An inventory of all available information will lay the foundation for the development of feasible and implementable alternatives and analysis of the environmental consequences of those alternatives. The inventory will include information such as recreation use data, vegetative inventories, wildlife management plans, species recovery plans, recent project plans, GIS data, mailing lists, and other relevant information.

The project team will collect and analyze available crash data related to refuge access on the Island to assist with the development of engineering alternatives that improve access, safety, and a multi-modal transportation environment.  In addition, an origin-destination survey will be conducted of traffic entering/exiting the Island via Sanibel Causeway.

Data collected during the public involvement process will be instrumental in identifying recreational opportunities and desired outcomes. The evaluation of data will provide the needed information to identify desirable, as well as undesirable, recreational opportunities that currently exist or may be desirable in the future. This information will be used to assist recreation management in the allocation of specific areas of Sanibel Island to address recreation opportunities while also providing protection for the environment.

Any project in a sensitive habitat area requires recognition of the potential impacts of a project’s actions on all natural resources.

To ensure that this complex natural environment is fully understood, the capacity analysis and resource studies will encompass the full context of the sensitive habitats on Sanibel Island and incorporate them into the alternatives development. Resource capacity data and analysis will focus on the limits of human interaction with:

• Threatened and endangered species protected under the Endangered Species Act (federally listed species), state listed species, and other species of special concern
• All species (avian, mammalian, reptilian, avian, amphibian, aquatic, etc.) with special breeding and reproduction needs on the island and refuge
• Sensitive habitat
• Natural processes
• Encroachment of non-native species
• Beaches (breeding/nesting habitat, protection, condition, restoration and erosion)
• Noise and air quality thresholds

 

The consultant will examine existing and desired capacities for automobile, pedestrian, bicycle, and waterborne traffic, in addition to parking through public interaction and technical analysis. The identification of shared use path facilities needs and recommendations will build upon those outlined in the Comprehensive Shared Use Path Plan, such as, but not limited to:

• Identification of new paths
• Locations of path amenities,
• Mid-block crossing needs
• Safety and security
• Usage and maintenance

 

The study will produce an Existing Conditions and Capacities Report to summarize the current traffic, parking, pedestrian, bicycle, wayfinding, recreational, and waterborne demands.

The final outcome of the study will result in a Preferred Alternative Summary Document and Implementation Plan.