1. On the Waterfront Types of Wetlands Problems Solutions
Shoreline Protection
Landscape Design
Natives
Invasive Plants
Wetland Plants
-Shore
-Salt
-Flood
Maintenance
On the Waterfront
Author: Rebecca McNair
Edited by: Allison Steele

2. Florida is blessed with a large variety of aquatic resources
2,276 miles tidal shoreline
663 miles of coastal beaches
Over 7,700 freshwater lakes
Living on the waterfront is a privilege and a responsibility

3. Types of Wetlands Fresh Salt /Brackish Lakes, rivers, streams
Depressional wetlands
Retention ponds
Ditches
Salt /Brackish
Coastal
Intercoastal
Salt marsh
Regardless of the type of waterfront property you own, there are things you can do to improve the water quality and preserve the aquatic habitat.

4. Environmental Concerns
Shoreline over-development
Aquatic weeds
Decline in fish & aquatic organisms
Loss of habitat
Water clarity
Water quality
According to the EPA, nutrient loading is the leading cause of impairment to Florida’s waterways

5. Be Florida-Friendly
Regardless of the type of waterfront property you own, you can help preserve Florida’s natural resources through:
Shoreline Protection
Landscape Design
Proper Maintenance

6. Shoreline Protection

7. Protect the Shoreline Vegetated slopes Buffer wave action
Absorb nutrients
Prevent erosion
Attract wildlife

8. Protect the Shoreline Limestone Buffers wave action Prevents erosion
Provides shelter for wildlife
Native limestone placed along the shoreline offers a home to local wildlife.

9. Protect the Shoreline Shade trees
Reduce soil compaction by intercepting rainfall
Prevent erosion
Maintain water temperature
Thermal pollution (hot water) threatens the health of fish and other aquatic wildlife.

10. Waterfront Restrictions
Permit required to:
Alter shoreline protection structures (seawalls)
Prune or remove native vegetation
Seek expert advice to modify seawalls!

11. Landscape Design

12. A carefully designed Florida Yard can be beautiful and environmentally friendly:
Requiring little inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, and water
Filtering impurities from water before it reaches water bodies

13. Select plants based on site conditions:
Acid  alkaline- (test your soil’s pH)
Dry  moist
Full sun  shade
Heat  cold
Space
Obstructions
Salt

14. Reduce plant maintenance needs by selecting appropriate plant material…
Choose low-maintenance & native plants with:
Few pest problems
Low nutrient and water requirements
Low weediness potential
Flood tolerance
Coral Porterweed Stachytarpheta speciosa

15. …and planting in the right place
Create a buffer of low-maintenance plants between the lawn and shore or seawall to absorb nutrients
Apply no fertilizers or pesticides past the buffer zone

16. Definitions
Native-a species occurring naturally in an environment or region
Endemic- Native to and restricted to a particular geographic region
Exotic—a species introduced to an area
Invasive exotic—an exotic that, not only has naturalized, but is expanding on its own
Not all exotic plants are invasive!

17. Appropriate Shoreline Plants
The extensive root systems of Sea Oat holds sand particles in place.
Sea Oat Uniola paniculata
(USDA Zone 7-11)

18. Salt Tolerant Plants Blackrush (USDA Zone 7-11) Juncus roemerianus
(USDA Zone 10B-11)
Black Mangrove Avicennia germinans
Sawgrass (USDA Zone 8-11) Cladium jamaicense

19. Salt Tolerant Plants
Sea Oxeye Daisy (USDA Zone 10A-11) Borrichia frutescens
Cordgrass (USDA Zone 8-11) Spartina spp.
Seashore Paspalum (USDA Zone 8) Paspalum vaginatum (Swartz)

20. Flood Tolerant Plants
Softstem Bullrush (USDA Zone 7-10) Scirpus tabernaemontani
Wild Rice (USDA Zone 8-11) Zizaniopsis milacea
Pickerelweed (USDA Zone 7-11) Pontederia cordata

21. Flood Tolerant Trees Pond Apple (USDA Zone 9b-11) Annona glabra
Paurotis Palm (USDA Zone 9b-11) Acoelorrhaphe wrightii
Cypress (USDA Zone 7-10B) Taxodium spp.

22. Invasive Exotics Many infamous invasive exotics are found in wetlands
Invasive exotics that are altering native plant communities by:
changing soil chemistry, plant community structure and ecological function
displacing native species
hybridizing with natives
Hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata

23. Some Invasive Exotics Australian Pine Casuarina spp.
Brazilian Pepper Schinus terebinthifolius
Melaleuca Melaleuca quinquenervia

24. Remove invasive exotics by hand to protect native plants
Chinese Tallow Sapium sebiferum
Water Lettuce Pistia stratioites
Water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes

25. A low maintenance approach to landscaping can save time, money and precious natural resources This may be achieved through proper:
Watering
Fertilizing
Pest Management
Mowing, pruning, raking
Composting
Mulching

26. Fertilize Appropriately
Excess fertilizers or fertilizers applied improperly may run off our yards into waterways or leach into groundwater.
Follow the printed instructions carefully
Do not apply fertilizer or pesticides before a heavy rainstorm

27. Keep rain and sprinkler water onsite to prevent runoff from occurring.
Use porous surfaces for walkways, patios and driveways
Use berms, swales and terracing
Direct downspouts toward beds or lawn

28. Because water can wash off our yards, it is important to reduce the amount of pollutants on our property.
Remove trash
Clean up oil spills and leaks with cat litter
Pick up after pets
Sweep grass clippings and soil back onto lawns

29. Landscapes bordering surface waters need to be maintained with special sensitivity to the environment.
Establish a ft “no fertilizer, no pesticide” zone along shoreline

30. Lawn Care Avoid mowing grasses along the shoreline
Keep grass clippings out of stormwater drainage systems
Mow lawns at the highest recommended height to encourage a deeper, more drought tolerant root system

31. Native wildflowers add color to a landscape, with very little maintenance.

32. A Florida Yard can be beautiful and environmentally friendly… It’s up to you!

33. Further Reading http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu
FE 207: Florida’s Water: Supply, Use and Public Policy
WEC 4: Introduction to Aquascaping
SL 143: How Contaminants Reach Groundwater
FRE 256: Handbook of Florida’s Water Regulations: Activities in Wetlands

34. Thanks for your attention!
The following presentation was made possible through a grant from FL DEP and EPA. Special thanks to the following reviewers for their valued contributions:
FL114 ELM Design Team and the FYN Subcommittee
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, UF
Agriculture Education and Communication Department
Environmental Horticulture Department
Entomology and Nematology Department
Soil and Water Sciences Department
Florida Cooperative Extension Service in: Alachua, Broward, Clay, Hillsborough, Lake, Miami-Dade, Orange, Pinellas, Sarasota, and Volusia Counties
Florida Organics Recycling Center for Excellence
The Center For Wetlands, UF
United States Department of Agriculture
FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences: Division of Plant Industry