Page 32 - Southern Exposure - February '24

Page 32, Southern Exposure

NortherN Notes

Nonnative Species And Hunting On Northern Property

By Katie Roundtree, Director of Finance and Administration, Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District

Northern Palm Beach During a recent board meeting, the Board members
County Improvement discussed the hunting of invasive species on Northern-
District (“Northern”) owned property. They asked that all landowners be made
owns over 2,000 acres of aware of the following.
preserves, approximately Please be advised that, while permissible on private
50 miles of canals, and property with permission, hunting an invasive species
more than 370 water is expressly prohibited on real property owned by the
bodies with associated Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District.
maintenance areas or This property includes lakes, canals, parks and preserves
easements. An abundance owned by Northern. The only exception is state-licensed
of native animals and plant trappers authorized by Northern to trap and remove wild
species reside in those hogs, threatening alligators, or other invasive species.
areas. Northern’s staff take pride in ensuring their The FWC asks that the public report sightings of
continued success. nonnative species. Reporting observations helps to manage
Unfortunately, nonnative species also encroach and nonnative species. The best reports of nonnative species
reside in many of the same areas. While some do not cause are credible reports. These are reports that the FWC can
problems, others are considered invasive, meaning they verify for the species in question, and all necessary data
negatively impact native fish and wildlife, cause extensive is included. Credible reports contain three elements.
damage, or threaten human health and welfare. • A photograph showing the animal in question that is
As discussed last month, wild hogs are one type of not blurry and has a high enough resolution so that it can
invasive species whose population continues to expand be enlarged to ensure species identification
as they become used to different climates. Iguanas, Nonnative species are not protected in Florida except • The location where the animal was seen. GPS
Burmese pythons, tegus, Cuban tree frogs, cane toads, by the anti-cruelty law, Florida Statute § 828.12. They coordinates are best, but the location can also be a street
Muscovy ducks, and Egyptian geese are other commonly can be captured and humanely killed on private property address or a detailed description of the area.
encountered invasive species in our area. at any time with landowner permission. The Florida • The date when the animal was seen
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) You can use the web form at IveGot1.org to report
recommends contacting a nuisance wildlife control nonnative animals. The form will prompt you for the
operator if concerned about invasive species on their information and has a map where you can select the
property. A list of trappers can be found at MyFWC.com/ location if you do not have the GPS coordinates.
Trappers. NPDES tip: Don’t feed wildlife, especially near ponds,
A recent incident involving the shooting of Egyptian lakes, and streams. Attracting a large amount of wildlife
geese on the bank of a lake owned by Northern Palm to one location can lead to an increase in nutrients and
Beach County Improvement District was brought to the bacteria level from wildlife waste. This can contribute to
attention of Northern’s staff and Board of Supervisors. the pollution of our lakes and streams.

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