Wildlife
Mosaic is committed to wildlife
stewardship and protection, both on our property and throughout
central and southwest Florida. We have taken a leadership role in
pioneering wildlife relocation techniques, in creating prime
habitats, and in providing continued financial support for wildlife
rehabilitation and education.
Onsite Wildlife is
Protected
Mosaic works to protect
the environment's most sensitive habitats and the species they
contain. Before any mining begins, the property is surveyed by
independent consultants multiple times, and we work closely with
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Fish
and Wildlife Service to ensure that all wildlife on our property
are monitored and managed properly. From indigo snakes and gopher tortoises to burrowing owls, special care is given to onsite wildlife before, during and after mining.
Successfully Relocating
Wildlife
Working with wildlife agencies,
Mosaic successfully translocates species that are endangered,
threatened or "of special concern" from mining areas to both
unmined and reclaimed lands -- many of which are designated as
perpetual conservation easements.
For example, the sandy soils, short trees and sparse vegetation of reclaimed "scrub" habitats make them particularly hospitable to burrowing animals like the gopher tortoise and burrowing owl. Florida's phosphate industry has successfully relocated more than 10,000 gopher tortoises to reclaimed areas - and their "burrow buddies" like Florida mice, lizards, gopher frogs, gopher scarab beetles, gopher crickets and gopher moths come along too.
Mosaic ecologists have been conducting burrowing owl translocations since 2006, when they successfully completed the first burrowing owl translocation project in the state of Florida. Take a look at a video from December 2011 that shows several Mosaic ecologists working with local wildlife experts to relocate four burrowing owls. The owls have since been released into their new habitat following a 30-day stay in a temporary enclosure to help them acclimate to their new environment. These translocations have shown that the population and reclaimed habitat is not only sustainable, it has attracted additional owls unassociated with the relocation.
Mosaic has developed the largest
scrub-jay population in Southwest Florida through a series of
successful translocations that began in 2003. The habitat, on an
un-mined conservation area, is currently home to 8 family groups
consisting of 34 individual birds.
The intensively managed high quality
scrub habitat has enticed scrub-jays to immigrate on their own as well, for the companionship
of other jays. It is adjacent to land owned by Manatee County - the
Duette Preserve - and land owned by the Southwest Water Management
District (SWFWMD). Mosaic is working with both Manatee County and
SWFWMD to further expand the scrub jay population onto their
land.
Attracting Wildlife
Naturally
Studies show that reclaimed
habitat has a high capacity to attract and retain wildlife. While
Mosaic does relocate some species, many species colonize naturally
on reclaimed land. A 2008 study from the Florida Industrial and
Phosphate Research Institute (FIPR) found that almost 300 species
of vertebrates (including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and
fish) utilized reclaimed lands in Florida. Also noteworthy is a
previous FIPR study showing that invertebrate communities of
reclaimed wetlands became very similar to natural wetlands within
only three years.
Leadership in Wildlife
Education
At Mosaic's Coastal Education Center
in Riverview, Hillsborough County elementary students get hands-on
experience with land and sea creatures through nature walks and
wading trips. Since its inception, it has received several local
and national awards, including "Conservation Educator of the Year"
by the Florida Wildlife Federation in 2007.
In Hillsborough Bay, Mosaic owns two
islands that comprise the Richard T. Paul Alafia Bank Bird
Sanctuary. The islands are home to as many as 18,000 pairs of
native water birds. Mosaic has a longstanding partnership with
Audubon of Florida in maintaining the islands and boardwalk, which
have been named "globally significant" by the Bird Life
International wildlife protection organization. The designation is
based on the large populations of nesting birds there, including
the laughing gull, roseate spoonbill, white ibis and glossy ibis.
Watch a two-minute video about the
partnership.
Mosaic is also a financial supporter of wildlife refuge and rehabilitation centers in central Florida as well as the Peace River Wildlife Center, which serves Charlotte and Lee Counties