Habitat Loss Assessment
The proposed development would clear 10 of 15 hectares of oak-hickory forest and convert 15 hectares of agricultural land. Baseline ecological surveys documented 87 bird species (12 forest-interior species requiring contiguous canopy), 15 mammal species (including a state-listed Indiana bat maternity colony in the forest), 8 amphibian species in the stream and wetland, and a diverse macroinvertebrate community indicating good stream health. The 10-hectare forest clearing would eliminate habitat for forest-interior birds (which require minimum patch sizes of 20-50 hectares), likely displace the Indiana bat colony, fragment the wildlife corridor between the nature preserve and the stream, and remove 10 hectares of carbon-sequestering forest canopy. These are significant impacts requiring robust mitigation.