United StatesDepartment of the Interior

FISHANDWILDLIFESERVICE SouthFlorida EcologicalServicesOffice 133920th Street Vero Beach,Florida32960

November19,2013

Memorandum

To: Mike Piccirilli, Chief,FederalAid, SoutheastRegionalOffice

From: Lany Williams,FieldSupervisor,SouthFloridaEcologicalServices(~&~t~

Subject: FloridaFishandWildlife ConservationCommissionandFloridaDepartment~ of AgricultureandConsumerServices’Assistancefor PrescribedFire in Pine RocklandHabitatin Miami-DadeCounty

This document transmitstheU.S.FishandWildlife Service’s(Service)biologicaland conferenceopinion,basedon our reviewof two proposalsto find projectsto restoreandmanage fragmentsof pinerocklandhabitat inMiami-DadeCounty,,with theobjectiveof increasingconservationbenefitsto federallylistedandcandidatespecies.TheOpinionevaluates thepotentialeffectsof thecoveredactivitieson thespecieslistedbelowin accordancewith section7 of theEndangeredSpeciesAct of 1973,asamended(Act) (1 6 U.S.C.1531et seq.):

Floridabonnetedbat(Eumopsfioridanus) endangered Easternindigo snake(Drymarchon coralscouperi) threatened Bartram‘5 scrub-hairstreakbutterfly(Strymonads bartrami) proposedendangered Floridaleafwingbutterfly(Anaeatroglodytafloridalis) proposedendangered Crenulatelead-(Amorpha crenulata) endangered Blodgett’s silverbush(Argythamniablodgettil) candidate Florida brickell-bush(Brickellia mosieri) proposedendangered Deltoid spurge(Chamaesycedeltoideassp.deltoidea) endangered Pinelandsandmat (Chamaesycedeltoideassp.pinetoruni) candidate Garber’sspurge(Chamaesycegarberi) threatened Floridaprairie-clover(Daleacarthagenensisvar.floridana) candidate Floridapinelandcrabgrass(Digitaria pauc~ora) candidate Small’smilkpea (Galactiasmalili) endangered Sandflax (Linum arenicola) candidate Carter’ssmall-floweredflax (Linumcarterj var.carteri) proposed endangered Tiny polygala(Polygalasmallil) endangered Evergladesbully (Sideroxylonreclinatumssp.austrofloridense) candidate Floridabristlefern (Trichomanespunctatumssp.floridanum) candidate

This Biological andConferenceOpinionis basedon infonnationprovidedin theMarch6,2013, (FloridaFishandWildlife ConservationCommission[FWC]) andAugust8,2013, (Florida Departmentof AgricultureandConsumerServices[FDACSJ)projectproposals, telephone TAKE PRIDE~j INAM ERICA~,.< conversations,dataon thebiology andecologyof threatenedandendangeredspeciesin the actionarea,previousbiologicalopinionspreparedfor similar actionsin theactionarea,theSouth FloridaMulti-SpeciesRecoveryPlan(MSRP)(Service1999),andotherpublishedand unpublishedsourcesof information. A completeadministrativerecordof this consultationis on file in the SouthFloridaEcologicalServicesOffice (SFESO).

Theanalysiscarriedout by theSFESOconcludedthefundingwas“not likely to adverselyaffect” theBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly andFlorida leafwingbutterfly ontheFDACSproject wherethesesubspeciesdonot occurin theprojectarea,but may“adverselyaffect” these two subspeciesontheFWC projectwhere theymayoccurin theprojectarea.Bothprojectsmay “adverselyaffect” otherlistedandcandidatespecies.

Consultation History

OnApril 2, 2013,theSFESOreceiveda requestfrom theService’sJacksonville FieldOffice to reviewaMarch 6,2013,Biological Evaluationfor financialsupportfrom FWCthroughthe SoutheastRegionalOffice’s FederalAid Programto conductprescribedburnson varous properties in pinerocklandhabitat inMiami-DadeCounty,Florida. BetweenApril andAugust 2013,electronic mailcommunicationandtelephoneconversations occurredto discussthedetails of theproject.

OnAugust 1,2013,theSFESOreceivedaninformalrequestfrom FDACSto reviewaproposal for financial supportfrom FDACSthroughtheSoutheastRegionalOffice’s FederalAid Program to conductprescribedburnsandhabitatmanagementon onepropertyin pinerocklandhabitatin Miami-DadeCounty,Florida. They submittedanAugust8, 2013,Biological Evaluationfor review. In August,electronicmail communicationandtelephoneconversationsoccurredto discussthedetailsof theproject.

BIOLOGICAL OPINION

DESCRIPTIONOFPROPOSEDACTION

Theproposedactionis tofund twoprojectsthroughsection6 grantsto restoreandmanagepine rockland habitatoncountylandsin Miami-DadeCounty,Florida,with theobjectiveof increasingconservation benefitsto federallylistedandcandidatespecies.Giventhehighly fragmentedstatusof thesesites,theimplementationof this programis critical to recoveringthis globally imperiledecosystemandthespeciesthataredependentonthis .

Pinerocklandforestoncecovered185,000acres(ac)of Miami-DadeCounty.By 1996,urbanand agriculturaldevelopmenthadreduced theextentof pinerocklandsby 98percentoutsideof EvergladesNationalPark(ENP) (Figure1). Presentlythecountymanages34pinerocklandstands totaling 1,695ac(Figure2). Thesestandsrangein sizefrom4 to 550ac. Naturalfire playsavital rolein pinerocklandecology.Pinerocklandspecieshaveadaptedto periodicfires,andmany plant andwildlife speciesaredependentonfire fortheirsurvival. Thetwo projectsaredescribedbelow.

2 1. FloridaFishandWildlife ConservationCommissionProject:_Theproposedactionfor theFWC projectis toprovidefundingto: a) purchaseequipmentin orderto implementa moreefficientprescribedfire programin pinerocklandhabitatand b) conduct prescribedburnsin Miami-DadeCountyon theNavyWells Pineland Preserves(minimumof 250ac)andatleast300additionalacwithin asmanyother pinerocklandpreservesaspossiblewithin the2-yeargrant period.Someof theother preservesinclude Richmond(550ac),Nixon Smiley(112ac),Deering(104ac), and CampOwaissaBauer(64ac). Thetotal acreageof these preservesis approximately 1,695ac,nearly70 percentof all thepublic pinerocklandmanagedin Miami-Dade County(Figure2).

Florida’sStateWildlife Action Plan(SWAP) identifies“incompatiblefire” asamajor threatto conservationof pinerocklands.Florida’sWildlife LegacyInitiative (FWLI) revisedtheir implementationgoalsto alignwith prioritiesoutlinedin the2012SWAP (FWC2012). This projectwill helpmeetanobjectiveoutlinedin theTentstrial Goal by increasingtheuseof fire as amanagementtoolto suppoitupland habitatconservation thatbenefitsFlorida’sSpeciesof GreatestConservationNeed(SGCN)(FWLI website). Pinerocklandis identifiedashavinga very highthreatstatus(2012SWAP) aswell asapriority fire-dependent uplandhabitatfor theFWLI TerrestrialGoal. Approximately50 SGCNuseMiami-DadePineRocklands(2012SWAP),including numerousendemicaswell asFederalandStatelistedplantsandwildlife thatare beingthreatenedby analteredfire regime.

Thefire regimeof pinerocklandshasbeenalteredin Miami-DadeCounty’spreserves by fragmentationdue toagriculturalandurbandevelopment.Pinerocklandshavea naturallyshortfire returninterval(3-7 years);however,fire recordsshowthatonly 8 of 34preservesexaminedhaveburnedon evena 10-yearcycle. Theremainingsites haveonly hadintermittentfire, usually dryseasonwildfires. The resultof this incompatiblefire regimeis changein theunderstorystructurefrom openand floristically diverseto a closedsub-canopydominatedby nativeandexotic hardwoods.The SGCN inpinerocklandsdependuponahabitatstructureand compositionthatcanonly bemaintainedby fire. Prescribedburningis anessential tool in theconservationof theimperiledplant communityandtherarespeciesthat inhabitpine rocklands.Thepurposeof this projectis torestoreamorenaturalfire cyclein pinerocklandsby increasingthenumberof acresburnedon anannualbasis.

