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* Identify by boundary survey remaining scrub areas to be conserved by a conservation easement or similar mechanism. The area proposed for conservation on the park property consists of +9 acres north and east of the cleared baseball diamonds area (see attached map). * In coordination with County Utilities, identify by boundary survey and conserve approximately 5.5 acres of remaining scrub habitat on the north end of the R.O. plant property, east of and adjacent to the park. * In coordination with the FWS, the Division of Forestry (DOF), County Utilities, and the School Board, manage preserved park scrub as 1 of 3 "blocks" of scrub to be subject to prescribed burning (or mechanical management) on a 4 year rotational basis (1 of the 3 blocks burned every 4 years; individual blocks burned once every 12 years). The 3 blocks are: (1) +6.4 acres of preservation area on the east portion of the middle school site (north of the park); (2) ±9 acres of scrub on the park property; and (3) ±5.5 acres of scrub on the north end of the R.O. plant property. ALTERNATIVES & ANALYSIS South County Park When the South County Park was constructed, 8.02 acres of pine flatwoods in the southwest portion of the park property were set aside for conservation purposes, in order to satisfy county native upland set-aside requirements. This +8 acres is approximately 10% of the total. +76 acre park property (71.6 total net acres, excluding Oslo Road right-of-way and a future library site). Approximately 32 acres of the park property have been cleared for existing and proposed recreational use, including: baseball diamonds; basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts; football and soccer fields; parking; and a playground. Staff's proposal is to relocate the existing conservation area, +8 acres on the southwest portion of the site, to the +9 acres of scrub (+12% of the total site) on the north portion of the property. Since the proposed conservation area can be credited as a replacement of the existing conservation area, that would allow the +8 acres of existing conservation area to be developed for park purposes. As a result of this change, there will be a net loss of approximately one acre of potential park recreational development area. From the environmental standpoint, this reconfiguration of the conservation area has the benefit of serving to protect part of an existing remaining territory of federally threatened Florida scrub jays. Also, this reconfiguration would consolidate the park conservation area with a +6.5 acre preservation area on the School Board middle school site (to the north), which is preferable to fragmented areas. The Public Works Department finds the proposed conservation area on the Park property acceptable, given thescrub habitat mitigation circumstance, provided there is some p=ovision to account for maintenance of an existing FPL power easement on the park property. 27 J U N 2 11994 BOOK 92 PAGE �Jko