Why Survey?

 Hello Everyone!

This blog exists to chronical my journey of discovering the biodiversity within my settled area. Specifically mapping and plotting both animals and plants that exist within the boundaries of my property. 

As more and more of Florida is paved over by industry and expanding housing and infrastructure, the amount of wildlife patches and causeways continues to decrease.

By more closely examining pockets of life and green among the gray, we can ascertain which parts of the property give life the most leverage to succeed and thrive. Here is an excerpt from my original study area submission. 

Throughout the past 27 years, the variety of wildlife using both the yard section and the wetlands section have been remarkable with deer still passing through regularly. The primary predators of this location are a pair of Red Shouldered hawks that have made roost in a local tree. Last semester, we had a Federally threatened Wood Stork use our ‘ditch’ as a fishing location. Throughout the years, certain larger predatory mammals have not been observed as often as they have been, namely river otters and bobcats. I would very much like to explore this slice of Florida semi-Wilderness and ascertain the importance of its continued existence as both a refuge and highway for native Florida plants and animals.

       This area is a unique case when compared to other local properties, as it harbors a section of wilderness mostly physically undisturbed for the past ~40 years. It has yard sections, wetland sections, and even a roadway to be thoroughly examined. Influences from chemicals can be observed at boundary lines where they may have leached in, and native and invasive species can be mapped and a comprehensive re-wilding guide might be able to be established, with this property as a baseline.

Ideally each sighting of an invasive species will be mapped as well as native species using ARC GIS. Soil and water sampling can be collected and documented in several areas with different factors at play. Mapping of these factors could potentially provide insight as to the proliferation of invasives, resilience of natural Florida ecosystems, and the impact of a household and neighboring developments.

       Further research could involve zoning laws and regulations that led to the current protections in place, potential expansions of said protections, and further documentation of the regions importance. Just outside the region is a hotspot for animal/vehicle interactions and yet a constant proposal is made every 7years or so to further route traffic through the region which could lead to more devastating encounters for both man and wildlife.