Okaloosa County BOCC — December 18, 2012 — reading text

Shorebird Monitor will stop at no greater than 200 meter intervals to visually inspect for nesting activity. vii. Once breeding is confirmed by the presence of a scrape, eggs, or young, the Bird Monitor will notify the Regional Nongame Biologist of the FWC at (850)265-3677 within 24 hours. viii. All breeding activity will be reported to the Beach-Nesting Bird website within one week of data collection. ix. Observations of non-breeding shorebirds should be reported to the Shorebird- Seabird Occurrence Database, as described below. b. Non-Breeding Shorebird Surveys. Data collected on non-breeding shorebirds should be compatible with, and reported to, the Shorebird-Seabird Occurrence Database (http://myfwc.com/shorebirds/). i. Surveys for non-breeding shorebirds should begin 14 days prior to construction commencement and be conducted once every 2 weeks for at least Packet Pg. 458  8.5.a.a Joint Coastal Permit Western Destin Beach Restoration Permit No. 0286575-001-JC Page 18 of 26 one year post-construction. Data collected during these surveys will provide valuable information on the use of nourished beaches to shorebirds. Attachment: Request for Bids (1264 : Approval of Bid - Dune Planting Projects (Okaloosa Island & Western Destin)) ii. Survey for non-breeding shorebirds will include all potential shorebird habitat within the project boundary. iii. Data should be entered into the database within one month of collection. 26. Buffer Zones and Travel Corridors. Within the project area, the Permittee shall establish a 300 ft-wide buffer zone around any location where shorebirds have been engaged in nesting behavior, including territory defense. Any and all construction activities, including movement of vehicles, should be prohibited in the buffer zone. a. The width of the buffer zone shall be increased if birds appear agitated or disturbed by construction or other activities in adjacent areas. b. Site-specific buffers may be implemented upon approval by FWC as needed. c. Reasonable and traditional pedestrian access should not be blocked where nesting birds will tolerate pedestrian traffic. This is generally the case with lateral movement of beach-goers walking parallel to the beach at or below the highest tide line. Pedestrian traffic may also be tolerated when nesting was initiated within 300 feet of an established beach access pathway. The Permittee shall work with FWC staff to determine if pedestrian access can be accommodated without compromising nesting success. d. Designated buffer zones must be posted with clearly marked signs around the perimeter. If pedestrian pathways are approved within the 300-foot buffer zone, these should be clearly marked. These markings shall be maintained until nesting is completed or terminated. In the case of solitary nesters, nesting is not considered to be completed until all chicks have fledged. e. No construction activities, movement of vehicles, or stockpiling of equipment shall be allowed within the buffer area. f. FWC-approved travel corridors should be designated and marked outside the buffer areas. Heavy equipment, other vehicles, or pedestrians may transit past nesting areas in these corridors. However, other activities such as stopping or turning shall be prohibited within the designated travel corridors adjacent to the nesting site. i. Where such a travel corridor must be established within the project area it should avoid critical areas for shorebirds (known nesting sites, wintering grounds, FWC-designated Critical Wildlife Areas, and USFWS-designated Packet Pg. 459  8.5.a.a Joint Coastal Permit Western Destin Beach Restoration Permit No. 0286575-001-JC Page 19 of 26 critical piping plover habitat) as much as possible, and be marked with signs clearly delineating the travel corridor from the shorebird buffer areas Attachment: Request for Bids (1264 : Approval of Bid - Dune Planting Projects (Okaloosa Island & Western Destin)) described above. ii. To the degree possible, the Permittee should maintain some activity within these corridors on a daily basis, without directly disturbing any shorebirds documented on site or interfering with sea turtle nesting, especially when those corridors are established prior to commencement of construction. Passive methods to modify nesting site suitability must be approved by FWC Regional Biologist for that region. 27. Placement of Equipment and Sand. If it will be necessary to extend construction pipes past a known shorebird nesting site or over-wintering area for piping plovers, then whenever possible those pipes should be placed landward of the site before birds are active in that area. No pipe or sand shall be placed seaward of a known shorebird nesting site during the shorebird nesting season. 28. Notification. If shorebird nesting occurs within the project area, a bulletin board will be placed and maintained in the construction area with the location map of the construction site showing the bird nesting areas and a warning, clearly visible, stating that “BIRD NESTING AREAS ARE PROTECTED BY THE FLORIDA THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND THE STATE AND FEDERAL MIGRATORY BIRD ACTS”. 29. Beach Contours. All tilling and scarp removal should be done outside the shorebird nesting season. It is the responsibility of the contractors to avoid tilling or scarp removal in areas where nesting birds are present. a. A relatively even surface, with no deep ruts or furrows, shall be created during tilling. To do this, chain-linked fencing or other material shall be dragged over those areas as necessary after tilling. b. The slope between the mean high water line and the mean low water line must be maintained in such a manner as to approximate natural slopes. MONITORING REQUIRED: 30. Water Quality - Turbidity shall be monitored as follows: Units: Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs). Dredging areas Frequency: For hopper dredge: During each hopper dredge cycle that occurs during day-light hours, after the plume reaches the monitoring sites, at least 5 discrete sampling events. Packet Pg. 460  8.5.a.a Joint Coastal Permit Western Destin Beach Restoration Permit No. 0286575-001-JC Page 20 of 26 Location: If in or immediately up-current of OFW: Attachment: Request for Bids (1264 : Approval of Bid - Dune Planting Projects (Okaloosa Island & Western Destin)) Background: Five samples measured at least 5 meters apart (pooled to determine the mean background level for the sampling event), at mid- depth, at least 150 meters up-current from the point of excavation, clearly outside of any turbidity plume. Compliance Monitoring Sites: At the point where the densest portion of the turbidity plume intersects the periphery of the mixing zone (1,500 meters down-current from the dredge), at mid-depth. Intermediate Monitoring Sites: Additional samples will be collected within the mixing zone, in the densest portion of the turbidity plume, at distances of 150 meters, 500 meters and 1,000 meters from the dredge, at mid-depth. These measurements will be used to calibrate the size of the mixing zone for future events. If NOT in OFW: Background: Five samples measured at least 5 meters apart (pooled to determine the mean background level for the sampling event), at mid- depth, at least 150 meters up-current from the point of excavation, clearly outside of any turbidity plume. Compliance Monitoring Sites: At the point where the densest portion of the turbidity plume intersects the periphery of the mixing zone, 150 meters down-current from the dredge, at mid-depth. Disposal areas Frequency: During daylight hours, at least once during each hopper discharge cycle, when the maximum plume reaches the monitoring sites. Location: Background: Approximately 500 meters upcurrent of the point where the return water from the dredged discharge reenters the Gulf of Mexico and the same distance offshore as the associated compliance sample. Compliance Monitoring Sites: Samples shall be collected where the densest portion of the turbidity plume crosses the edge of the mixing zone, which measures 150 meters from the point where the return water from the dredged discharge reenters the Gulf of Mexico. Packet Pg. 461  8.5.a.a Joint Coastal Permit Western Destin Beach Restoration Permit No. 0286575-001-JC Page 21 of 26 Turbidity Standards: Within the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which is designated as Outstanding Attachment: Request for Bids (1264 : Approval of Bid - Dune Planting Projects (Okaloosa Island & Western Destin)) Florida Waters (OFW), the turbidity level at the compliance site shall not exceed 0 NTUs above the background turbidity level for that sampling event. The turbidity level at compliance sites located outside of the OFW shall not exceed 29 NTUs above the background turbidity level for that sampling event. Any