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The Delray Oaks Natural Area is a portion of a small island of higher ground that was associated with a former sandbar on the northern edge of the historic Yamato Marsh. This marsh was the mouth of a former estuary that flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. When ocean water levels fell and the Pamlico Ridge formed to the east of the site, the ridge blocked the estuary mouth and a freshwater marsh formed. Excess water from the Yamato Marsh system flowed south through north-south wet prairie/marsh swales to the Hillsborough River. The first major human disturbance in the vicinity of the Delray Oaks Natural Area was the construction of the Seaboard Airline Railroad in the late 1920s approximately 600 feet east of the site. In the 1930s, the E-4 Canal was dug north to south through the Yamato Marsh approximately 1,000 feet west of the site. About the same time, the Model Lands Company dug the drainage canal that evolved into the strand swamp east from the E-4 Canal across the site and the railroad tracks. After crossing the railroad tracks, the canal turned north to drain a large shallow wet prairie system. The E-4 Canal provided a shorter, deeper route for water to reach the Hillsborough River, which had already been channelized and converted to the Hillsborough Canal. Along with its associated lateral canals, the E-4 Canal significantly lowered water levels in the Yamato Marsh. The lowered water levels made vegetable farming possible. A 1940 aerial photo (USDI 1940) shows farm fields in portions of the marsh sandbars and along the north shore of the marsh. The farms created a need for roads. The first road in this area, Germantown Road, is clearly visible in a 1940 aerial photo, Germantown Road extended westward from U.S. Highway 1 to the farming area 1,500 feet north of the site, in the uplands just north of the marsh. The 1940 photograph shows the Delray Oaks site as an ovoid island dominated by saw palmettos, fringed by cabbage palms and live oaks and surrounded by wet prairie. The cabbage palms developed into an open scattered forest with a small depression on the eastern edge of the island. A few large oaks mixed with cabbage palms are present on the southern border. Several large slash pines probably existed on the fringe of the saw palmettos; an old "lighter" pine stump observed on the southern border of the site indicates that a large slash pine was removed by logging activities. This vegetation is considered to be the characteristic historic vegetation of the site, because the drainage canals have not been present long enough to have caused significant changes. In a 1953 aerial photograph (USDI 1953), the effects of drainage are more apparent. Most of the former sandbars and wet prairies in the marsh were being farmed and only the deepest portions of the marsh still had standing water. The Delray Oaks island was completely surrounded by dry land, except for a small pocket of marsh to the southwest of the site. In the late 1950s, the Central and South Florida Flood Control Project widened Lake Worth Drainage District Lateral Canal L-38, which is 1,200 feet south of the site, and dug it east to connect to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. This canal was renamed the C-15 Canal. It provided a direct route to tidewater through the Yamato Marsh. After construction of the C-15 Canal, groundwater levels declined further and the Yamato Marsh ceased to exist. Aerial photographs show no evidence that the Delray Oaks site was ever farmed or cleared. A 1965 photograph (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser 1965) shows a cattle corral and fencing just west of the site. It is possible that the site was used as unimproved pasture at this time. Successional change in the vegetation community is apparent in the 1965 photograph and subsequent photographs (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser 1970, 1977, 1984, 1991, 1993). The eastern and southern fringe of oaks and cabbage palms began to thicken and became prairie hammock. North and west of this fringe, young oaks had begun to colonize the saw palmettos and the transition to xeric hammock was underway. The depression in the eastern cabbage palm fringe became smaller and nearly disappeared as cabbage palms, vines, and Brazilian peppers steadily encroached. Brazilian pepper is first visible in the 1977 photograph, and later photographs show that it steadily increased to fill the open spaces between cabbage palms in the eastern fringe area. Many of the Brazilian peppers are associated with illegal dumping piles. Prior to 1970, very little development occurred in the vicinity of the site. In 1969, Palm Beach County obtained a deed for a 120-foot right-of-way for the extension of Congress Avenue on the east side of the site and a 40-foot easement for a drainage canal across the north border of the site. Congress Avenue was built as a two-lane road in 1970 from Germantown Road to Yamato Road, and the drainage canal was dug at the same time. The old drainage canal that has become the present-day strand swamp had been abandoned by this