Land Management
Annual Land Management Activities
The WaterColor Community Association performs annual land management activities as required by Walton County's Development Order (DO). The association engages consultants to perform independent assessments in compliance with the DO. The recommendations contained within these reports are then completed by the association to satisfy government requirements.
The prescribed scope of work may include a variety of mitigation measures such as bush hogging, brush cutting, and tree thinning. Because of WaterColor's density, prescribed or controlled burns are not possible. The mechanical clearing achieved with bush hogging is necessary to reduce fuel that could lead to destructive wildfires. Tree thinning or pruning allows for better circulation of air and sunlight to the tree roots for the overall health of a tree. In addition, trees must be pruned to provide the necessary clearance for emergency vehicle access.
View the map of the required 2026 Land Management Activities.
Environmental Coastal Compliance Requirements
When WaterColor was developed in 2000, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a permit to WaterColor that outlined on-site mitigation measures necessary to offset impacts to various wildlife and plant resources. Key directives of this permit include educating the community on WaterColor's leashlaw, the importance of picking up trash, and the protection of our landscape, sand dunes, shorebirds, sea turtles, and beach mice.
To report any violations against wildlife, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) at 888-404-3922.
The USFWS permit compliance directive requires all domestic cats and dogs to be kept on a leash when outdoors south of 30A. No pets are permitted on Walton County public beaches without special permission. Free-roaming domesticated pets pose a threat to populations of nesting shorebirds, beach mice, and sea turtles, as well as affect the stability of native dune ecosystems. If you see an unleashed pet, contact WaterColor at 850-685-6362 or the Walton County Environmental Office at 850 892-8108. Per WaterColor's CC&Rs, dogs must be on a leash whenever outside a structure and in common areas.
Garbage and trash management is key to protecting wildlife in WaterColor. Animals drawn to beach habitats in search of human refuse as a food source predate beach mice and shorebirds and can serve as competition for limited native food sources. Trash in the marine environment poses entanglement risks and is mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals. WaterColor’s USFWS permit requires the control of litter and trash including the use of wildlife-proof trash receptacles south of 30A. Wildlife-proof receptacles shall be permanent, have secure lids, and be predator-proof.
The USFWS permit compliance directive prohibits the planting of invasive or exotic species south of 30A and landscaping at WaterColor within the CBM habitat shall be in accordance with the Walton County Coastal Dune Vegetation list. Plants native to WaterColor’s natural areas are readily available, low maintenance, and beautiful. Any invasive or exotic species within landscaping that escapes into natural areas will be removed; please report invasive or exotic species to the Community Association.
WaterColor’s dunes are sensitive ecosystems, habitats for multiple listed species, susceptible to degradations, and are protected. Maintaining dune integrity requires beach access to be controlled and directed to specific dune walkovers. To avoid impacts on critical dune habitats and plant and animal species, always use designated walkovers, leash pets, and pick up trash. Contact the Community Association or the FWC to report pets or people in protected dunes.
Although nesting sites have not been found recently in WaterColor, the USFWS requires snowy plover and least tern nest sites to be identified and fenced. A number of organizations collaborate to conduct surveys along Florida beaches during nesting season to identify and mark nest sites. Nest sites are found yearly within the Grayton Beach State Park. Surveyors have observed fledglings and adults from these nest sites to use WaterColor Beach for foraging. Disturbance of birds and nest sites by people or pets can cause nest abandonment leading to hatchling death. Stay out of restricted areas, use only approved beach access, and keep pets off the beach to protect nesting shorebirds and their habitat.
All sea turtles are protected by state and federal law. To protect nesting sea turtles, all lighting south of 30A will be sea turtle compliant and kept to a minimum for safety and security with no lighting seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line . Lighting of beaches could affect the number of sea turtles coming ashore to nest and disorient sea turtle hatchlings when emerging and crawling from nest to sea. Beachfront lighting must be kept off from May – November; use red light-emitting flashlights on the beach, fill in holes on the beach, and never disturb a nesting sea turtle.
Choctawhatchee Beach Mice (CBM) are a federally endangered species present within the sand dunes at WaterColor. The frontal dune areas on the east and west ends of WaterColor Beach are designated as critical CBM habitats and are protected. The USFWS permit requires ongoing monitoring of CBM populations in WaterColor. The CBM population faces many challenges to survival, including degradation of dune habitat by human traffic, hurricanes, development as well as predation by feral and free-roaming pets. As with many of WaterColor’s sensitive species, help protect the CBM by staying out of restricted areas, using only approved beach access, keeping pets off the beach, and cleaning up trash on the beach.