Spring 2001
Spring 2001
The
Disney Wilderness Preserve is a 12,000-acre Nature Conservancy project located
in the pine flatwoods ecosystem of central Florida. We started in 1992 as an
offsite mitigation project for wetland impacts occurring at Walt Disney World
Resort, the Orlando International Airport and various small developments in
Orlando. The mitigation involves restoring hydrology in over 4,000 acres of
wetlands on a former cattle ranch, re-introducing native vegetation in over
1,500 acres of pasture and re-establishing natural processes (primarily fire)
throughout the 12,000-acre site. The Nature Conservancy has expanded the mission
of the project to include an ecological research program to meet restoration-
and management-information needs in pine flatwoods systems. In addition, we
have established an education program and the Natural Areas Training Academy
to reach and teach numerous audiences ranging from the local community to seasoned
professional natural-areas managers.
There are 20 natural communities on the Preserve,
ranging from lakeshore to xeric oak hammock. The mitigation monitoring network
includes 104 vegetation sampling transects, 448 shallow ground water wells,
a main and five remote weather stations, 38 continuous surface and ground water
level recorders, and 180 photopoint stations. Site facilities include a 5,400-ft2
Conservation Learning Center with classroom, office and dry lab areas. Onsite
housing for 18 allows us to host interns, visiting researchers, technicians
and small groups. Because much of the site is not accessible to street vehicles,
we have a sizable fleet of all-terrain vehicles.
The science staff is responsible for hydrologic, climate,
photopoint, organic soil and vegetation monitoring programs for the mitigation.
In addition, we perform a great deal of adaptive management data collection,
especially to guide stewardship of the Preserve’s 16 listed species populations
and the fire management and exotic species control programs. Outside collaborators,
including graduate students and government agencies, conduct onsite research
projects. They benefit from our substantial database of ecological information,
which includes fire and land-use history, hydrology, topography, soils, plant
communities, vegetation, aquatic fauna, wildlife population abundances and distributions,
climate data, and archaeological resources. In addition, we have an advanced
Geographic Information System (GIS) and an extensive spatial database, including
aerial photographs from every decade since 1940.
Educational
programs include a number of training courses tailored to specific agencies,
a Welcome to your Watershed course for decision-makers, and special topic workshops
like Building with Nature in Mind. We have developed several field college credit
and continuing education courses for current and future natural-areas managers,
one-month to year-long internships and postdoctoral positions. 
The
local community is involved. We have over 100 active volunteers, many of whom
act as “citizen scientists” by leading their own field projects. Each
year we conduct a large number of interpretive programs for the general public
and business, school, scout and conservation groups. In short, The Nature Conservancy’s
Disney Wilderness Preserve is a place where real restoration and natural lands
management occur while we learn and export what we discover to others.
–Monica Folk
Disney Wilderness Preserve Ecological Research Station