Three Psilos, Inc. offers ecological services for Central Florida’s very unique upland habitats. These are sandhills, scrubs, flatwoods, hammocks, and many more. The variety of species of plant and animal available to us across Florida’s interior ridges is unparalleled anywhere in the world.
Ecology Defined
Ecology, simply, is the “interconnected-ness” of a site. As a small example, to have Monarch Butterflies, a site would have to have multiple species of Milkweed (Asclepias) available. Milkweed is the Larval Host Plant for Monarch Butterflies. To put it simply, Monarchs can’t lay eggs without Milkweed. Therefore, addition of native Milkweed species, which are appropriate for your site, will, sooner rather than later, attract Monarch Butterflies.
If we change the various species at a site, the overall ecology changes. If all native plants are removed in the process of setting up a cattle grazing site, and non-native grasses are installed to better feed the cattle, it may leave nothing for native species. Native animals that don’t have access to the plants and insects they have depended on for literally thousands of years, will eventually be exterminated. A cattle grazing field will likely not contain any remaining Gopher Tortoises after enough time. To make matters worse, the tortoises cannot just be placed in the field of non-native grasses. The ecology must be complete first. The expected native plants will need to be reintroduced at the site before reintroduction of displaced Gopher Tortoises.
This is ecology, and more specifically this is the concept of Applied Ecology. Using what we know about the interconnection of Central Florida plants and animals to support what you want for your site.
Ecological Support and Services
Getting ecological support for Central Florida sites has traditionally require landowners to work with state biologists and experts to schedule time to make a site visit, prepare a land management plan, and finally sign a landowner agreement, or a conservation easement, which gives state agencies recurrent access to your land, then finally find services to support your site. This process can take months and even years to complete, as is expected of government agencies. In the end, it may seem the arrangement only truly benefits the government agencies who receive federal grant dollars to support your site with their services. Why can’t those federal dollars go directly to the landowners as reward for doing what is right for Florida’s ecology? We believe one day, they will.
Further, state agencies may only have time for those “big ticket” projects, which may be sites with thousands of acres. These sites will have larger amounts of money behind them to support the state agency. Therefore, state agencies will not likely be interested in only a few acres. Especially when those few acres may be surrounded by areas whose ecology is not well-tended. To make matters worse, Home Owners Associations (HOAs) may not allow widespread prescribed fire, which may be the only way the agency knows how to manage large tracts in Central Florida.
Filling the Ecological Void
State agencies and commercial ecology service providers leave a huge market gap for landowners of just a few acres, and especially those less than one acre in size. Even sites of 100 acres may not appear on the state agency’s RADAR. These sites are sometimes residential, sometimes urban development projects, and sometimes they are small conservation areas set aside from larger, more profitable tracts of land. These small sites have the same need for ecology, and in many ways more need, as any state forest or wildlife management area.
Three Psilos, Inc. is here to fill the ecological void in Central Florida, by offering ecology services to any sized site at much more reasonable prices than commercial ecology service providers, and in a much shorter time-frame than any state or federal agency. We have spent many years studying Central Florida’s scrubs and sandhills, finding and observing endangered species as well as invasive species. We have purchased multiple tracts of land on the Lake Wales Ridge for closer study. We are constantly learning and relearning the rich collection of species in our area. We are applying and developing techniques that will better support smaller sites. We are even training what we are calling “Ridge Dogs,” which are specific dog breeds, or combination of dog breeds, that are most helpful on Central Florida’s interior ridges. Ridge Dogs have been used to help discover active Gopher Tortoise burrows, indicate White-tailed Deer traffic through a site, track rat activities around buildings, and find a child lost in the scrubs. We are even training them to sniff out invasive species.
We are building our services to meet any need specific to Central Florida’s interior ridge habitats. Among the most critical services are the creation of Site Ecology Reports.
Site Ecology Reports
Three Psilos, Inc. sets the standard for Ecology Reports in Central Florida, and worldwide. Your complete package will include a site survey of all plant an animal species, with estimates as to counts per acre. The most endangered or invasive species will get extra attention, including complete GNSS/GPS location information for each. The largest or oldest species in the area would also get special attention, even if not endangered. Samples of each species will be observed and shared privately through iNaturalist.
Designation of the various habitats found on your site is included, along with their current size estimates. This can become very interesting when repeated each year for the same site. Any GIS information gathered via GNSS/GPS will be included with the package. Even an attempt at historical information for the site will also be included; what it might have been like 100, 1000, or even 10,000 years ago.
