Martha Wellman Park is located near the intersection of Tennessee Street and Capital Circle Northwest and opened to the public on June 1, 2009.  The 23.5-acre Park is the site of a 15.3-acre regional stormwater pond and was constructed as part of the Capital Circle Northwest widening project. The widening of Capital Circle Northwest required the construction of a stormwater facility for the additional run off to be created by the project, but rather than the minimum required 5-acre pond surrounded by a chain link fence, Blueprint designed the facility as a 15.3 acre regional stormwater pond that could also function as a park.  The pond provides water quality treatment for the entire contributing 311.1 acre watershed.  In keeping with the Blueprint program’s holistic philosophy, a paved trail with park amenities and landscaping has been constructed around the pond to allow it to double as a recreational park.  Recycled mulch, generated locally at Marpan Recycling from construction debris, was used as part of the landscaping in the Park. The Park is named after Martha Wellman, an advocate for environmental and neighborhood protection, who was part of the original committee (EECC) that created Blueprint 2000.  The Northwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Conservation Commission were funding partners for the pond.  The park and stormwater pond are now owned by Leon County.

           
Blueprint and partners have also taken the lead on addressing the invasive Exotic Island Apple Snail (Pomacea insularum) invasion occurring at the Regional Pond and at other stormwater ponds throughout the state.  Shortly after the pond was completed, Apple Snails began to wash into the stormwater pond.  They have reproduced rapidly and destroyed much of the vegetation planted along the shoreline, thereby reducing their water quality benefits.  Having specific types of vegetation planted along the banks of stormwater ponds greatly enhances nutrient uptake and water quality.  Efforts to find a solution to this statewide problem have been ongoing and collaborative with the help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Northwest Florida Water Management District.  Initial attempts to manually remove this invasive species have been partially successful, due to their rapid rates of reproduction and their incessant reappearance through stormwater conveyance.  Over 7,500 pounds of the live adult snails have been removed since the spring of 2008.  Additionally, traps have been placed in the pond to capture the snails and slow down reproduction.  There are also weekly efforts to harvest the eggs in order to prevent re-infestation.  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also donated over 100 Red Eared Sunfish (also known as Shell Crackers) to the pond to feed on the juvenile snails.  The combined efforts and solutions have resulted in the removal of a majority of adult snails which has helped stabilize the aquatic plants. 

McGlynn Laboratories of Tallahassee claims the invasive species have been in the Lake Munson Basin for approximately the last five years.  They first appeared in the Lake Lafayette drainage basin seven years ago.  The larger snails seem to be drawn to currents and they have a knack for traveling upstream.  When the current slows, they deliberately proceed upstream and ultimately end up in stormwater ponds. 

In an effort to determine how this invasive species issue has affected other agencies in similar ponds, Blueprint 2000 has met with other agencies, including FDOT, Leon County, the City of Tallahassee, FDEP, the FWC and the NWFWMD to share the results of the program. Since all of these agencies are involved in the planning/developing, design, permitting, construction and maintenance of ponds for future projects, the goal is to try and compile all resources and examine solutions.

In August 2009, Martha Wellman Park was selected by Storm Water Solutions Magazine as a 2010 Top Stormwater Project Winner.  The Pond won the award based on its holistic philosophy, intergovernmental cooperation and innovative snail removal.  A Storm Water Solutions editorial about the Pond and award will be featured in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue.