Publication Date:
2021-07-05
Description:
Eglin AFB on Cape San Blas consists of approximately 250 acres located about180 miles east of the main Eglin reservation. This area lies on the S1. Joseph peninsula,part of a dynamic barrier island chain that extends across the northern Gulf of Mexico.Due to the natural forces that formed Cape San Blas and those that maintain this area, St.Joseph Peninsula has experienced severe land form change over time (see GIS land formchange maps). These changes allow for fluctuations in habitat types along Cape San Blas(see GIS land cover change maps)that influence the floral and faunal species using thisarea.The dynamic environment along Cape San Blasincludes flatwoods, interdunalswale, rosemary scrub, and beachfront. These habitats support a wide array of species,including several threatened and endangered species such as the loggerhead sea turtle(Caretta caretta), PipingPlover (Charadnus melodus), Least Tern (Sterna antillarum),and Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Proper management of these species and theirhabitats require knowledge of their abundance and distribution, and the effectsdisturbances have on their survival.In addition to threatened and endangered flora and fauna, Cape San Blas alsosupports tourists and recreationists. Although Gulf County is sparsely populated, withapproximately 13,000 inhabitants throughout 578 square miles, summer tourism and heavyrecreational use of beaches for fishing, crabbing, and shelling place continued andincreasing pressure on the natural resources of these areas (Rupert 1991). Gulf County isalso one of the few remaining counties in Florida that permits vehicular traffic on itsbeaches, including Cape San Blas. In addition to recreational use of these habitats;EAFBalso uses the area for military missions. Air Force property on Cape San Blas is primarilyused for radar tracking of flying missions over the Gulf of Mexico, although in recentyears it has been used for missile launchings and other various military activities.To allow continued military and public use of Air Force property while alsoprotecting the unique flora and fauna of the area,EAFB proposed a characterization of theresources found along Cape San Blas. A complete inventory of the physical features of thearea included investigating topography, soil chemistry, hydrology, archeology, and thedynamics of land mass and land cover change over time. Various thematic layers within ageographic information system (GIS) were used to spatially portray georeferenced data.Large scale changes over time were assessed using stereo aerial photography. Vegetationtransects, soil samples, elevation transects, an archeological survey, freshwater wells, anda tidal monitor were used to investigate the remaining features. (247 page document)
Keywords:
Conservation
;
Earth Sciences
;
Environment
;
Cape San Blas
;
Florida
;
ecological inventory
Repository Name:
AquaDocs
Type:
monograph
Format:
application/pdf
Format:
application/pdf
Permalink