This proposedprojectfocuseson theFWLI goalto increaseprescribedfire asa managementtool in pinerocklands.Since1995,only 1,950acof pinerocklandhave burnedby andprescribedfire in Miami-DadeCountypreserves.Overall,that figure amountsto a 20-yearregimefor pinerocklandsin theCounty. Annually, the numberof acresburned byprescribedfire is variable,rangingfrom 0 to 186ac. Prescribedburnsaredifficult to schedulebecauseof thevariablesinvolved. Equipmentpurchaseswill includetheacquisitionof portableirrigationpumps, portable waterpumps,watertanksandotherequipmentthatwill improvethe efficiencyof prescribedfire mop-upoperations. Theirrigationpumpscanbe

3 - connectedto ahydrant,water truck,or draftfrom awaterbody. Theycanbe positionedto initiate mopup immediatelyfollowing theflaming front andcanbe repositionedto gethighervolumesof wateronstubbornresidualsmokingareas.One keychallengeto conductingprescribedburnsin urbanareasis takingadvantageof optimal burningconditions. Whenidealweatherconditionsarrive,fire managers mustbereadyto takeadvantageof them. Burningseveraltimesaweekis currently not anoptionbecausemop-upis laborintensiveandcansometimestakeseveraldays to completeafteraburnwith entirelymanuallabor. Performing100percentmop-up is critical andrequiredin urbanareasbecauseresidualsmokecan causenumerous problemsto thepublic. Thetime spentdiverting staffandequipmentresourcesto mop-upoperationsis time thatcannotbespentconductingadditionalburns.

Overthelast5 years,onaverage,theagencyhasonlybeenableto prescribeburn38ac peryear. Reducingthemanpoweronmop-upwill allow for moremanpower resources tobeusedfor additionalprescribedburns. This equipmentwill allow the agencyto takefull advantageof prescribedburning“windows” andburn more acreage.Thepurchaseof this equipmentis expectedto increasetheacreageburnedto morethan200acin additionto theNavyWells burnof 350acduringthegrant period. With theadditionof this equipment,theagencyexpectsto continueburning at least200acperyear. Burningmorefrequentlywill improvethestructureof pine rocklandsandbenefittheSGCN. Theequipmentpurchasedwith this grantwill only beusedfor mop-upoperationon Miami-DadePreserves.Any equipment over $1,000will beincludedin theCounty’sannualcapitalinventoryreportswith documentationof all propertyprovidedto FWC.

Prescribedburningin Miami-DadeCountyis acollaborativeeffort betweenthe FloridaForestService(FF5),theNationalParkService(NPS),andMiami-Dade County(Parks,EnvironmentallyEndangeredLands(EEL) Program,andFire Rescue. Prescribedburningactivitiesareconductedin accordancewith applicableStateand Federaloperational guidelines.Partnerswill work to increasethefrequencyof prescribedfire onpublic landsin Miami-DadeCountyto sustainthepinerockland community. Supervision, staff,andequipmentresourceswill bemadeavailableby all agenciesinvolved. FFScoordinatesprescribedburningof thepreservesandwill preparetheburnunit prescriptionsandprovidea certifiedburnerthatwill actasburn boss. Onthedayof aburn,FFSwill obtaininternalapprovalfrom theDistrict Office in Ft. Lauderdale,not requiringapermit. Neighboringlandownerswill beprovided therequirednotificationby theParksDepartment.FF5,NPS,Miami-DadeParks, EEL, andFireRescuewill provideignition, holding,monitoring,andmop-upcrews andequipment.Partnerswill work to increasethefrequencyof prescribedfire on public landsin Miami-DadeCountyto sustainthepinerocklandcommunity.

FairchildTropical BotanicGarden(FTBG)is monitoringpopulationsof rareplants andthehostplantfor theproposedendangeredbutterfliesunderanagreementwith Miami-DadeCountyParksandMiami-DadeCounty Departmentof Environmental ResourceManagement(DERM). Plantswith larvalbutterfly activitywill beexcluded 4 from theburnwith wetlines. Burningwill beconductedin a waythatwill minimize tramplingof individualrare/hostplantsanddamagefrom vehiclesto roadside populations.Staff will betrainedto identify andavoidlistedandcandidateplant speciesduringactivitiesandwill avoid placementof fire breaksthroughpatchesof theseplants. Burningwill notbeconductedduringcool seasonswheretheindigo snakemaynotbeable toescapeoncomingfire. Equipmentoperatorswill bebriefed to avoidgophertortoiseburrowsandwill allow anysnakesthat theyseeduringthe burnto moveawaybeforetheycontinue.

Miami-DadeParkshastrackedthelaborexpensesfor pastprescribedburning activities. Eachpreserveis givenanannualmanagementbudget brokendownby task (e.g., exoticplantcontrol,fire management, etc.).Daily laborchargesfor eachtask areinput undera site-specificwork ordernumber,sostaffwill beableto monitorthe laborexpensesfor burnsconductedwith theequipmentpurchasedunder thisgrant. Thesefigureswill becomparedwith pre-grantexpensesandwill beprovidedto FWC in aprojectsummaryreport.

2. FloridaDepartmentof AgricultureandConsumerServicesProject: This proposed projectalsoseeksto developandimplementarestorationprogramfor imperiledpine rocklandhabitatwithin Miami-DadeCounty. Theproposed planwill involvethe formationof multiple partnershipsin aneffort to reverseandrepairthesuccessional lossof pinerocklanddueto historiclackof managementresources.

SeminoleWaysidePark(SWP)is in Miami-DadeCounty,Florida(Figure3). Acquired in1936,theSWPis oneof theCounty’soldestparksandstill hasremnants of acoralrock wall alongthe easternedge,which wasconstructedby President FranklinDelanoRoosevelt’sWorksProgressAdministration. The SWPconsistsof a 27-acrenature preserv~with pinerocklandandtransitional rocklandhammockplant communities.Theremainingportionservesasawayside parkwith picnic tables. The parkis bound byresidentialcommunities or commercialdevelopmenton all sides with theexceptionof a 5-acrepinerocklandparcelin thesouthwest corner,which wasrecentlyacquiredfor conservationthroughDadeCounty’sEEL program.

Thenaturalareasof SWPoccurontheMiami RockRidge,which is anancient naturalgeologicformationthatextendsfromjust northof present-daydowntown Miami into ENP. Theseuniquecommunitiesaredesignatedascritically globally imperiledandarehometo manyendemicandprotectedplantspecies(Gannet al. 2002). At theSWP,surveysconductedby FTBG havedocumented27rareplant species,includingfederallyendangeredSmall’s milkpea,aswell as,theFederal candidatespeciespinelandsandmatandtheproposedendangeredFloridabrickell bush. Of the27 protectedplantspeciesdocumentedwithin SWP,9 speciesare endemic,occurring onlyin thepinerocklandsof southeastFlorida. Pinerocklands alsosupportanumberof rareanimalspecies;however,dueto lack of resourcesand regularmonitoring,wildlife occurrencewithin SWPremainsunknown. Outsideof ENP,theremainingpinerocklandhabitatwithin Miami-Dadeis made upof hundreds

5 of smallfragments,of whichtheaveragesizeis only 12.1ac(DERM 1995).At 27ac, theSWPrepresentsa significantlysizedpinerocklandandis over 1percentof the remainingpinerocklands inthecounty. Similarto pinerocklandhabitats,rockland hammocksarealsodesignatedgloballyimperiled,and onceoccupiedapproximately 7 percentof therockridge;only 670acremainin Countypreserves(Service1999).

Pinerocklandsandassociatedprotectedplantspeciesarefire dependent,with a historicalfire returnintervalof 2 to 7 years.Thelackof fire within theSWPhas resultedin theprogressivelossof pinerocklandhabitatasit transitionsto rockland hammockor becomesseverelyimpactedby exotichardwoodencroachment.It is crucialthatahistoricfire regimebereturnedto SWPin orderto maintainthebalance betweenthepinerocklandandrocklandhammock communities.

In recentyears,aneffort hasbeenmadeto increasecontrolledburningwithin SWP. Giventheproximity to residentialcommunitiesandlackof consistentresources,the fire regimehasnotbeenoptimal, whichhasresultedin hardwoodencroachmentand . Thesewildfires not only threatentheimperiledrocklandhabitatdueto higher intensity,theyalsothreatenadjacentresidentialcommunitiesanderode communitysupportfor the preserve.

