Attachment_3_-_PDEP_-_Escambia_County_PK_Restoration_Plan.pdf

Escambia County – Perdido Key Access Points

Dune Restoration & Enhancement

1. INTRODUCTION

The coastal dune ecosystem exists in dynamic environments where disturbances, whether natural or human-caused, can create significant, long-term changes to the system. Many parts of the coastal dune ecosystem across the Florida Panhandle have been severely damaged by tropical storms over the past 25 years. Human-caused disturbance exacerbates those issues at many of the same sites. Restoring vegetation is critical for the long-term resilience of the coastal dune system and to ensure those systems regain their natural biodiversity and ecological functions.

This restoration plan is part of a larger multi-year project to implement tightly focused restoration activities to improve habitat quality, connectivity, and resilience in the coastal dune ecosystem throughout its historical distribution in the Florida Panhandle. The project is a joint effort between the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Gulf Restoration Office and University of Florida (UF IFAS). All partners work collaboratively to ensure that project activities are strategic and focused on locations that will maximize plant diversity and dune resiliency, while minimizing potential conflicts with other coastal species.

Project objectives include:

• Restoring the historical heterogeneity of landscape features within the dune ecosystem

• Re-establishing connectivity of dunes in degraded areas where disturbance has created gaps or openings that severely affect vegetation, wildlife, or humans.

• Restoring or enhancing the natural diversity and richness of native dune vegetation

• Increasing the diversity and resilience of the coastal dune ecosystem to enhance various wildlife and vegetation populations that are dependent on them.

The success of site-specific restoration activities will be measured by assessing changes in the dune community relative to control sites (i.e., non-restored) and high-quality reference sites, both pre- and post- restoration. Other factors can be observed during vegetation monitoring as well to determine certain success of these projects such as wildlife movement/use or decreased erosion/increased resiliency.

2. FOCUS AREA DESCRIPTION

2.1 Setting

Perdido Key is a 15-mile barrier island in the western Panhandle of Florida, stretching between

Pensacola Pass to the east and Perdido Pass to the west. The Escambia County-Perdido Key project area extends approximately a quarter of a mile on the main portion of Perdido Key and consists of beach, dune, interdunal swale, and scrub habitat along the Gulf of Mexico where development is not present.

The Escambia County-Perdido Key project area consists of a mixture of public and privately owned parcels, but the county is heavily involved in any restoration or conservation work being done. The three access points for the proposed restoration need are each access points that have been reserved for public use as well as emergency vehicle access to the beach. Beach access 4 lies west of Perdido Key

State Park while Beach accesses 2 and 3 lie east of the state park, but west of Gulf Islands National

Seashore. Human development as well as natural erosion has made these areas in the county a high priority for this project.

Figure 1. Escambia County project locations at three access points in Perdido Key.

2.2 Impacts

Perdido Key’s long-established dunes have been heavily impacted by tropical storms in recent history, including Hurricanes Opal (1994, Cat. 3), Ivan (2004, Cat. 4), and Dennis (2005, Cat. 4). Increased storm activity has shortened the duration of recovery windows for dune vegetation and subsequent sand accretion, resulting in more extensive damage from smaller storms like recent Hurricane Sally (2020, Cat. 2).

In addition, the Escambia County portion of Perdido Key has several beach access points that impact dune system health. These access points are open to the public as well as used for emergency vehicle access to the beach. Because of the constant walkover and vehicle use, dune vegetation is slowly pushed back and cut off from further growth and dunes becomes vulnerable from decreased stabilization. Another important characteristic of these sites to include is the recent and continued development of Perdido Key. Large condominiums, houses, and other tourism related construction have occurred heavily in the area over the last 15 years and continues to develop with increasing numbers of visitors every summer season. The development surrounding these beach access points only secures the idea of restoring these small, natural areas for continued growth and stabilization of the dunes, to uphold beach mice habitat quality, and display a real image of Florida’s coastal habitat to the visitors of Perdido Key.

2.3 Specific Needs

The development of Perdido Key has exasperated issues with dune erosion that increased frequency and intensity of major tropical storms has caused. This has resulted in the impairment of dune stabilization and growth at three Escambia County access points. With the constant walkover by visitors and use of emergency vehicles, the dunes have been cut off from any continued growth and some have eroded to uphold a visitor-made path. The addition of new plants to fill in these visitor-made paths as well as to extend the dune face seaward will not only help control the erosion created by humans and vehicles but will also create a front-line barrier against storm surge for all recent development and assist with habitat connectivity.

Figure 2. Example of non-designated pathways created by visitors through the dunes (Designated access not pictured).

Since Hurricane Sally in September 2020, foredune recovery has been promising, with revegetation at these access points even since the last site visit in early 2022. Even though there has been that positive change, these access points are still affected by erosion year-round and are at risk of being severely damaged or wiped out in the event of another large storm event. Planting species adept at sand accumulation will help increase the elevation of these access points as well as protect the development surrounding these accesses from storm surge and excessive salt spray while filling in visitor-made paths that have impaired dune growth. Thus, this restoration project will assist in increasing dune resiliency and structural protection for new infrastructure on Perdido Key.

Figure 3. Example of erosion and minimal dune growth since Hurricane Sally to protect infrastructure.

Additional reasoning for the issues observed at these beach access points is the absence of any fencing or post and rope. All three access points have no barriers that define a designated beach access pathway for the thousands of tourists and locals that visit Perdido Key each year which has resulted in a wide trampled social path. Escambia County has agreed to install post and rope with funds from their own budget upon the completion of our restoration project at these access points. The addition of a defined public access path will aid in natural recovery of vegetation as well as protect restoration planting sites and prevent the issue we have seen from continuing to happen yearly.

3. RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITIES

The plans detailed below address restoration needs that have been identified for three access points within the Escambia County portion of Perdido Key and take into consideration the needs of multiple other species that utilize beach and dune habitats, such as shorebirds and marine turtles. Prior to the initiation of these restoration activities, FWC and/or UF project team members will demarcate restoration plots, control plots, and reference sites with flagging, as well as access paths that contractors shall use to enter and exit work areas.

Figure 4. The access points for the proposed restoration plan

3.1 Overview

All the planting work for the Escambia County portion of Perdido Key will be completed seaward of the primary dune line and outlining access points for beach visitors. The restoration will be focused on resiliency as these access points suffer from heavy human traffic and have been trampled repeatedly.

Some restoration plots involve filling in paths created through dunes that are not official access points.

These plantings may also enhance beach mouse habitat as one of the above access points has been observed to have them present. Planting at these high-visibility sites will also provide a chance for the public (local or non-local) to learn more about dune resiliency and importance while also being able to see native dune vegetation used in a restoration project. As mentioned before, this area is heavily dominated by tourism with the surrounding presence of hotels/condominiums, restaurants, and businesses. Planting at these access points will not only provide stability to the access pathways used by people to access the beach but will also help with the revegetation of an area hit by Hurricane Sally in 2020 and protect the county’s infrastructure.

3.2 Beach Access 4

3.2.1 Plots 1 and 2

Figure 5. Plots at Escambia County Beach Access 4

For plot 1, plant four rows of bitter panicum approximately seven meters from the exit of the west side of the beach access at 18 inches on center. After the four rows of bitter panicum going landward, plant four rows of beach elder at 18 inches on center followed by four rows of sea oats and then four rows of gulf bluestem, both at 18 inches on center. All rows have 18 inches of spacing. Plot 1 extends approximately 95 meters westerly. Along the east side of the plot lining the access for visitors, the entire column will be bitter panicum to better form a corridor for people to walk.

For plot 2, the same pattern will be followed as plot 1. Starting closest to the Gulf of Mexico going landward, plant four rows of bitter panicum, four rows of beach elder, four rows of sea oats, and four rows of gulf bluestem all at 18 inches on center as well as 18-inch spacing between rows. Same as plot 1, a row of bitter panicum should be planted on the west side of this plot along the access corridor. This plot extends approximately 8.5 meters easterly. Plots 1 and 2 should be even in placement and width.

Figure 6. Planting diagrams for Plots 1 and 2

3.3 Beach Access 3

3.2.1. Plots 3, 4, 5, and 6

Figure 7. Plots at Escambia County Beach Access 3.

For plots 3 and 4, both will completely consist of sea oat plantings. The objective of these two plots specifically is to fill in trails made by humans and wild animals. For plot 3, plant two rows of sea oats approximately two meters from the corner of the fencing surrounding the parking area. This small trail will be easy to distinguish due to the absence of vegetation. These sea oats will be planted at 18 inches on center with 18-inch spacing between rows. Each row will consist of 14 sea oat plants and extend approximately six meters. For plot 4, plant four rows of sea oats along the empty trail. This trail starts right at the mouth of the parking lot and extends approximately 34 meters seaward. These four rows of sea oats will be planted at 18 inches on center with 18-inch spacing between rows.

For plot 5, plant approximately 30 meters from the fencing of the parking lot or one meter from the current vegetation at the access point. Plot 5 extends approximately 28 meters in length from west to east. This plot follows the same pattern as plots 1 and 2 starting with four rows of bitter panicum, then four rows of beach elder, four rows of sea oats, and lastly four rows of gulf bluestem and that is moving landward. The gulf bluestem is always the ending row for this pattern. All the plants will be planted at 18 inches on center and with 18-inch spacing. Same as plots 1 and 2, a row of bitter panicum will be on the end of the plot (in this case, the east side) to try and better stabilize a walkway for visitors.

For plot 6, follow the same pattern as plot 5. Start with four rows of bitter panicum and moving landward, four rows of beach elder, four rows of sea oats, and four rows of gulf bluestem all planted at 18 inches on center with 18-inch spacing between rows. This plot will also be starting at approximately 30 meters from the exit of the parking lot and about two meters from the current vegetation and should extend the length of approximately 5.5 meters from west to east. Plots 5 and 6 should be separated by about 10 meters in between them to maintain the emergency vehicle access. The far-west column of the plot will be all bitter panicum to help stabilize the access walkway.

Figure 8. Planting diagrams for plots 3,4,5, and 6.

3.4 Beach Access 2

3.4.1 Plots 7 and 8

Figure 9. Plots at Escambia County Beach Access 2.

For plot 7, plant two rows of gulf bluestem and three rows of sea oats from west to east. The plantings should be approximately 22.5 meters from the corner of the fencing surrounding the parking lot area. These plants should be planted at 18 inches on center with 18-inch spacing between rows.

These rows curve along the current beach access point and extend about 20 meters in length from north to south.

For plot 8, the rows create an “L” shape to outline the current access and where current vegetation

is. The top of these rows are about 30 meters seaward of the parking lot exit. Starting from west to east, there should be four rows of bitter panicum, four rows of beach elder, four rows of sea oats, and four rows of gulf bluestem all planted 18 inches on center. These rows are varying lengths depending on where current vegetation is established, but the overall shape is approximately 18 meters in length and 16 meters in width.

Figure 10. Planting Diagrams for plots 7 and 8.