Concho Billy Off Road Trail Vehicle Restoration

As part of an Off Road Vehicle Management Plan that was approved by the National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, Big Cypress National Preserve has undertaken restoration activities in several areas that have been ecologically compromised bu off road vehicle activities. An area of approximately 60 acres adjacent to Concho Billy Trail has been identified as a research site for restoration. Within this area are two single hectare quadrats and five transects that have been established to monitor the progress of habitat regeneration and succession. Also within this area, two restoration treatments have been put in place: one treatment is completely natural regeneration in which no site alteration will occur; the second treatment uses mechanical equipment to level the vehicle ruts in the soil without mixing the surface soil with subsurface components. Plant cover will be monitored to determine whether either of these treatments is more effective for prairie community recovery. Data were gathered from the restoration areas in the spring of 2001, immediately after site identification and preparation, to quantify plant cover and site topography.