made, locating use areas and proposing
types of facilities and volume of use to be provided.

In the development of this plan, the potential of the park to accommodate secondary
management purposes (“multiple uses”) was analyzed. These secondary purposes
were considered within the context of the Division’s statutory responsibilities and an
analysis of the resource needs and values of the park. This analysis considered the park
natural and cultural resources, management needs, aesthetic values, visitation and
visitor experiences. For Caladesi Island State Park, it was determined that no secondary
purposes could be accommodated in a manner that would not interfere with the
primary purpose of resource-based outdoor recreation and conservation. Uses such as,
water resource development projects, water supply projects, stormwater management
projects, linear facilities and sustainable agriculture and forestry (other than those forest
management activities specifically identified in this plan) are not consistent with this
plan or the management purposes of the park and should be discouraged.

The potential for generating revenue to enhance management was also analyzed.
Visitor fees and charges are the principal source of revenue generated by the park. It
was determined that multiple-use management activities would not be appropriate as a
means of generating revenues for land management. Instead, techniques such as
entrance fees, concessions and similar measures will be employed on a case-by-case
basis as a means of supplementing park management funding.
4