Coral Creek Ecosystem Restoration Program


Charlotte County,  Florida
 

Ardurra furnished ecological services and topographic survey for two habitat restoration projects on a 2,600-acre property within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Charlotte Harbor Aquatic State Buffer Preserve. Ardurra developed a conceptual habitat restoration master plan and furnished design and construction phase services for both projects. The work included habitat and historic/existing hydroperiod assessments, WQ/hydrological analysis, protected species evaluations, ecosystem restoration design, multi-agency coordination, and permitting. Critical project elements included analysis of hydrological and salinity effects related to the potential removal of dam structure and diversion of flows to restore historic site hydrology and facilitate ecosystem restoration. Phase II of the program included updating the conceptual habitat restoration master plan as well as design and construction phase services for two additional projects on a 767-acre property. Critical project elements include balancing fill needs for backfilling man-made canals while creating diverse wetland habitats and restoring scrubby flatwoods while avoiding listed species such as gopher tortoise and bald eagle. Ardurra collaborated with Florida Marine Research Institute and Bonefish Tarpon Trust to provide habitat design to facilitate a juvenile tarpon fishery study using six existing tidal canals.