TITLE
RESOLUTION APPROVING THE ENVIRONMENTALLY ENDANGERED LANDS (EEL) ACQUISITION LIST WITH ONE ADDITION TO THE LIST

BODY
WHEREAS, this Board desires to accomplish the purposes outlined in the accompanying memorandum, a copy of which is incorporated herein by reference; and

WHEREAS, this Board desires to accomplish the purposes of Section 24-50 of the Code of Miami-Dade County,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board hereby approves the Environmentally Endangered Lands Acquisition Projects List shown in Attachment A and hereby adds the Pine Ridge Sanctuary, as shown in Attachment B, to the Other Rockridge Pinelands Project on the Environmentally Endangered Lands Acquisition Projects Priority A List.

HEADER
Date:

To: Honorable Chairman Joe A. Martinez
and Members, Board of County Commissioners

From: Carlos A. Gimenez
Mayor

Subject: Resolution Approving the Environmentally Endangered
Lands Acquisition List with One Addition to the List

STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Board adopt the attached resolution approving the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Acquisition List with one addition to the list. The Pine Ridge Sanctuary will be added to the existing Other Rockridge Pinelands Project. The resolution is based on the unanimous recommendation of the Land Acquisition Selection Committee at their June 7, 2011 public hearing.

Scope
The EEL Program is countywide in nature.

Fiscal Impact/Funding Source
As of May 31, 2011, the balance of the EEL Trust Fund (GF080 Subfund 081, Project Numbers 081005, 081006, 081007 and 081008) is $55,072,676 of which $25,378,621 is reserved for acquisition and $29,694,055 is reserved for management. Negotiated contracts for any purchase of any land within the Pine Ridge Sanctuary would require additional Board approval.

Track Record/Monitor
The EEL Program in the Department of Environmental Resources Management will monitor the activities related to conservation lands acquisition.

MANAGER'S BACKGROUND
Background
The 14 acres of natural area within the Pine Ridge Sanctuary are contained within one folio and are proposed for addition to the Other Rockridge Pinelands Project on the EEL Priority A List (see Attachments A and B). The primary habitat type contained within the Pine Ridge Sanctuary is high quality pine rockland and the proposed 14-acre natural area has been under an EEL Covenant since 1983. Pursuant to Section 24-50.9, the Board of County Commissioners must approve the addition of all proposed parcels to the EEL Acquisition List.

Pine rocklands are designated as a Globally Imperiled Community by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory and over 13 acres of the natural area in the Pine Ridge Sanctuary is a designated Natural Forest Community by DERM. The natural areas consist of pine rockland habitat with less than 1% cover of invasive plants and there are sixteen state listed endangered plant species and one federally listed endangered plant species documented on the site. Pine rocklands occur only in southern Miami-Dade County, the Florida Keys and a few Bahamian islands. More than 20% of the plant species in pine rocklands are found nowhere else in the world. These pinelands, interspersed with hardwood hammocks, once covered 180,000 acres of Miami-Dade County. By 1994, only 2% of pine forests remained, most of it within the protective border of Everglades National Park. Approximately 1,500 acres of pine rockland is currently within the stewardship of the EEL Program, which is less than 1% of the original extent. The diversity of the pine rockland species and the biological continuity with nearby privately-owned and managed natural areas are beneficial to wildlife usage.


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Jack Osterholt, Deputy Mayor