The reintroduction program was part of conservation measures to offset 4.5 acres of development impacts at WaterColor. The mitigation plan also included preservation of 85 acres at WaterSound Beach.  The ratio of land conserved to land impacted was three times what was required by law and is significantly higher than rates utalized at other Gulf Coast developments.

There are now four populations of Choctawhatchee beach mice, one more population than before the WaterSound/Deer Lake reintroduction effort.  As a result, there are more Choctawhatchee beach mice today than there were when mitigation efforts began.  Without JOE’s development interests along the coast and the conservation measures implemented as a result, the three original Choctawhatchee beach mouse populations could have been in worse shape as a result of hurricanes and habitat loss.  Additionally, the prospect of recovery (i.e. removal from the Endangered Species List) of the Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse is significantly improved as a result of JOE’s efforts.