A “burn box” wasbuilt by NaturalAreasManagement(NAM) Division of Miami- DadeParksstaffseveralyearsago;however,due tolack of staff time,thebox hasnot beenutilized. Theburnbox allowsfor containedfire of a smallarea,which closely simulatestheintensityof aregularprescribedburn. Whenfeasible,theburnbox will beusedto applyacontainedburnto listedplant species.This will essentially establishablackline aroundtheplantthatwill assistin bufferinglisted plantspecies from extreme temperaturesduringprescribe burnactivities. Thiscontraptionallowsa contained(enclosed)burnthatcancloselymimic thenaturalfire regimeandmay providea valuablemanagementtechniquefor promoting reproductivecyclesof protectedplantsthatarefire dependent.Thisboxhasgreatpotentialfor implementing fire managementin anurbansetting,aswell as apotentialresearchprojectexploringthe effectsandbenefitsof fire on someof thefire-dependentrocklandplants.

Propermanagementof pinerocklandswill requirelong-termgoalsfor restoration; therefore,fundingfor this programis requestedfor a minimumperiodof 3 years. During thistime theagencyhascommittedto continuingeffortsto procureadditional fundingbeyondthetermof thisagreement.Thiswill maximizebenefits derivedfromthe proposedprojectthrough on-goingmonitoring,education,andcommunityoutreachand promotecontinuedmaintenanceof theSWP,aswell as,theprotectedspeciesit supports.

Invasiveexoticplantsarealsoanissuein nearlyall remainingpine rocklands,which is largelydue tofire suppressionandproximity to development.Managementof invasiveplantswithin SWPhasbeensporadicdueto lack of resourcesandhasbeen mainlyconfinedto managementunits 1,2, and3. NAM begancontrollinginvasive, exoticplantsin SWPin 1995,with fundingfrom a StateHurricaneAndrewRecovery

6 grantandthe SafeNeighborhoodsProgram.This fundingwas spreadoverdozensof theCounty’snaturepreservesandwas,therefore,verylimited. Unfortunately,by 2004fundingwasexhaustedandbecamenon-existentfor SWPuntil therecent acquisitionof a CommunityDevelopmentBlock Grant(CDBG)in late2012.

NAM’s managementpriority atSWPhasalwaysbeento controlexoticspeciesin the pinerockland,andto attemptto keephardwoodsfrom invadingandcausingfurther successionof thehammock.NAM wasableto conductnative hardwoodreduction once,in 2006,following a wildfire. Thepinelandwithin thecentralportionof the parkis in relativelygoodconditiontoday,but is in needof annualmaintenanceto controlpersistentexoticinvasivespecies.Giventhemainpriority wasto maintainthe existing conditionof thepinerockland,therehasbeenrelativelylittle management within therocklandhammockunits,while theexotics-dominatedareasof SWPhave receivedno treatment.Theseareaswill requirea muchmoreintensive restoration effort, includingextensiveexoticvegetationcontrol,andlikely supplementalplanting of nativespecies.

During thefirst half of 2013,theCDBGwill allow NAM to addressafew of these issuesfor thefirst time in over6 years.Currentplansfor theCDBGfundswill includeopeningup interior firebreaks, maintenanceof exoticandnative hardwoods within thecentralloop, maintenanceof therecreationaltrail, andinstallationof interpretivesigns.

Passiveobservationsduringsitevisitshavedocumentedmanyof thelistedplant specieswithin SWP,includingthefederally listedSmall’smilkpea. However,a formal plantinventoryhasnottaken placein over 13years.As aresult,species locations,distribution,andpopulationdetailsarecurrentlyunknown. In orderto determinethehealthof therocklandcommunitiesandprotectedspecies,it is vital that a standardizedmonitoringprogramis implementedwithin SWP.

The environmentcreatedby theexoticandhardwoodencroachment,aswell asfire suppression,hasprovidedcoverthathasresultedin thesitebeingtherecipientof extensivedumpingandtheoccasional homelessinhabitant. Recently,therehasalso beenarashof vandalism intheform of explosivecontraptions, whichhavebeen used to fell slashpineswithin thepinerocklandhabitat. It is widely believedthatregular managementof thesiteandremovalof exoticandhardwoodcoverwouldresultin a decreaseor eliminationof these issues.The agency’svision is todevelopa comprehensivemanagementprogramfor SWP,which wouldrestorethenaturalareas within theparkandbecomea sourceof communitypride.

In 2011,NAM begandiscussionswith JohnsonEngineering,Inc. (JET),regarding potentialadoptionof oneof theCounty’spreserves.In Marchof 2012,JEIagreedto adoptSWP. Thetermsanddevelopmentof theAdopt-a-ParkAgreementwere delayed due tolimited resourcesstretchingNAM’s staffthin. JEI hasbeenworkingwith NAM to draftthe agreement.

7 TheCBDG ProgramhasallowedtheSWPrestorationeffortsto moveforward;however, theprogramfunds mustbeutilized by September2013. Theagencyis seekingto continuethemomentumof therestorationeffortsfrom theCBDGfunds,andto leverage theservicesJEIhascommittedto donate,asin-kind contributionsfor theFFS’sFlorida StatewideEndangered& ThreatenedPlantConservationProgram.This Programwould allowexpansionof restorationeffortsby developingandimplementingamorecomprehensive restorationplanfor thisimperiledhabitat. The additionalfunding would facilitatemore ambitiousandintensivegoalsfor restoringthehighly degradedportionsof thepark, includingsupplementalplanting,implementinglong-termmonitoring,andaneducation! outreachprogram.Theseeffortswould allowdocumentationof restorationsuccessand establisha casestudyfor implementingrocklandrestoration projectsin anurban setting.

Theproposedprojectwill developandimplementa managementplanfor thepurposeof restoring,enhancingandprotectingthepinerocklandhabitatwithin theSWP. The main objectivesof theproposedprojectareto: a) developandimplementa managementplan; b) inventoryandmonitorspeciesandecosystemhealthwithin theSWP;c) restoreand enhancehabitats towardshistoricconditions;d) Involveandeducatethepublic and surroundingcommunity,and;e) continuefundingopportunities.Thefollowing is a detaileddescriptionof activitiesthatwill beimplementedto meettheseobjectives.

Objective #1 - Develop andImplement a ManagementPlan for the SeminoleWaysidePark

Activity 1.1—Developa Plan

The proposedprojectwill developa managementplanfor SWP. Thisplanwill includea historyof thePark,currentthreatsandproblems,recommendedmanagementpracticesand invasiveplantcontrol,aswell asalist of managementgoals,objectives,andactions.This planwill bereviewedonanannualbasisdurngthe3-yearspanof thisgrantto assess whethermanagementactivitiesaremeetingthegoalsandobjectives. Thisactivitywill also includethedevelopmentof aPrescribedBurnPlan,whichwill includerecommended controlledburnregimes,firing techniques,etc.,aswell as,potentialsolutionsfor conductingprescribedburnactivitieswithin heavilypopulatedurbanareas.The burnplan will notbeimplementeduntil Year2 of thegrant.

Activity 1.2 — Implement the Plan

Followingthedevelopmentof aplan,JETwill work collaborativelywith NAM to implementthemanagement plan.Specificactivities,approaches,andtimelinewill be outlinedto assistin asmoothimplementationof theplan.

Objective #2 — Inventory and EcosystemMonitoring

On-goingmonitoringwill beanessentialcomponentof themanagementplanin orderto determine thesuccessof restoration efforts,aswell as,guidemanagementdecisionsbasedonecosystem response.Duringthefirst yearof thegrant,amonitoringmethodologywill beidentifiedthatwill allow documentationof thesuccessof apinerocklandrestorationwithin anurban setting.The informationderivedfrom astandardizedmonitoringprogramwill providevaluablebenefitsand

8 insightfor futurerestorationactivitieswithin similarsettings.Monitoringeffortswill beconducted throughacooperativeeffortwith aqualifiedbotanistfromFTBG.

