The site is ideally situated, being surrounded by Big Cypress National Preserve (BCNP) directly to the south, and other wetland and panther mitigation land on the north, west, and east. Restoration of the Panther Grove will result in a large complex of restored private and publicly-owned lands, providing crucial habitats for endangered species such as the Florida Panther, bonneted bat, and wood ibis. The project will result in hydrologic re-connection to Big Cypress National Preserve and restored surficial ground-water tables.
EcoGENESIS is also acting as the authorized agent on behalf of the client in negotiation with the USACE and IRT agencies to complete the Federal MBI permitting process, with a draft instrument currently in development and on-going coordination with the USACE. EcoGENESIS evaluated the original design and instituted several significant changes and modifications that resulted in the completion of the SFWMD process and positive movement forward in the federal process. Additionally, EcoGENESIS is partnering with E Sciences, Inc. engineers to verify hydrologic restoration targets and perform hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for federal permitting purposes.