time and was filled in where Congress Avenue was constructed across it. Congress Avenue was a little-used road in a lightly-populated area, and it became a catalyst for illegal dumping on the unfenced Delray Oaks site. Dumpers could easily drive unobserved into the open areas between cabbage palms on the eastern side of the side and dump their loads. Vehicle trails and dump piles are clearly visible in the 1977 photograph, and dumping continued into the 1980s. Over 2,000 tires, several whole and partial automobiles, and many piles of auto parts, construction debris, appliances, and household garbage were removed from the site prior to acquisition. Nursery debris, also dumped at this time, was the source of many of the exotic plants present on the site. Individuals also used Congress Avenue to access and remove cabbage palms for landscaping. Many pits where palms were removed have been observed. One palm was discovered that had a trench dug around it for removal, but the palm was left in place. After the construction of Congress Avenue, Hardrives, Inc. expanded its asphalt plant and offices that it had built in the late 1960s east of Congress Avenue and north of the site. A borrow pit is visible in the 1970 photo just north of the County drainage canal, but the pit was completely filled in by 1977. Another shallow borrow pit is visible in the former deep marsh area southwest of the site; it was dredged and became part of a drainage lake in the early 1980s. The cattle corral had completely disappeared by 1977. In 1972, the owners of the land containing the project site gave an 80-foot right-of-way to the City of Delray Beach for S.W. 22nd Avenue. This road was constructed from Germantown Road to Congress Avenue by 1977. It was located just south and west of the original Delray Oaks vegetation island. In 1977, the understory vegetation had been cleared to the south and west of S.W. 22nd Avenue and most of the remaining area of dense saw palmetto in the vegetation island had been mowed or roto-chopped, including a portion of the western edge of the natural area. The first phase of the Sabal Pine condominium development had been constructed to the northwest of the site by 1977. Interstate 95 was constructed in the mid-1970s just west of the Seaboard Railroad tracks. Most of the northern leg of the abandoned drainage canal was obliterated during the construction of I-95. Construction of the Sabal Pines condominium to the west of the Delray Oaks Natural Area and construction of the Delray Oaks condominium to the south and southwest of the site continued in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the 1984 aerial photo, both developments were nearly completed, with the Sabal Pines East condominium occupying nearly all of the roto-chopped saw palmetto area. The last building was under construction just north of the western leg of the Delray Oaks Natural Area, and the present-day disturbed area in the northern portion of the western leg was cleared and construction vehicles were parked on it. Construction vehicles and trailers were present east of the building under construction in the portion of the Delray Oaks Natural Area that was previously roto-chopped in 1977. Significant amounts of concrete, reinforcing metal bars, and other debris related to the construction of the condominium were dumped in these disturbed areas at this time. The 1984 photograph also shows Hardrives had constructed an office building west of Congress Avenue to the north of the Delray Oaks Natural Area, and that a large office complex has been built between Hardrives and Germantown Road. East of Congress Avenue, one commercial building has been constructed and another is under construction. In 1985, residential development was completed and the undeveloped natural area site was sold to Park of Commerce Associates for a commercial office park. During the 1980s, a small nursery was established on the south side of the site at the edge of the prairie hammock. The nursery area was enclosed by a wire fence, and had an irrigation system and an electrical hookup. This nursery also was a source of exotic plants, especially asparagus fern. All nursery-related structures were removed prior to acquisition. In the 1987 aerial photo, Congress Avenue is shown as widened to four lanes and commercial buildings are present on most of the land opposite the Delray Oaks Natural Area on the east side of Congress Avenue. In 1988, a parking lot and sales trailer were constructed at the southeast corner of the site, presumably to help market it as an office park. Although a 3-acre parcel was sold to Florida Power and Light in 1986, the office park concept did not succeed, and the trailer and parking lot were removed in 1992. In December 1995, the County purchased Florida Power and Light parcel for $385,000 and the other 21.5 acres of the site for $2,800,000 from A & A Associates, the successors to Park of Commerce Associates. In 1996, Office Depot began construction of a new office building on the partially-developed Hardrives tract located immediately north of the Delray Oaks Natural Area. |
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