Activity 2.1 — Baseline andAnnual Rare Plant Inventory and Monitoring

As partof establishingabaselineconditionwithin SWP,asub-meterGPSunit (Trimble GeoXT)will beusedto delineatethepreciseboundariesof thehardwoodlinesand managementunits. Thebaselinewill allowusto setgoalsanddocumentsuccessof the restoration efforts.Additionally,acomprehensiveinventoryof rareplantspecieswithin the SWPwill beconducted. Theinitial inventorymethodologywill beconductedin accordancewith thestandardizedguidelinesissuedby theServicefor conductingrareplant surveys(Service1996).Theseintensivesystematicsurveyswill involveestablishingand walkingtransectsat5- to 10-meter(m)intervals,parallelto eachotheracrosstheextentof thenaturalareaswithin SWP. Rareandprotectedspeciesdocumentedduringsurveyswill belocatedutilizing theTrimbleGeoXT;plantswill bephotographed,and genus andspecies will berecorded,aswell as,estimatednumberof individuals,height,areaof coverage, phenologyof plant(vegetative,dormant,flowering,fruiting, etc.). A rareplant inventory andmonitoringof documentedlistedspecieswill occuronanannualbasis.

All datacollectedduringmonitoringeventswill beincorporatedinto aGeographic InformationSystem(GIS)Geodatabase(North AmericanDatum[NAD] 1983StatePlane EastProjection)andMicrosoftAccessdatabaseto facilitatelong-termmonitoringof the site. ThemonitoringMicrosoftAccessdatabaseis atalloredtool thathasbeendeveloped by JEI; thisdatabaseincludesscriptingwithin thepre-formattedreports,whichallows instantanalysisof monitoringdata.Thistool will bemadeavailableto theService.

Activity 2.2 — Qualitative Monitoring

Qualitativemonitoringwill occuronasemi-annualbasis.Qualitativemonitorngwill consist of pedestriansurveysthroughouttheSWPaspartof theEarlyDetection RapidResponsefor invasivespeciesdetection.Thismonitoringwill alsoincludecasualobservationsand documentationof generalhealthof documented protectedspecies,invasivespecies occurrence,andnew occurrencesof listedandcandidatespecies.Qualitativemonitoringwill alsoincludepre-andpost-burnassessmentstoevaluatefire effectsanddeterminewhether objectivessetin theprescriptionweremet. Finally,photographic documentationwill betaken duringeachof thequalitativemonitoringevents.A minimumof sixphotostationswill be establishedand360°panoramicphotoswill betakenduringeachqualitativemonitoring session.Photographicdocumentationwill allow monitoringof vegetativestructure (canopy andsubcanopy),density,anddiversity(Mojicaetal.2005).All monitoringdatawill be incorporatedintotheGISgeodatabaseandMicrosoftAccessdatabase.

Objective #3 — Restore andEnhanceNatural Area

Restoringandenhancingthenaturalareaswithin SWPwill includeavarietyof management techniques.Whenpossible,alternativemethodsof removing exoticinvasiveandhardwood vegetationwill beutilized,suchasmechanicalandmanualremoval. However,chemicals mayalso beused.Thereareseveralspeciesof invasiveplantsonsite,rangingfromherbaceousto vinesto 9 hardwood.Thisdemandsseveralherbicide applicationtechniques usingdifferentmixturesof glyphosate,triclopyramineandester,imazapyr,andthesurfactantsandcarriersof thoseherbicides. Thistreatmenthasverylittle non-targetmortalityto thesurroundingvegetationbecauseof the smallareaonthewoodyplantthatis sprayed.All felledhardwoodswill beremovedoff-siteand nativetreesmaybechippedand usedasmulchto define trails.However,rareplantsatthebasesof woodyspeciesmaybesusceptibleto non-targetsprayduringherbicideapplication.

A foliar sprayingtechniquewill alsooccur,mostlyto herbaceousandsmall invasive,exoticwoody plantspecies.Applicatorswill sprayatleast 90percentof theirtargetplantswith alow (<5percent) mixtureof eithera glyphosate/sticker(e.g.,Rodeo©fKinetic©)or triclopyramine/sticker(e.g., Element3A©IKinetic©)in awater carrier.Herbicideapplicationwill occuronfoot andby using motorizedvehicles.

Herbicidetreatmentswill beconductedonlyby stafftrainedto identifyandtargetinvasivesand listedplantspeciesin theareain whichtheyareworking. Priorto beginningwork,rareplantand animalsensitiveareaswill beflaggedandapplicatorswill bebriefedonthespatialoccurrenceof listedandcandidateplantsin theareato betreated.No large-scalefoliar applicationsof herbicide will beappliedanduseof pre-emergentherbicideswill beminimizedor notused.Effortswill be madeto usetheleasttoxicmixtureof herbicidewhensprayingfoliar applicationsto non-desirable .Mixing of chemicals shouldoccuroff-siteto thegreatestextent practicable.To reducethe chanceof spraydrift, backpacksprayerapplicationswill notbeconducted whenwindspeedsor gusts aregreaterthan5 milesperhour(mph).Dropletsizewill belarge,sprayerswill beoperatedwith minimalpressure,andnozzleswill beadjustableandkeptaslow to thegroundaspossible.Cutstump applicationswill notbeconducted whenrainisforecastin thetreatmentareawithin24hours.

Activity 3.1— Maintain Condition of Higher Quality PineRockland

Conductannual maintenanceof invasiveplantswithin ManagementUnits 1and3, includingtreatinginvadingwild tamarindandundesirable hardwoods.

Activity 3.2 — EnhanceCondition of Lower Quality PineRockland

Conductataminimumonemaintenance event peryearof invasiveplantswithin ManagementUnits2,4, and5. Maintenancewill alsoincludenativehardwoodremoval within pinerocklandsto reverseencroachmentandshadingof protectedherbaceousspecies.

Activity 3.3—EnhanceCondition of Rockland Hammock

Conductannual maintenanceof invasiveplantswithin ManagementUnit 6. Initiateinvasive plantremovalwithinManagementUnit 7,andconduct,ataminimum,onemaintenanceevent peryearwithin thisunit. Conductselectiveremovalof nativehardwoodsandproblematic understoryto maintainhabitatandpreventfurthertransitionor successionof hammock.It is importantto maintainexisting hammock-pinelandecotonesin SWPthatserveto increase humidity,reducewind,andprovidehabitatfor edgeandgapspecies.

Activity 3.4 — RestoreDisturbed Habitats

Developandimplementarestorationplanfor exoticdominatedManagementUnit 8. This unitwill requireamoreintensiveplanthatwill involvesupplementalplantingof native

10 speciesand,if possible,plantingof protectedspecies.In additionto theknownfederally listedandcandidatespecieswithin SWP,thereareseveralfederallyprotectedplantspecies, whichareendemic toMiami-Daderocklandsthatcurrentlydonot occurwithin SWP. Once restored,SWPcouldserveasa potentialsiteto reintroduceandestablishnewpopulationsof thesespecies.

Activity 3.5 — Establish Appropriate Fire Regimeand Conduct Controlled Burning

An appropriateprescribedfire programwill beidentifiedwhichwill attemptto mimica morenaturalandhistoricfire regimefor thishabitat.In general,fire will beimplementedin smallpatchesor unitsata2- to 5-yearintervalbasedonhabitattype. Timing of prescribed bumandfire returnintervalsmay vary,basedonbumobjectivesandresearchgoals. Prescribedbumactivitieswill beginin thesecondyearof thegrant.

Objective #4—Community Outreach, Education, and Involvement

TheSWPprovidestheperfectopportunityto promotepublicawarenessof thisuniquehabitatand restorationeffortsdueto its centrallocationwithin aresidentialcommunityandproximityto U.S. Highway1. Additionally,theexisting wayside/picnicareainvitesvisitorsto frequentthepark, while interpretivesignswill provideaneducationalopportunity.Communityoutreachand educationis avital componentof theprojectandwill attemptto build supportnot onlyfor this rockland,but alsofor all rocklands.Thisis a crucialstepin thefuture preservationof thisglobally imperiledhabitat,particularlyconsideringsucha significant portionof theremainingrockland habitatsoccurin urbansettings.It is hopedthatthis studywill serveasapilot projectthatcan generatesupportfor theimplementationof similarprojectsin thefuture.

Activity 4.1 — Community Eventsand Volunteer Workdays

At leasttwo communityeventsand/orvolunteerworkdayswill beconductedonanannual basis.Volunteerworkdayswill beaTEl-sponsoredeventopento thepublicto cleanuptrash, maintain existingtrails,etc. Communityeventsmayinvolveinterpretivenaturewalksthrough thepark,whichwill focus on theuniquenessof thishabitat,endemicandprotectedspecies, predictedfutureof therocklands,andtheimportanceof restorationandmanagement.

