The Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University is located on a 1,000 acre site in southeastern Palm Beach County. Almost ninety-two acres on the campus have been classified as preservation or conservation. KECE developed and initiated a habitat management plan for this area that will provide a corridor to connect habitats around the campus for the continued dispersal of wildlife, particularly gopher tortoises and burrowing owls.
Habitats will be either maintained “as is” (conservation) or restored to a native condition (preservation) depending on their quality, usability and status of current gopher tortoise or burrowing owl colonization. The vegetation in the conservation areas will be maintained at heights and densities that are beneficial to the gopher tortoise and burrowing owl. Preservation areas show some level of native Florida habitats and will be actively managed to reduce the level of exotic cover, restore natural diversity, and restore natural ecosystems functions.
With continued management and habitat restoration, these preservation and conservation areas of the Florida Atlantic University will provide a home for gopher tortoises, burrowing owls, and other Florida wildlife for years to come.