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On the Waterfront

Types of Wetlands Problems Solutions Shoreline Protection Landscape Design Natives Invasive Plants Wetland Plants -Shore -Salt -Flood Maintenance. On the Waterfront. Author: Rebecca McNair Edited by: Allison Steele.

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On the Waterfront

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  1. Types of Wetlands Problems Solutions Shoreline Protection Landscape Design Natives Invasive Plants Wetland Plants -Shore -Salt -Flood Maintenance On the Waterfront Author: Rebecca McNair Edited by: Allison Steele

  2. Florida is blessed with a large variety of aquatic resources 2,276 miles tidal shoreline 663 miles of coastal beaches Over 7,700 freshwater lakes Living on the waterfront is a privilege and a responsibility

  3. Types of Wetlands • Fresh • Lakes, rivers, streams • Depressional wetlands • Retention ponds • Ditches • Salt /Brackish • Coastal • Intercoastal • Salt marsh

  4. Environmental Concerns • Shoreline over-development • Aquatic weeds • Decline in fish & aquatic organisms • Loss of habitat • Water clarity • Water quality • According to the EPA, nutrient loading is the leading cause of impairment to Florida’s waterways

  5. Be Florida-Friendly Regardless of the type of waterfront property you own, you can help preserve Florida’s natural resources through: • Shoreline Protection • Landscape Design • Proper Maintenance

  6. Shoreline Protection

  7. Protect the Shoreline • Vegetated slopes • Buffer wave action • Absorb nutrients • Prevent erosion • Attract wildlife

  8. Protect the Shoreline • Limestone • Buffers wave action • Prevents erosion • Provides shelter for wildlife Native limestone placed along the shoreline offers a home to local wildlife.

  9. Protect the Shoreline • Shade trees • Reduce soil compaction by intercepting rainfall • Prevent erosion • Maintain water temperature Thermal pollution (hot water) threatens the health of fish and other aquatic wildlife.

  10. Waterfront Restrictions • Permit required to: • Alter shoreline protection structures (seawalls) • Prune or remove native vegetation Seek expert advice to modify seawalls!

  11. Landscape Design

  12. A carefully designed Florida Yard can be beautiful and environmentally friendly: • Requiring little inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, and water • Filtering impurities from water before it reaches water bodies

  13. Select plants based on site conditions: • Acid  alkaline- (test your soil’s pH) • Dry  moist • Full sun  shade • Heat  cold • Space • Obstructions • Salt

  14. Reduce plant maintenance needs by selecting appropriate plant material… • Choose low-maintenance & native plants with: • Few pest problems • Low nutrient and water requirements • Low weediness potential • Flood tolerance Coral Porterweed Stachytarpheta speciosa

  15. …and planting in the right place • Create a buffer of low-maintenance plants between the lawn and shore or seawall to absorb nutrients Apply no fertilizers or pesticides past the buffer zone

  16. Definitions • Native-a species occurring naturally in an environment or region • Endemic- Native to and restricted to a particular geographic region • Exotic—a species introduced to an area • Invasive exotic—an exotic that, not only has naturalized, but is expanding on its own • Not all exotic plants are invasive!

  17. Appropriate Shoreline Plants The extensive root systems of Sea Oat holds sand particles in place. Sea Oat Uniola paniculata (USDA Zone 7-11)

  18. Salt Tolerant Plants Blackrush (USDA Zone 7-11)Juncus roemerianus (USDA Zone 10B-11) Black MangroveAvicennia germinans Sawgrass (USDA Zone 8-11)Cladium jamaicense

  19. Salt Tolerant Plants Sea Oxeye Daisy(USDA Zone 10A-11)Borrichia frutescens Cordgrass(USDA Zone 8-11)Spartina spp. Seashore Paspalum(USDA Zone 8) Paspalum vaginatum (Swartz)

  20. Flood Tolerant Plants Softstem Bullrush(USDA Zone 7-10) Scirpus tabernaemontani Wild Rice(USDA Zone 8-11)Zizaniopsis milacea Pickerelweed (USDA Zone 7-11)Pontederia cordata

  21. Flood Tolerant Trees Pond Apple (USDA Zone 9b-11)Annona glabra Paurotis Palm (USDA Zone 9b-11)Acoelorrhaphe wrightii Cypress (USDA Zone 7-10B)Taxodium spp.

  22. Invasive Exotics • Many infamous invasive exotics are found in wetlands • Invasive exotics that are altering native plant communities by: • changing soil chemistry, plant community structure and ecological function • displacing native species • hybridizing with natives Hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata

  23. Australian Pine Casuarina spp. Some Invasive Exotics Brazilian Pepper Schinus terebinthifolius Melaleuca Melaleuca quinquenervia

  24. Remove invasive exotics by hand to protect native plants Chinese TallowSapium sebiferum Water LettucePistia stratioites Water HyacinthEichhornia crassipes

  25. A low maintenance approach to landscaping can save time, money and precious natural resources. This may be achieved through proper: • Watering • Fertilizing • Pest Management • Mowing, pruning, raking • Composting • Mulching

  26. Fertilize Appropriately Excess fertilizers or fertilizers applied improperly may run off our yards into waterways or leach into groundwater. • Follow the printed instructions carefully • Do not apply fertilizer or pesticides before a heavy rainstorm

  27. Keep rain and sprinkler water onsite to prevent runoff from occurring. • Use porous surfaces for walkways, patios and driveways • Use berms, swales and terracing • Direct downspouts toward beds or lawn

  28. Remove trash Clean up oil spills and leaks with cat litter Pick up after pets Sweep grass clippings and soil back onto lawns Because water can wash off our yards, it is important to reduce the amount of pollutants on our property.

  29. Landscapes bordering surface waters need to be maintained with special sensitivity to the environment. • Establish a 10-30 ft “no fertilizer, no pesticide” zone along shoreline

  30. Lawn Care • Avoid mowing grasses along the shoreline • Keep grass clippings out of stormwater drainage systems • Mow lawns at the highest recommended height to encourage a deeper, more drought tolerant root system

  31. Native wildflowers add color to a landscape, with very little maintenance.

  32. A Florida Yard can be beautiful and environmentally friendly… It’s up to you!

  33. Further Readinghttp://edis.ifas.ufl.edu FE 207: Florida’s Water: Supply, Use and Public Policy WEC 4: Introduction to Aquascaping SL 143: How Contaminants Reach Groundwater FRE 256: Handbook of Florida’s Water Regulations: Activities in Wetlands

  34. Thanks for your attention! The following presentation was made possible through a grant from FL DEP and EPA. Special thanks to the following reviewers for their valued contributions: FL114 ELM Design Team and the FYN Subcommittee Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, UF Agriculture Education and Communication Department Environmental Horticulture Department Entomology and Nematology Department Soil and Water Sciences Department Florida Cooperative Extension Service in: Alachua, Broward, Clay, Hillsborough, Lake, Miami-Dade, Orange, Pinellas, Sarasota, and Volusia Counties Florida Organics Recycling Center for Excellence The Center For Wetlands, UF United States Department of Agriculture FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences: Division of Plant Industry

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