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Comprehensive Plan Conservation Element <br />swamp community include ladyfish, sheepshead minnow, marsh killifish, mosquitofish, sailfish <br />molly, highfin blenny, and frillfin goby. <br />One species, the Atlantic saltmarsh snake, is restricted to the brackish water environments of the <br />high salt marshes and mangrove swamps of Volusia, Brevard, and Indian River Counties. The <br />species is at risk from habitat destruction and the construction of freshwater ponds which become <br />habitat for the "reproductively compatible" banded water snake. <br />Over time, mangroves have demonstrated the ability to trap, hold and, to some extent, stabilize <br />intertidal sediments. The present view of mangroves is that they function not as "land builders" but <br />as "stabilizers" of sediments. Such stabilization of sediment is possible only where strong waves and <br />currents do not exist. <br />Although mangroves are susceptible to hurricane damage, they provide considerable protection to <br />areas on their landward side. The degree of this protection is roughly proportional to the width of the <br />mangrove zone. While narrow fringing forests offer minimal protection, extensive stands of <br />mangroves not only prevent wave damage, but reduce flooding damage by damming and holding <br />flood water. <br />• Spoil Islands <br />The 49 spoil islands present in Indian River County are the legacy of the dredging of the ICW that <br />took place in the mid -1950's. These islands are owned by the State of Florida, administered by the <br />Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (TIITF), and managed by the Florida Inland <br />Navigation District (FIND). In September 1989, a spoil island management plan was completed by <br />the FDNR in conjunction with FIND. Besides exhibiting significant conservation (i.e. bird <br />rookeries), environmental, and recreational qualities, these islands have strong aesthetic value. <br />Although upland vegetation associated with the spoil islands consists of both native and non-native <br />plant species, the value of the islands to the natural environment is associated with providing <br />relatively remote bird rookery sites. As a whole, the spoil islands have increased the surface area of <br />the land -water interface of the intertidal zone. This increased interface has a direct effect on <br />organisms that associate with the intertidal zone or shallow subtidal nearshore bottoms. Where spoil <br />islands emerge from the bottom of the M, many species of aquatic animals (e.g. oyster, clams, <br />shrimp, anchovies, sardines, mor arras, etc.), submerged aquatic vegetation (e.g. shoal grass <br />Halodule wrightii), shoreline plants (e.g. cord grass Spartina spp.), and mangroves are provided with <br />a far greater area for habitation and settlement. An inclusive list of the spoil islands within Indian <br />River County is contained in Table 8.10. <br />Community Development Department Indian River County 68 <br />