Activity 4.2 — IncreaseSurrounding Community Support

A significantportionof outreacheffortswill befocused ondevelopingsupportfor this preserve.Thiswill include developmentof educationalliteraturethatcanbedistributed throughouttheadjacentcommunities.Thismayalsoincludetheformationof a community-monitoringgroupwho canroutinelypatrolthepreservefor trash,homeless inhabitants,andotherproblematicissues.

Activity 4.3 — Coordinate with Educational/ResearchInstitution

In Year2 of thegrant, the agencywill seekto establishapartnershipwith a localuniversity or non-profitorganizationto promotearesearchprojectrevolvingaroundtherestoration

11 efforts. Onepotentialopportunityfor researchmayinvolvethe“burnbox” whichwas createdby NAM. Thiscontraption framedwith four sidesmadeof sheetmetaland notop or bottomallowsacontained(enclosed)burnthatcancloselymimicthenaturalfire regime andmayprovideavaluablemanagementtechniquefor promotingreproductivecyclesof protectedplants thatarefire-dependent.Thisalsohasthepotentialto providea valuable toolfor mimickingburnsin asettingwhereproximity to roadsor communitieswould prohibitsuchactivities.Otherresearchobjectives could includeacomparisonof theplant communityandindividualspeciesresponseto burns conductedwith theburn boxandlarger controlledburns conductedin anopensetting.

Objective#5— Continue and Expand Future Managementand Outreach Efforts

Theagencyis committedto theon-goingsuccessof themanagementai~doutreachprogramthat will beestablishedthroughtheproposedSeminoleWaysiderestorationprogram.Theywill continueto seekadditionalfundingandidentifywaystheycanenhanceandexpandthecurrent initiatives. Documentationof theseeffortswill beincluded inreportrequirementsfor theFFS Endangered& Threatened Plant ConservationProgram.

Theproposedprojectwill producethefollowing deliverables:

• SeminoleWaysideParkManagement Plan; • Restorationandenhancementof approximately27 acof imperiledhabitat; •A minimum of 80 acof invasive removal,cumulativeover3 years; • Approximately27 acof prescribedburning,cumulativeover2 years; • Over3 acof planting includingestablishingandexpandingprotectedspecieswith a preferencefor re-planting federallyendangeredspecies,if possible; • A minimum of 5 communityoutreachevents,cumulativeover3 years; • Addressovera dozen“Species-levelRecoveryActions” identifiedfor thefederally endangeredSmall’s milkpea; • Producea casestudyor pilot projectto guideandsupportfuture restorationactivitiesand build communitysupportwithin urbansettings; • Educational material; • Potentialresearchprojectrevolvingaroundtherestoration; • Updatedplant inventoryincludingpopulationdetailsfor listedspecies; • ArcGIS Geodatabase; • Monitoring AccessDatabase; • Annualmonitoringandmanagementreport; • Final reporton restorationsuccess,communityoutreachsuccessandfuture recommendations.

All controlledburnsfor this projectshallbeconductedin compliancewith FloridaStatutes Chapter590.125(3)“Certified PrescribedBurning,” Florida AdministrativeCodeChapter51-2, andanyotherapplicablestatutesandrules. All fires shallbeconductedby FFS,or bya Certified PrescribedBurn Managerwhoseburnrecordwill permit him/herto secureburnauthorizations from theFFS. Everyeffort will bemadeto includeStateor federallyprotectedplant speciesin

12 thesupplementalplantingandpotentialresearchprojectsutilizing existingpermitsthrough FTBG or throughobtainingnewpermits. Stateor federallylistedspecieswill notbeharvestedor relocatedwithoutprocuringtheappropriate authorzation and/orperniitfromcorrespondingagencies.

Prescribedburningactivitieswill includemovingvehicles throughthesite,plowing perimeter/interiorfire suppressionlines,mowingfuelssuchasshrubsandgrassesalong firebreaks,sitepreparation,ignition techniques/applyingfire, andmop-up activities. Equipment usedfor preparationof firebreakswill beoutfittedrubber-tiredvehiclesandeffortswill bemade to reducerutting andcompactionof thesoil. Effortswill bemadeto applyfire within the appropriatefire returnintervalandseasonof fire outlinedby FloridaNaturalAreasInventory’s (FNAI) NaturalCommunityGuideandreduceheavyfuelsthatcontributeto excessivelyhot prescribedfire thatcandestroytheseedbank.

A thoroughsurveyfor rareplantsandanimalsis plannedandall existingrareplantandanimal areaswill bemappedandflagged.All documentedlistedandrarespecieswill beconspicuously markedanda5-foot(ft) bufferwill beestablished.Onlyqualifiedindividualswill beallowedto conductanyrestorationactivitieswithinthisbuffer. Thisbaselinesurveyandpreventativebufferare expectedtominimizeand/oravoid potentialactivityimpactstolistedspecies.Effortswill bemadeto minimizetheeffectof tramplingandvehicleuseonrareplantsor in rareanimalsensitiveareas.

Staff andvolunteerswill betrainedto identify andavoidlistedandcandidateplant andanimal speciesprior to activitiesto helpthemrefrainfrom cuttingor clearingrareplantsandanimal burrowsor nestingareas,andhelpthemavoidtramplingrareplantsor movingvehiclesontorare plantsandanimals. Personnelwill avoid placementof fire breaksthroughpatchesof listed plants. Heavyfuelswill beremovedfrom aroundindividual plantsandnearby,desirable pine trees,prior to prescribedburning.

Rareplantsandanimalswill besurveyedprior to herbicideapplicationsoa strategycanbemade asto preparethesitefor sprayingandto identify sensitiveareas.Rareplant populationswill be markedandextremecautionwill beusedwhentreatinginvasiveplantsnearthem. If possible, handpulling of invasiveplantswill bedoneto reducenon-targetdamagefrom herbicidesto sensitiveareas.Only qualified individualsfamiliar withconductingtreatmentsin pinerocklands andqualifiedecologistswill conductinvasivetreatments.Additional trainingor “refresher tailgatemeetings”with staffto ensureidentificationof rareplantsandanimalsprior to applying herbicideswill furtherminimizepotentialimpactsto listedspecies.

Thecut-stumptreatmenttechniquewill utilize ahorizontalcut to minimizechemicalrunoff from thestump. Treeremovaloff-sitewill occuralongdefinedtrails or from accesspointsalongthe waysideportionof thepark orurbaninterface. Where appropriate,preferencewill begivenfor useof glyphosate,which becomesinactivein soil. Whenherbicidessuchasimazapyrareused, preferencewill begivento aqueoussolutions,whichhaveincreasedsusceptibilityto photodegradationandahalf-life of two days.

As perTheInstitutefor Regional Conservation’s(IRC) Floristic Inventoryof SouthFlorida DatabaseandFNAI’s Florida InvasivePlant database,thereis a diverseexoticplantspecies

13 assemblage onSWPincludingherbaceousandwoodyspecies. Theseplantshavebeentreatedin thepast andin recentyears,andincludeherbaceousplants(e.g.,guineagrass[Panicum maximum], natalgrass[Melinisi-epens],Burmareed[Neyraudiareynaudiana],Chinese brake [Pteris vittata], etc.),vines/lianas(e.g.,Jasminuin spp.), (e.g.,lantana[Lantanacamara], Brazilianpepper-tree [Schinusterebinthifolius],etc.),andtrees(earleafacacia[Acacia auriculifonnis], woman’stongue ~Albizialebbeck],queenpalm [Syagrus romanzo.ffiana],etc.).

Havingmanyspeciesof invasive,exotictargetspecies can poseaproblembecauseof confusion with thediversenativespeciesassemblagethere. This will bemitigatedin thisprojectby keepingstaff on sitethatcanconclusivelyidentify speciesor havebeentrainedto identify them prior to herbicideapplication,and/orby establishinganeffectivesystemfor markinglisted speciesthatreducesconfusion.Herbicideapplicatorswill includethecounty’sNAM staff, who haveextensiveexperienceworkingin pinerocklands.Additionally, anycontractualherbicide applicatorswill includecontractorswith prior pinerocklandexperience.

