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Contract#IRL2019-18 Encumbrance#GL01-1736/GL01-1895 County has noted significant loss of maritime hammock in several of our conservation areas as a result of frequent and sustained salt water inundation.Additionally,storm surge and frequent high water events are facilitating the conversion of sand flats and herbaceous salt marshes to monocultures of white mangroves thus reducing biodiversity.Loss of this type of high marsh within the County results in many detrimental impacts to the Lagoon,most notably direct habitat loss for wildlife and the reduction of critical treatment of stormwater runoff prior to entering the Lagoon. '. . . 4,f s. cE 11.00 '\\\": R- • ,J 1 AF Outer! lands fl g Duck/4 ' I$and T. 41113 Lost Tree Islands Conservation Area This grant application will be focused on development of a plan for the three larger islands. It is the County's vision to develop this plan so that the restoration strategies completed may be utilized for enhancing the remaining areas within the LTICA, as well as other spoil island projects throughout the IRL. The larger islands and the wetlands within the LTICA may have formed through natural processes, however, these islands were used as spoil deposition sites as part of the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) dredging. There is little native vegetation on these islands remaining; the majority of the islands are covered with Australian pines (Casuarina equisetifolia)and Brazilian pepper(Schinus terebinthifolius). Three wetland mitigation projects have been permitted on two of the three largest islands to date. The first project is located on the northern end of Earman Island. This project was permitted and designed as a coastal wetland mitigation project.The project plan involved clearing Australian pine and Brazilian pepper, and allowing native wetland vegetation to recruit on-site. Maintenance activities were limited to eliminating seedling Australian pine and Brazilian pepper,as well as other Page 14