Also included in the Site Ecology Report is enough information for any site owner to easily draft a Land Management Plan based on the results. The Land Management Plan can be used by any landscape contractor with the skills and services to properly support the ecology of your site. The Site Ecology Report can also allow any landowner the chance to Do It Yourself (DIY), as it includes extra PDF documentation to support your special species.
A Site Ecology Report is also useful for adjustments to real estate pricing; both residential and especially commercial. A Brazilian Peppertree infestation, for instance, can cost tens of thousands of dollars to treat, even in a relatively small area of land. And how can someone even estimate the value of an endangered endemic species that might exist on the site. At Three Psilos, Inc. we believe things like this should be reflected in your final price.
Our Site Ecology Report covers your site for one full calendar year. This means all Three Psilos, Inc. ecology services are available to your site for one year. Anything we offer is covered by your Site Ecology Report. From developing a Land Management Plan to actively pulling out Cogongrass, the sky is the limit. Remember, a Site Ecology Report is required to hire Three Psilos, Inc. as your ecology service provider.
Site Ecology Report (for sites up to 40 acres)
Three Psilos, Inc. Site Ecology Reports set the standard for ecological surveys in Central Florida’s xeric uplands.
This Site Ecology Report documents your site’s ecological make-up. You will receive a publication-quality, PDF package including your site’s official ecology report, and access to all Three Psilos, Inc. services for one year.
Site Ecology Report for Large Sites (per 100 acres)
Three Psilos, Inc. Site Ecology Reports set the standard for ecological surveys in Central Florida’s xeric uplands.
This Site Ecology Report documents your site’s ecological make-up. You will receive a publication-quality, PDF package including your site’s official ecology report, and access to all Three Psilos, Inc. services for one year.
Certainly, a large amount of work goes into your site’s complete Site Ecology Report, and it is well worth the effort. But what if a landowner wants help with one specific plant or animal? Three Psilos, Inc. now has a lower-cost option for this exact case; Site Ecology Recommendations.
Site Ecology Recommendations
Our Site Ecology Recommendation is, quite simply, a “lite” version of our Site Ecology Report. A Site Ecology Recommendation will focus on a specific species of interest to you at your site. Since a complete survey of all areas and species of your land is not required, the Site Ecology Recommendation can be offered to you at a much lower cost.
You could think of a Site Ecology Recommendation as an ecologist’s “prescription” for a specific issue at your site. Another way to think of it is like paying a mechanic for an estimate for your auto repairs; since you are paying for the opinion, it is assumed extraneous repairs will not be included in the estimate.
Included with the Site Ecology Recommendation is our Ecologist’s opinion as to how to handle the species of interest at your site. Along with the recommendation are documentation and references that support the recommendation. We further believe, with this recommendation, that enough information is given for nearly anyone to complete the work needed. Of course, we would like you to hire Three Psilos, Inc. to help carry out the services required by your recommendation, but it is certainly not required.
While lower in price than a full Site Ecology Report, there is still a cost associated with the Site Ecology Recommendation. This is to ensure an impartial result. We believe any landowner who is in negotiations with state agencies about any specific species on their site should invest in our Site Ecology Recommendation as a second opinion. Further, since our Site Ecology Recommendation contains all the information required for anyone to complete the work, a landowner could start land management operations immediately, saving months in waiting for the state’s Land Management Plan, and even more time waiting for any state-offered services for your site that might follow.
Our Site Ecology Recommendation can also be used in commercial or residential real estate pricing calculations. If your site has an endangered species, the Site Ecology Recommendation can not only fully document the finding, it would give the future landowner information to handle the ongoing care of the species upon ownership. This adds value to your transaction, and helps protect Central Florida’s most endangered species.
Our Site Ecology Recommendation is a publication-quality article, in electronic PDF format containing the recommendation, images, graphs, and other documentation pertaining to your species of interest. Everything you need to start helping Central Florida immediately.
Your Site Ecology Recommendation will cover your species of interest at your site for one full calendar year. Remember, a Site Ecology Recommendation is required for many of the Three Psilos, Inc. ecology services you might need.
Site Ecology Recommendation
Three Psilos, Inc. has a mission to restore Central Florida’s xeric upland Sandhill and Scrub communities on the Lake Wales Ridge, and on all the ridges… one day at a time.
We use “Applied Ecology” to help heal the land by introducing, removing, or managing certain species in effort to gain even more of our desired endemic species. If you live on or around the Lake Wales Ridge, or…
At Three Psilos, Inc. we think it is never too late to mend the fence. It is our mission to help restore the Lake Wales Ridge.. one day at a time!