Photo: USFWS.

Florida Panther (Federally Endangered)

A wide-ranging, highly endangered cat impacted by habitat fragmentation and potentially by climate change. The extensive areas of undeveloped longleaf pine flatwoods, scrub, and forested wetlands found within the study area represent high quality habitat for establishing and maintaining an alternative population outside of south Florida. Few panthers currently use this area, although one radiotelemetry marked male panther resided in the general vicinity of a few potential land acquisition parcels over the course of two years, indicating that this area would provide suitable habitat for an expanding panther population.

Photo: USFWS.

Florida Black Bear (State Threatened)

Considered an umbrella species for multiple imperiled plants and animals, this wide-ranging state-threatened mammal requires large areas of protected habitat. The study area contains large tracts of undeveloped scrub and forested wetland habitats that are becoming increasingly important for Florida black bears. An indication of the importance of the lands identified in this proposal is area is a radio-telemetry marked bear, first captured on Lake Wales Ridge NWR in 2009, which traversed and visited several of the areas under consideration for potential land acquisition during the ensuing seven months.

Photo: Joan Morrison.

Audubon's Crested Caracara (Federal/State Threatened)

The study area represents the northern range limit of the
species and the broad grassland savannas found within the study area are the last strongholds for this federal and state threatened bird and would serve as a population source for range expansion in the face of the impacts of global climate change.

Photo: USFWS.

Florida Scrub Jay (Federal/State Threatened)

The Everglades Headwaters Refuge would protect and restore important scrub habitat for this federal and state threatened species by linking and expanding existing scrub jay populations associated with Lake Wales Ridge.

Photo: Floridiannature.com.

Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Federally Endangered)

Critically imperiled, this federally endangered species is endemic to the dry prairie habitat of the Conservation Area. Potential land acquisition and easements would link existing populations found at Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, Avon Air Force Park, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, and the Ordway- Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary.

Photo: USFWS.

Everglades Snail Kite (Federally Endangered)

Wetland restoration activity in the study area would greatly
improve and increase this species’ critical winter habitat, one of only a few strongholds for this species lying north of Lake Okeechobee.

Photo: Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Federally Endangered)

Patches of longleaf pine habitat in the proposed study area provide habitat for this federally endangered bird, and with potential to increase the amount of available habitat through conservation and restoration.

Photo: Kevin T. Karlson.

Migratory Waterfowl

Along with wetland and open water habitat that is extensively used by lesser scaup and northern pintail, the prairie wetlands surrounding Lake Okeechobee and the St. Johns River contain some of the State's highest densities of mottled ducks.