Therewill be no large-scale, broadcast,foliar treatmentsof invasive,exoticplantssuchasby helicopteror tractorboom-sprayers.Applicationswill bedoneby handapplication,with a backpacksprayeror motorizedpumphandsprayer,which will allow theapplicatorto discern areaswith or without targetplantsandaccuratelyapply herbicide.All sprayerswill have adjustablenozzlesto permittheapplicatorsto adjustsprayvolumeto reducenon-targetspraying astheresultof variablewinds,changesof herbicide-type,andinfestationlevel. Foliar spraying will notbeconductedif windsareover5 mph. if motorizedvehicleswill beusedto moveapplicatorsandherbicidearound,extremecaution will beusedto not drive overrareplantsandanimals,or burrowsor othercomponentsof this pinerockland/rocklandhammockhabitatnecessaryfor rareanimal survival.

To reducetoxicity of herbicidethattheFloridabonnetedbat,indigo snake, andgophertortoise may consumeastheyeatprey thatwassprayedwith herbicideor eatplants thatweresprayed, effortswill be made touseherbicidesthatarelabeledfor aquaticuse. For example,Rodeo© glyphosateandKinetic© surfactantwill beusedratherthanRoundUp©glyphosateandits more toxic surfactantthatis included intheproduct.

Efforts will bemadeto avoidimpactsto all butterfly species.if listedbutterflyspeciesare observedon thesiteduringactivities,personnelwill takeextremecareto avoidthespecies,and its hostplant, pinelandcroton(Crown linearis). Prescribedburningshouldbeconductedin a mosaicwith someareasof potentialhabitatleft unburned. Crewswill bebriefedto not pushover snags,live trees,palmtrees,or rocks thatpotentiallyprovidehabitatfor Floridabonnetedbats, exceptwherenecessarydueto safetyconcerns.

Thecreationof fire linesandmowingontop of fire-adaptedrareplantscanhelpthesedeep- rooted plants bycausing themto resprout,flower, andseedafter beingmowedor plowedover. Uponcreationof amanagement planfor this site,mowingmaybeconductedbeforethe prescribedfire ontheinteriorof theselectedburn unitsto helpfacilitatestaff stringingfire within or to helpfires move throughheavyfuels,suchasinvasive,exoticplantinfestationsor heavy, fire resistantoak(Quercusspp.)thickets. 14 Whenappropriate,heavyfuelssuchasdowned,deadtrees,or tall sawpalmetto growtharound desirablepinetreesandrareplantandanimal populationssiteswill beremovedbeforethe applicationof fire to protectthemfrom deadly,excessively hottemperatures.Whenfeasible,the county’s “burnbox” will beutilizedto applyacontainedburnto listedplantspecies.Thiswill essentiallyestablishablacklinearoundtheplantthatwill assistin bufferinglisted plantspecies from extremetemperaturesduringprescribeburnactivities. Furthermore,everyeffortwill bemade toconduct bum activitieswhenconditionswill bemoreconducivetoloweringtheintensityof thefire.

If fuels allow,prescribedburningwill not beconductedduringcool seasonswheretheindigo snakemaynotbeable toescapeoncomingfire. Equipmentoperatorswill bebriefedto avoid gophertortoise burrowsandwill allow anysnakesthat theyseeduringtheburnto passbefore theycontinue.Fire crewmemberssupportedby this projectwill betrainedto identify the species,learnabouthabitatneedsthatpertainto thehealthof thepopulation,andlearn about specificmanagementpractices thatwill avoid detrimentalimpactsto individuals. Personnelwill avoidrunningoverindividualswhenoperatingvehiclesduringpreparationsfor prescribedburns. Ring fires will notbeused. Rescueattemptswill bemadeif anyencounteroccurswith individual indigo snakes,includingceasingignition untiltheanimalis deemedsafe. Burnswill beconductedin mosaic patterns,providing areasof refugefor indigo snakes.Therestoration activitiesareexpectedto bebeneficialto theeasternindigo snake.The Service’sStandard ProtectionMeasuresfor the easternindigo snakewill beimplemented.

No ring fireswill belit to ensure thesurvivalof rareanimalsthatmaybewithin thering. Efforts will bemade toburntheareato its optimalecological benefit,mimicking naturalfire processes asmuchaspossible.Prescribedfire will betargetedfor a growingseasonburn,preferably inlate springbeforethesummerrains. However,if thereis sufficientadvicegivenby experienced prescribedburners,a winterburn(s)maybeconductedto reducefuels inpreparationfor future growingseasonburns,which wouldbeimplementedattheappropriatefire returninterval.

Theactionarea isdefinedasall areasto beaffecteddirectly or indirectly by theFederalaction andnot merelytheimmediateareainvolvedin theaction. TheServicehasdeterminedtheaction areafor thisprojectis 1,695acof County-managedpine rocklandsanddegradedpinerockland fragmentslocatedthroughoutMiami-DadeCounty,Florida.

STATUS OF THE SPECIESAND CRITICAL HABITAT RANGEWIDE

Florida bonnetedbat

TheFloridabonneted batis afederallyendangeredspecies.A completediscussionof thestatus of this species,includingthemostcurrentspeciesassessmentandthefinal rule to list thebatas endangered,maybefoundat: http:llecos.fws.gov/speciesPmfflelprofilelspeciesProfile.action?spcode=AOJB.

Species/criticalhabitat description

TheFloridabonneted batis a large,free-tailedbatapproximately130-165millimeters(mm) (5.1- 6.5inches)in length(Timm andGenoways2004),andit is thelargestbat in Florida (NatureServe2009). Thebodymassof thespeciesaverages39.7 grams(g) (1.4ounces[oz]) with arangefrom 30.2g (1.1oz) to atleast55.4g (2.0oz) in pregnantfemales(Belwood1981;

15 Beiwood1992;Timm andGenoways 2004;NatureServe2009). Timm andGenoways(2004) foundthatmalesandfemalesarenot significantlydifferentin size,andthereis nopatternof size-relatedgeographicvariationin thisspecies.Fur is shortandglossywith hairssharply bicoloredwith awhite base(Timm andGenoways 2004;NatureServe 2009).Color is highly variablefrom blackto brownto brownishgrayor cinnamonbrownwith ventralpelagepalerthan dorsal(Timm andGenoways2004;NatureServe 2009). Leatheryroundedears arejoined atthe midline andprojectforward (NatureServe2009). Relativelylittle is knownof theecologyof the Floridabonnetedbat,andlong-termhabitatrequirementsarepoorlyunderstood (Robson1989; Robsonetal. 1989;Belwood1992;Timm andGenoways2004). Habitatfor theFloridabonneted batmainlyconsistsof foragingareasandroostingsites,includingartificialstructures.At present, noactive,natural roostsitesareknown,andonlylimited informationonhistoricalsitesis available.

Life history

Relativelylittle is knownof theecologyof theFloridabonnetedbatandlong-termhabitat requirementsarepoorly understood(Robson1989;Robsonet al. 1989;Belwood 1992;Timm andGenoways2004). Recentinformationon foraginghabitathasbeenobtainedlargelythrough acousticalsurveysdesignedto detectandrecordbatecholocationcalls(MarksandMarks2008a). In general,openfreshwaterandwetlandsprovideprimeforagingareasfor bats(Marksand Marks2008b). Batswill forageoverponds, streams,andwetlandsanddrink whenflying over openwater(MarksandMarks2008b). During dry seasons, batsbecomemoredependenton remainingponds,streams,andwetlandareasfor foragingpurposes(MarksandMarks2008b). Thepresenceof roostinghabitatis critical for dayroosts,protectionfrom predators,andthe rearingof young(MarksandMarks2008b). For mostbats,theavailabilityof suitableroostsis animportantlimiting factor(Humphrey1975). SouthFloridabatsroostprimarily in trees and manmade structures(MarksandMarks2008a).

