The Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area totals approximately 22,670 acres. The hydrologic restoration plan encompasses 4,263 acres consisting 2000 acres of improved pasture areas and an adjacent 2,000 acre fallow sugar cane field. The hydrology was altered by constructing drainage ditches and adjacent berms primarily to make the site suitable for agriculture. The overall goal of this project was to restore hydrology of the project areas to pre-development conditions to the extent possible without affecting adjacent landowners.
Earth Resources was responsible for assisting in the design of the hydrologic restoration plan. Tasks included developing wetland maps for both historical and current ecological conditions using ArcView GIS, digitally mapping the approximate boundaries of wetlands, wetland hydroperiods and the seasonal high and normal pool water elevations were determined, existing ecological conditions were documented and a report was prepared discussing the hydrology, wetland health, wildlife utilization and recommendations for hydrologic restoration.