Fort Meyers Mitigation Bank

The goal of the FORT MEYERS MITIGATION BANK is to re-establish and rehabilitate the hydrology and community structure of the existing onsite of wet pine flatwoods, wet prairie, and freshwater marsh; and permanently protect more than 160 acres of habitats by placing the site under a site protection instrument.

The proposed Mitigation Service Area for the Bank is the Caloosahatchee River watershed HUC 8 watershed boundary also encompassing the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Tidal Caloosahatchee River basin for Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) permitting. The Caloosahatchee River HUC – 8 watershed and ERP basin both consist mainly of Southwestern Florida Flatwoods (75D) Eco-Region. The FTMMB contributes to aquatic resource integrity in the extensive Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area and downstream within the Caloosahatchee River, San Carlos Bay, which drains directly to the Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve.

Many federal and state-listed threatened and endangered species are expected to utilize the habitats on FTMMB. Three (3) species were observed on-site while a total of twenty (20) listed species have the potential to occur based on habitat suitability (FFWCC 2005, USFWS 1999). Most importantly, FTMMB is located within the Florida Panther “Primary Dispersal/Expansion Area” and is located directly adjacent to Florida Bonneted Bat Critical Habitat.

CREDITS
Forested (State and Federal Credits)
– Paulestrine Forested (Corps)
– Freshwater Forested (SFWMD)

EXPECTED SERVICE AREA
Caloosahatchee River (03090205)