Okeechobee Landfill, Inc.

About the Program
The Okeechobee Landfill site is located in Okeechobee, Florida, on 4,100 acres. About 2,000 acres are actively managed for wildlife, with 1,880 acres of active grass/woodland pasture, pine flatwoods, xeric oak scrub, freshwater marshes and forested wetlands are under active conservation easement, while 1,200 acres of upland and woodland pasture are zoned for agricultural use. A borrow area of sand, grazing pasture and some open water makes up 346 acres, and 540 acres of landfill nearby. There are two family residences on the property, and agricultural land and residential properties also surround the site, including citrus tree and sod farms, along with cattle grazing. A turtle farm also abuts the property to the north. The team at Okeechobee Landfill maintains projects that enhance wildlife habitat, first earning certification in 2003. AtkinsRealis scientists assist WM with the maintenance and monitoring.

Practices and Impacts

• The landscaped meadow provides habitat for pollinators, especially the monarch butterfly. The project is cared for by employees who water, weed and plant. They also monitor the garden annually, checking on the number of plants surviving for each species planted.
• The avian species project puts a focus on providing nesting sites for multiple native species. The team installs boxes and monitors them for owl usage throughout the year, noting when other species are using the boxes and relocating them.
• A second avian species project supports native wood ducks by installing nesting boxes above water. Proper design considerations for the specific species are considered and utilized and monitoring of the boxes for usage occurs every quarter. The boxes see more use in recent years, but next steps include more monitoring during breeding and nesting season to determine whether it is wood ducks that are using the boxes.
• Several of the original bat boxes that were still installed had either completely deteriorated or were blown down by storms and were replaced with new and better designed boxes in different locations. The design and placement of the new boxes improves the chances of use by bats due to their multiple baffles, better design for airflow, use of natural wood and materials, and placement in areas where anecdotal bat activity has been observed (visually, no acoustic data).
• The small animal species project utilizes fallen wood and logs to provide habitat for a large variety of small animals. No maintenance is done on the habitat, but partners monitor the area for small animal usage on a quarterly basis.
• The pollinators species project focuses on supporting pollinators by providing them habitat with features such as water, shelter and areas for larvae. There is also a bee hotel included in this project.