Wenger 72944 Especificações descarregar pdf (Página 116)

Section 2 Existing Conditions/Affected Environment

EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006

2-52

agricultural vegetation. The visual aesthetics are rather monotonous and of

marginal value.

Along the St. Lucie Canal, much of the interior region is ditched for farming or

range practices that have altered the natural vegetation and aesthetic resources

of those areas. Many of the rural areas possess good scenic quality on a small

scale. Orange groves, combined with scattered trees and forests, provide a

tranquil backdrop to this rural agricultural setting.

The Caloosahatchee River Basin regional aesthetic overview is characterized by

the Caloosahatchee River corridor, the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain, and

surrounding uplands. The Caloosahatchee River is a linear body of water whose

width allows observation of shoreline vegetation that includes texture, color, and

wildlife varieties of interest and beauty. Minor urban impacts exist along the

Caloosahatchee until the Fort Myers area where impacts increase noticeably.

The coastal segments of the region possess a higher degree of aesthetic quality

within the visual environment. State Parks, WMAs, and Wilderness Areas

secure natural resources of prominent aesthetics. Much of the region’s interior

aesthetics are comprised of forested wetlands and irrigated pasturelands of

moderate aesthetic quality. Many of the regional rural areas possess scenic

quality on a small scale. Rural areas are largely pine forested with some oak,

hickory, and gum associations. Air traffic noise is an increasing adverse

aesthetic impact. Development pressures are an increasing concern to natural

and aesthetic resources.

The visual landscape of the WCAs is overwhelmingly flat. Landscape features

include typical canals, levees and prairie wetland communities. Access points to

the interior of the areas are limited. WCA-1 is operated as a wildlife refuge and

offers opportunities for observation of migratory game birds during winter

months. Although some of the marshlands have been degraded in visual quality

by over-flooding and loss of tree islands, other areas, such as the south-central

region of WCA-3A, still preserve good examples of original, undisturbed

Everglades’ communities, with a mosaic of tree islands, wet prairies, sawgrass

expanses, and deeper sloughs. From the elevated viewpoint of the Eastern

Perimeter Levee system, the view westward to the marshes is panoramic,

though mostly homogenous.

2.19 CULTURAL RESOURCES

Compartment A contained no areas considered to be high probability and it was

determined a CRM survey was not necessary. Continuous agricultural use and

both road and canal construction have heavily disturbed the area. A review of

the Florida master Site Files, a site visit and consultation with the State

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Wenger 72944 Especificações Página 116