The Lucky L Mitigation Bank is a 1,192.04-acre enhancement and restoration project in southern Osceola County. The original condition of the site prior to colonization by European man included mesic flatwoods (uplands), basin swamp, wet prairie, and possibly other wetland forms. Significant alterations to the site eliminated much of the native habitat forms and replaced them with pastureland and other agricultural land uses.
Currently, the site consists of mostly pastureland, degraded basin swamp (cypress), and a limited amount of highly-altered mesic flatwoods. A much greater area of wetlands existed in the original condition, but anthropogenic alterations converted much of these areas to pastureland and other upland forms. This conversion was largely a result of the construction of an extensive and highly effective drainage system (i.e., ditches).
The goal of the Lucky L Mitigation Bank is to restore the endemic wetland and supporting transitional and upland vegetative communities and associated wildlife that originally existed within the property. This will be accomplished through the elimination of the different factors that contributed to the degradation of these communities, including the restoration of normal hydroperiods, native vegetative composition, community structure, and water quality. This plan will include supplemental planting and/or broadcast seeding with endemic vegetation forms where needed. It is anticipated that these improvements would foster the return and proliferation of endemic wildlife populations that are typical of these ecotypes.
Mitigation Credits Provided:
