This project will be a joint effort of the sanibel captiva conservation foundation sccf , u s fish and wildlife service USFWS , and the city of sanibel the sanibel island rice RAT oryzomys palustris…

This project will be a joint effort of the sanibel captiva conservation foundation sccf , u s fish and wildlife service USFWS , and the city of sanibel the sanibel island rice RAT oryzomys palustris sanibeli is an endemic species on sanibel island, FL this species is listed as threatened in the state of florida and a species of special concern with the u s fish and wildlife service the primary habitat for the sanibel island rice RAT are open cord grass spartina bakeri marshes these habitats, which are mostly on conservation lands, are maintained by prescribed fire and or mechanical clearing however, decades of hardwood succession and invasive plant intrusion has resulted in a substantial loss of their available habitat although, exotic vegetation is under control, invasive native plants such as buttonwood conocarpus erectus , saltbush baccharis halimifolia , and wax myrtle myrica cerifera quickly infiltrate these open areas, during lapses in burning, and quickly dominate the area by restoring these wetlands back to open spartina marshes, the quantity of available habitat for this endemic species, as well as for wading birds, anurans, and numerous ephemeral species will be increased also, there are known rice RAT micro populations on opposite sides of the proposed restoration site by restoring this section, a wildlife corridor would be created to allow introgression between those sites restoration will include removal of shrubby hardwoods from marshes with heavy machinery the debris will be taken off site or mulched depending upon cost after shrubby hardwoods and any exotics are removed, grasses such as cord grass and sawgrass plugs will be replanted restoration progress and results will be monitored with photo plots