Major habitattypeswhere thisspeciesis knownto occur includedryprairie,freshwatermarsh, wetprairie,andpineflatwoods(MarksandMarks2008a). Theyhavebeenknownto roostin buildings,treecavities,outcrops,andbathouses(MarksandMarks2008a).Thediscoveryof an adultfor which thespecimentagsays“found under rockswhenbull-dozingground”suggests this speciesmayroostin rockycrevicesandoutcropson theground(Timm andGenoways2004). It is not knownto whatextentsuchroostsitesaresuitable. Robson(1989)indicatedFlorida bonnetedbatsarecloselyassociatedwith forestedareasbecauseof theirtree-roostinghabits. Theyroostsinglyor in groupsof upto afew dozenindividuals(NatureServe2009). TheFlorida bonneted batis not migratory(Timm andGenoways2004;NatureServe 2009).However,there maybeseasonalshifts inroostingsitesbecauseBelwood(1992)reportedbonnetedbatswere found“during thewinter monthsin people’shouses.”

Floridabonnetedbatsfeedonflying insects (e.g.,Coleoptera,Diptera, Hemiptera)(Belwood 1981;Belwood1992;NatureServe2009). Theyforagein openspacesanduseecholocationto detectpreyatrelativelylongrange,roughly3-5 m (10-16ft) (Belwood1992). Basedupon informationfrom G. T. Hubbell, Belwood(1992)indicatesthesebatsleavetheirrooststo forage afterdark,seldomoccurbelow 10m (33ft) in theair, andproduceloudcalls,audibleto humans, astheyfly. Preciseforagingandroostinghabitsandrequirementsarenotknown(Belwood1992).

16 Population dynamics

TheFloridabonnetedbathasafairly extensive breedingseasonduringsummermonths(Timm andGenoways 2004;NatureServe2009). Pregnantfemaleshavebeenfoundin Junethrough September(MarksandMarks2008a).Timm andGenoways’ (2004)examinationof limiteddata suggeststhatthis speciesmaybepolyestrous,with a secondbirthing seasonpossiblyin January- February.However,theFloridabonnetedbathaslow fecundity, producinga litter sizeof one (NatureServe2009).

Thereis only onerecordof naturalpredationuponthis species(Timm andGenoways2004). A skull of onespecimenwasfoundin aregurgitatedowl pelletin June2000attheFakahatchee Preserve(Timm andGenoways2004;MarksandMarks2008a).

Status anddistribution

TheFloridabonneted batis recognizedin Florida’sComprehensiveWildlife Conservation Strategyasoneof Florida’sspeciesof greatestconservationneed(FWC2005). This speciesis listedasendangeredby theFWC astheFloridamastiffbat(Eutnopsglaucinusfioridanus)(i.e., thepreviously-acceptedtaxonomicdesignation).TheFNAI andNatureServe considertheglobal statusof theFloridabonnetedbatto beGi, critically imperiled(FNAI 2010; NatureServe2009). The2009ThternationalUnion for Conservationof Nature(IUCN) RedList of ThreatenedSpecies listsEumopsfloridanusascritically endangeredbecause“its populationsizeis estimatedto number fewerthan250 matureindividuals,with nosubpopulationgreater than50individuals,andit is experiencingacontinuing decline”(TimmandArroyo-Cabrales2008). OnNovember9,2009,the Serviceadded theFloridabonnetedbatto thecandidatespecieslist. A final rule listing the speciesasendangeredwaspublishedon October2, 2013.

TheFloridabonneted batexistsonly in Florida(Timm andGenoways 2004;C. MarksandG. Marks,pers.comm. 2008).This specieshasoneof themostrestricteddistributionsof anybat speciesin theNewWorld (Belwood1992;Timm andGenoways2004)andits globalrangeis estimatedat < 100-250squarekilometers(km2~(40-100squaremiles [mi21)(NatureServe2009). Its currentrangeincludesCharlotte,Collier, Lee,Miami-Dade,Okeechobee,andPolk Counties (Timm andGenoways2004;NatureServe2009;MarksandMarks2008c). Surveysconductedin theKissimmeeRiver areafor theFWC recordedFloridabonneted batcallsattwo locations (MarksandMarks2008b;2008c). ThefindingsalongtheKissimmeeRiver aresignificantasit is thefirst timethe specieshasbeenfoundnorthof LakeOkeechobeeexceptin fossil recordsand effectivelymovestheknownrange80km (50mi) north (MarksandMarks2008c).

Althougholderliterature lists FortLauderdaleasanareawherethespeciesoccurred(Belwood 1992), noneof therecent specimensexaminedby Timm andGenoways(2004)werefrom BrowardCounty. However,Hipeset al. (2001)includedBrowardCountyaspartof therange. MarksandMarks(2008a)did not recordanyFloridabonneted batcalls intheFort Lauderdale area;surveys wereconductedin Long Key Park,MiramarPinelands,andthePlantationarea.No callswere recordedon theeastcoastof Floridanorthof CoralGables(MarksandMarks2008a). Overall,baseduponall availablehistoricandcurrentsurveys,the speciesexistswithin a very restrictedrange(Timm andGenoways2004;MarksandMarks2008a).

17 Resultsof 2006-2008acousticalrange-widesurveyindicatethattheFloridabonnetedbatis a rare specieswith limited rangeandlow abundance(MarksandMarks2008a).Baseduponthese resultsandanadditionalsurveyof selectpublic lands,thespecieshasbeenfoundat 12locations (MarksandMarks2008c), butthenumberandstatusof the batateachlocationis unknown.The 2006-2008acousticalrange-widesurveyrecorded5,016calls;whenthesecallswerelater analyzed,it wasdeterminedthatonly 79 (1.6percent) werefrom Floridabonnetedbats(Marks andMarks2008c). MarksandMarks(2008a)statedtotal populationsizemaybelessthanafew hundredindividualsowingto thesmallnumberof locationswherecallswererecorded,thelow numbersof callsrecordedateachlocation,andthefact thatthespeciesformssmallcolonies. In his independentreviewof theFWC’sbiologicalstatusreport,TedFleming, EmeritusProfessor of biology at Universityof Miami, statedthatthetotal Statepopulationnumbers“in thehundreds or low thousands”(FWC2011). Resultsof the2010-2012surveysandadditionalsurveysby otherresearchersidentifiednew occurrenceswithin theestablishedrange(i.e., within Miami area,areasof ENPandBCNP)(S.Snow,pers.comm.201la, 201Ib, 2012a-e;R. Arwood,pers. comm.2012,2013a,2013b;MarksandMarks2012),however,not in sufficientnumbersto alter previouspopulationestimates.

Habitatlossandalteration inforestedandurbanareasaresubstantialthreats totheFlorida bonnetedbat (Belwood1992;NatureServe 2009).In naturalareas,this speciesmaybeimpacted when forestsareconvertedto otherusesor whenold treeswith cavitiesareremoved(Belwood 1992;NatureServe2009). In urbansettings,this speciesmaybeimpacted whenbuildingswith suitableroostsaredemolished(Robson1989;NatureServe2009) orwhenstructuresaremodified to excludebats. Smallpopulationsize,restrictedrange,low fecundity,andfew andisolated occurrencesareconsiderableon-goingthreats.This speciesis alsovulnerableto prolonged extremecold weatherevents.Thecold spell experiencedin Floridain early2010mayhave causeda declinein theFloridabonnetedbatpopulation. A colonyin LeeCountyonceincluded approximately20 to 24 individualsin two houses(S.Trokey,pers.comm.2008a,2008b),but only 9 remainedaftertheprolongedcold temperaturesin early2010(5. Trokey,pers.comm. 2010a,2010b). Eastern indigo snake

In additionto theassessmentbelow,a 5 yearreviewwascompletedin 2008resultingin no changeto thespeciesdesignation(Service2008). No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor this species.The 5 yearreviewbuildsuponthedetailedinformationin theMSRPfor this speciesand is locatedathti .//www.fws. ov/southeastl5earReviews/5earreviews/easternindiaofinal.df Species/criticalhabitatdescription

Theeasternindigosnakeis thelargestnon venomoussnakein NorthAmerica,obtaininglengthsof upto 8.5ft (2.6 m)(Moler 1992).Itscoloris uniformlylustrous-black,dorsallyandventrally, exceptfor a redor cream-coloredsuffusionof thechin,throat,andsometimesthe cheeks. Itsscales arelargeandsmooth(thecentral3 to 5 scalerowsarelightly keeledin adultmales)in 17scale rowsatmid-body. Its analplateis undivided.In theFloridaKeys,adultindigosnakes seemto havelessredontheirfacesor throatscomparedto mostmainlandspecimens(Lazell 1989).Several researchershaveinformallysuggestedthatLowerKeysindigosnakesmaydiffer from mainland snakesin waysotherthancolor. Criticalhabitathasnotbeendesignatedfor thisspecies. 18 Life history

In south-centralFlorida,limited informationonthereproductivecyclesuggeststhateasternindigo snakebreedingextendsfromJuneto January,egglayingoccursfromApril to July,ax~dhatching occursfrom mid-summerto earlyfall (LayneandSteiner1996).Younghatchapproximately3 months afteregg-layingandthereis noevidenceof parentalcare.Easternindigosnakesin captivity take3 to 4 years toreachsexualmaturity(Speakeetal. 1987).Femaleeasternindigosnakescan storespermanddelayfertilizationof eggs.Thereis asingle recordof acaptiveeasternindigo snakelayingfive eggs(at leastoneof whichwasfertile)afterbeing isolatedfor morethan4 years (Carson1945).However,there havebeenseveralrecent reportsof parthogenetic reproductionby virginalsnakes.Hence, spermstoragemay nothavebeeninvolvedin Carson’s(1945)example (Moler 1998).Thereis noinformationontheeasternindigosnakelifespanin thewild, although onecaptiveindividuallived 25years,11months(Shaw1959).

