Round Hammock Mitigation Bank

According to the National Park Service, the Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Adjacent to them, EIP will restore approximately 240 acres of emergent wetland habitats and special south Florida tropical hammocks at the ROUND HAMMOCK MITIGATION BANK; and expand this landscape that provides habitat to endangered species such as the American crocodile, Florida panther, and Florida black bear. RHMB also contains two south Florida tropical hammocks, more specifically defined as rockland hammock habitats consisting of flatland with limestone substrate. These are only located in the Florida southern peninsula and Keys with a closed canopy of evergreen mixed tropical hardwoods such as gumbo limbo, pigeon plum, and stoppers.

The RHMB consists of a mixture of degraded natural emergent wetlands, upland tropical hammock island habitat, and cleared uplands, where the habitats have been cleared for row crops, degraded by exempt agricultural activities, invaded by exotic species, and overgrown due to lack of management. Establishment of the RHMB will reverse more than 100 years of aquatic degradation from intensive row crop agricultural use, aquifer drawdown from irrigation, upland habitat clearing, trash deposition, and fire suppression; remove non-native vegetation; and protect highly valuable rockland hammock islands, ultimately returning the area to a more natural state.

CREDITS
Wetland
– Palustrine Emergent (Federal)
– Freshwater Herbaceous (SWFWMD)

EXPECTED SERVICE AREA
Florida Southeast Coast: HUC 03090206