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History of land use changes in Palma Sola Bay Watershed

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Land use changes in the Palma Sola Bay watershed between the mid-1800s and present-day are briefly characterized. A pre-development landscape of pine forests, mangrove and salt marsh flats, herbaceous wetlands, and creek sloughs was supplanted over time by agricultural and urban improvements, including the construction of drainage canals. Numerous Native American archaeological sites were damaged or destroyed. Major historical impacts to Palma Sola Bay occurred in 1910-12 with the creation of the Cedar Hammock drainage project, and in the 1950s and 1960s with the construction of the Manatee Avenue causeway across the bay and mosquito ditching in the tidal wetlands. Explosive urban growth and their attendant environmental consequences over past 60 years have substantially impacted the watershed and current and proposed land development policies threaten its future ecological integrity.


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Submitted by: Barry Wharton, Senior Environmental Scientist, HDR-EOC

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