Tuesday, February 6, 1996

Long before the first trees were felled, Hostetler and other researchers began their surveys and other studies. They also worked with the developer, the Thompson Group, which endorsed the impact study and in some cases modified the design plans in response to environmental concerns.

"We made some changes to address some concerns they and the city planners had," said Nathan Collier, project manager for the Landings. "We're pleased that we were able to meet some of their goals by reordering but not really hurting our priorities, and to be able to do it in a spirit of cooperation."

Collier said 55 percent of Phase I has been designated as greenspace area. That compares to the 35 to 40 percent of devoted greenspace typical in a project of comparable size and character. Also, he said, a buffer ranging between 50 and 150 feet was created between the complex and the edge of the Bivens marsh, compared to standard setbacks in the 5- to 20-foot range.

He said buildings were sited to minimize foot traffic near the marshy edge of Bivens Arm, and landscaping is being designed to direct pedestrians away from other natural areas. Responding to concerns about a rookery that exists near Phase II, they reduced the number of buildings there from three to two.

"They're also going to save all or most of the old live oaks out here," Hostetler said during a recent early-morning tour of the site. "And they're planting more native vegetation than they would have otherwise. They're even thinking about putting in some bird boxes for the birds that nested in the snags (standing dead trees) they're taking out."

"There's a lot of give and take," Hostetler said. "Some things we agree on, others we don't. But I think it's kind of unusual at this stage for them to be making some of these accommodations."

Dana McClain, landscape architect for the project, is in her greenspace design incorporating native trees and other vegetation almost exclusively. She said that after she toured the site with the city arborist and tagged exceptional trees, the site plan was modified to save them.

"It's good to see the community working together with the developer on this," said the owner of the McClain Group landscape architecture firm. She has worked with Hostetler in the selection of native plants and ground cover that would benefit animal communities. Her landscaping design centers on xeriscaping to conserve water resources. McClain said the project's irrigation system is designed to be abandoned in two or three years once drought-resistant plants have been established.

"Also, we didn't want a site where we had to plant a lot of sod, so we're using a lot of native ground cover," she said. Native bahia grass will be planted in the retention basins, then allowed to grow without moving. "Eventually it'll go right back to natural, as the weeds and grass from the buffer zone re-establish themselves in the basins."

Besides birds, spiders and ants, other animal species being tracked in the long-term study are mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and soil invertebrates. Working in the mammals category, Rafael Samudio, a doctoral student in zoology, is conducting studies on bat populations that might inhabit the area. Kristi MacDonald, who is working on her master's in UF's Department of Wildlife Ecology, is tracking -- literally -- small animals to see what's there now for comparison in a few years.

"Here's a fox," MacDonald said, stooping to examine a small footprint imbedded in the sand at the edge of the buffer zone. During her early surveys, she made plaster casts of prints from raccoons and even a bobcat.

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