pine, oak, magnolia, dogwood, and hickory trees. These sands formed from the Middle Eocene to the Holocene period. The city of Bushnell supplies the park's drinking water. The park also has a ditch that connects two ponds, Center Pond, located south of Bushnell, and Webb's Pond (called the "Death Pond" in records related to the battle), a pond located on private property adjacent to the park. Four bridges throughout the park cross the ditch. Although it normally drains into the swampy areas near the park, water has flowed in the ditch three times before, in 1994, 1995, and 1998, all when heavy rains fell in the area. Ecology The area of the battlegrounds was originally pine barrens, a habitat dominated by pines and palmettos. (It is currently known as longleaf pine mesic flatwoods.) Land use made several changes to the land. In 1828, soldiers and slaves constructed the Fort King Road by cutting the understory and pine trees, leaving a wide road. At the turn of the century, the remaining pine strands were used to produce turpentine and for logging. By 1927, oaks dominated the community. During World War II, pine stumps were removed from the park. In the 1970s, the Florida DEP prescribed controlled burns to prevent the park's pine flatwoods from succeeding into an oak hammock. In the 1950s, officials from the Department of Natural Resources proposed to let the grass and scrub habitat return to its natural state, but residents opposed the measure. In 1976, as a part of the state's Bicentennial Trail preparations, removed several nonnative Florida plants and planted longleaf pines in the park. In 2012, the Sumter County Master GardenerCommunity Beautification Committee designed and replanted several of the park's landscapes in the public areas with native and endemic plants. Forty five acres of the original longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) habitat remain today. Five acres of slash pine (Pinus elliottii) has been planted in the flatwoods. The rare Florida anise or yellow star anise (Illicium parviflorum) has been reported in the park. Among the wildlife of the park are woodpeckers, songbirds, and hawks, and indigo snakes. Several gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) live in the park, and Eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon corais couperi) have been sighted in the park. Live oaks (Quercus virginiana) cover the rest of the park. Dade Battlefield Society The Dade Battlefield Society is a non-profit organization created to preserve the Dade Battlefield