South Florida Water Management District might have gotten it right!!
Kissimmee River Tour Reveals Avian Response to Restoration
Resident and Migratory Bird Species Thrive Along Restored Portion of the Kissimmee
LORIDA – The success of Kissimmee River Restoration is being measured in part bythe number of bird species benefiting from the $578-million, 12-year environmental recovery effort.
By their very presence on the river and its wide floodplain, dozens of waterfowl and shorebird species—once absent from the area—are vividly demonstrating that the Kissimmee River is on the mend.
"Returning wildlife indicates that we're on the right path in restoring the Kissimmee," said Carol Ann Wehle, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District. "While we're still documenting our progress, early results are very promising."
Among the duck species absent for many decades but now returned as a result of restoration are the fulvous whistling duck, northern pintail, northern shoveler, American wigeon and ring-necked duck. Shorebirds absent for more than 40 years but now present include American avocet, black-necked stilt, dowitcher, greater yellowlegs, semipalmated plover, least sandpiper, spotted sandpiper and western sandpiper.
Wading birds, while never absent from the area, have increased significantly in number, in some years more than double the number anticipated as a result of restoration. Species include white ibis, great egret, snowy egret and little blue heron.
"Birds are just one group that are enjoying a remarkable comeback on the Kissimmee," said Kissimmee Division Director Lawrence Glenn. "Throughout the food web—from tiny invertebrates to upper-level predators—we're seeing promising results."
The Kissimmee River once meandered for 103 miles through central Florida. Its floodplain, reaching up to 3 miles wide, was inundated for long periods by heavy seasonal rains. Wetland plants, wading birds and fish thrived there.
Between 1961 and 1972 the Kissimmee River was cut and dredged into a 30-feet-deep straightaway: the C-38 canal. Waterfowl numbers fell more than 90 percent, bald eagle nesting decline by 75 percent, and wading birds number declined significantly.
After extensive planning,construction for environmental restoration began June 10, 1999, with backfilling of 7.5 miles of the C-38 canal. Two construction phases are now complete, and continuous water flow has been reestablished to 19 miles of the meandering Kissimmee River. Summer rains inundate the floodplain there each year.
The South Florida Water Management District has invested approximately $300 million since 1992 to acquire the 102,064 acres needed for this restoration effort. All land acquisition is now complete. When all phases of Kissimmee River restoration are achieved, a total of 39 square miles of river-floodplain ecosystem will be restored, including almost 20,000 acres of wetlands and 40 miles of historic river channel.
