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6 <br /> rMarch 30 , 2001 Vero Beach Rotary Club , Vero Beach <br /> April 6 , 2001 Meeting of the Marine Resources Council , Grant <br /> April 23 , 2001 Meeting of the Pelican Island Preservation Society , <br /> Wabasso <br /> May 12 , 2001 Field trip for North Beach Civic Association and Oslo <br /> ' Riverfront Conservation Area volunteers <br /> May 16 , 2001 Meeting of the Sebastian Exchange Club <br /> 2 . 0 ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING PROPOSED ACTION <br /> 2 . 1 Alternative 1 : No Action . <br /> No action would leave existing lands as citrus groves and cleared citrus groves . <br /> Cleared citrus groves would be subject to succession and be susceptible to invasion by <br /> exotic plant species . Subject lands are already being managed as part of the Refuge , <br /> and the agreement for the former grove owner to continue operation of the citrus groves <br /> has expired . <br /> 2 . 2 Alternative 2 : The Proposed Action . <br /> Restore native habitats by removing exotic plants , including citrus groves , and <br /> converting to maritime hammocks , palm hammocks , freshwater wetlands , and <br /> tidal wetlands . <br /> DEP and the Service propose to restore native habitats in the 158-acre area largely <br /> west of Jungle Trail and southeast of Bird ' s and Pete ' s impoundments ( Figure 3) . <br /> Exotic plants such as Australian pines , Brazilian pepper, and torpedo grass would be <br /> removed and controlled . Citrus trees , which cover 67 acres of the proposed restoration <br /> area , would either be removed totally or grinded down to the ground and the chips left <br /> in place . Where excavation work or grading is planned (e . g . , for reconfiguring <br /> freshwater wetlands) , trees and roots would be removed . Where excavation is not <br /> ' needed , citrus tree roots would remain in the ground , thereby reducing ground <br /> disturbance and discouraging the opportunistic invasion of those exotic plants which <br /> establish readily on disturbed soils . <br /> Three freshwater lakes (~ 16 acres total ) and about 6 ephemeral freshwater ponds (~2 <br /> acres total) would be reconfigured on upland locations in place of existing ditches . The <br /> freshwater lakes would have perimeter berms and flashboard risers to allow water-level <br /> control . If, needed , water would be pumped from ditches and existing irrigation wells to <br /> initially fill the lakes . If outside the rainy season , the existing irrigation system would be <br /> used to water newly planted native vegetation for a 3 to 6 month period . Over time , <br /> drawing of ground water should be minimal , and would stay below the water amount as <br /> ' permitted by the St. Johns River Water Management District. Excavated soils from <br /> these freshwater lakes and ponds would be used to fill 3 east-west drainage ditches <br />