Easternindigosnakesareactiveandspenda great dealof timeforagingandsearchingfor mates. Theyareoneof thefew snakespeciesthatareactiveduringthedayandrestatnight. Theeastern indigo snakeis a generalizedpredatorandwill eatanyvertebratesmallenoughto be overpowered.Theyswallowtheirpreyalive. Food itemsincludefish, frogs,toads,snakes (venomous,aswell asnon-venomous), lizards,turtles,turtleeggs,small alligators,birds,and smallmammals(Keegan1944;Babis 1949;Kochman1978;Steineret al. 1983).

Population dynamics

Easternindigo snakesneeda mosaicof habitatsto completetheirannuallife cycle. Over mostof its range,the easternindigosnakefrequentsseveralhabitattypes,including pineflatwoods, scrubbyflatwoods,highpine,dry prairie, tropicalhardwoodhammocks,edgesof freshwater marshes,agricultural fields,coastaldunes,andhuman-alteredhabitats.Easternindigosnakes alsousesomeagriculturallands(suchascitrus)andvarioustypesof wetlands(Service1999). A studyin southernGeorgiafoundthatinterspersionof tortoise-inhabitedsandhillsandwetlands improvehabitatqualityfor theeasternindigo snake(LandersandSpeake1980;Service 2004). Easternindigosnakesshelterin gophertortoiseburrows,hollowed rootchannels,hollow logs,or theburrowsof rodents,armadillos,or landcrabs(Lawler 1977;Moler 1985a;LayneandSteiner 1996). ThroughoutpeninsularFlorida,this speciesmaybefoundin all terrestrialhabitatswhich havenot experiencedhigh densityurbandevelopment. Theyareespeciallycommon inthehydric hammocksthroughoutthisregion(Service1999).In centralandcoastalFlorida,easternindigo snakesaremainlyfoundwithin manyof theState’shigh,sandyridges. In extremesouthFlorida (i.e., theEvergladesandFloridaKeys),easternindigo snakesarefoundin tropicalhardwood hammocks,pinerocklands,freshwatermarshes,abandonedagriculturalland,coastalprairie, mangroveswamps,andhuman-alteredhabitats(Steineretal. 1983;Service1999).Underground refugiausedby this speciesincludenatural groundholes;hollowsat thebaseof treesor shrubs; groundlitter; trashpiles;andin thecrevicesof rock-linedditchwalls (LayneandSteiner1996). It is thoughttheypreferhammocksandpineforests sincemostobservationsoccurthereanduse of theseareasis disproportionatecomparedto therelativelysmalltotal areaof thesehabitats (Steineret al. 1983). Observationsoverthelast50yearsmadeby maintenanceworkersin citrus grovesin east-centralFloridaindicatethateasternindigosnakesareoccasionallyobservedonthe ground inthe treerowsandmorefrequentlynearthecanals, roads, andwet ditches(Zeigler 19 2006). Inthe sugarcanefieldsattheA-i Reservoir Projectsitein theEvergladesAgriculture Area,easternindigo snakeshavebeenobserved(includingonemortality)duringearthmoving andotherconstruction-relatedactivities.

Easternindigo snakesrangeoverlargeareasandusevarioushabitatsthroughoutthe year,with mostactivity occurringin thesummerandfall (Smith 1987;Moler 1985a).Adult maleshave largerhomerangesthanadultfemalesandjuveniles;their rangesaverage554ac,decreasingto 390acin thesummer(Molerl985b). In contrast,agravidfemale mayusefrom3.5to 106ac(Smith 1987). In Florida,homerangesfor femalesand males rangefrom 5 to 371acand 4to 805ac, respectively(Smith2003). At ABS, averagehomerange sizefor femaleswasdeterminedto be 47 acandoverlappingmalehomerangesto be 185ac(LayneandSteiner1996).

Status and distribution

Theeasternindigo snakewaslistedasthreatenedonJanuary31, 1978(43FR4028),dueto populationdeclinescausedby habitatloss,over-collectingfor thedomesticandinternationalpet trade,andmortality causedby rattlesnakecollectorswho gasgophertortoiseburrowsto collect snakes.Theindigo snake(D,ymarchon corais) rangesfrom thesoutheasternUnited Statesto northernArgentina(ConantandCollins 1998). This specieshaseightrecognizedsubspecies, two of which occurin theUnitedStates:theeasternindigo andtheTexasindigo (D. c. erebennus). In theUnitedStates, theeasternindigo snakehistoricallyoccurredthroughout Floridaandin thecoastalplain of Georgiaandhasbeenrecordedin AlabamaandMississippi (DiemerandSpeake1983;Moler 1985b).It mayhaveoccurredin southernSouthCarolina,but its occurrencethere cannotbeconfirmed. GeorgiaandFloridacurrentlysupporttheremaining endemicpopulationsof the easternindigo snake(Lawler 1977).Theeasternindigo snakeoccurs throughoutmostof Floridaandis absentonly from theDry TortugasandMarquesasKeys,and regionsof northFloridawherecoldtemperaturesanddeeperclaysoilsexist(Cox andKautz 2000).

Effectivelaw enforcementhasreducedpressureonthespeciesfrom the pettrade. However, becauseof its relativelylargehome range,theeasternindigo snakeis vulnerableto habitatloss, degradation,andfragmentation(Lawler 1977;Moler l985a). Theprimarythreatto the eastern indigo snakeis habitatloss dueto developmentandfragmentation.In theinterfaceareas betweenurbanandnativehabitats,residential housingis alsoathreatbecauseit increasesthe likelihoodof snakesbeingkilled by propertyownersanddomesticpets. Extensivetractsof undevelopedlandareimportantfor maintainingeasternindigo snakes.In citrus groves,eastern indigosnakemortalityoccursfromvehiculartraffic andmanagementtechniquessuchaspesticide usage,lawnmowers,andheavyequipmentusage(Zeigler2006). Within the2000to 2005 timeframe,sincethespreadof citruscanker,Zeigler(2006)reportedseeingatleast12dead eastern indigosnakesthatwerekilledby heavyequipmentoperatorsin theactof clearing infectedtrees.

To protectandmanagethis speciesfor recovery,Breiningeret al. (2004)concludedthatthe greatesteasternindigo snakeconservationbenefitwould beaccruedby conservingsnake populationsin thelargestuplandsystemsthat connectto otherlargereserveswhile keepingedge

20 to arearatioslow. Managementof theselandsshouldbedirectedtowardsmaintainingand enhancingthediversityof plantandanimalassemblageswithin theseproperties.Wherethese goalsareachieved,easternindigosnakeswill directlybenefitbecauseof improvedhabitat conditions. Landmanagersshouldbeencouragedto utilize fire asa tool to maintainbiodiversity in fire-dependentecosystems. Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak butterfly

Species/criticalhabitat description

TheBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly,endemicto southernFlorida,is a smallbutterfly approximately25 mm (1 inch) in lengthwith a forewinglengthof 10.0to 12.5mm (0.4to 0.5 in) (OplerandKrizek 1984;Minno andEmmel1993). Despiteits rapidflight, this hairstreakis easilyobservedif presentat anydensityasit alightsoften,andthebrillianceof its greyunderside markedwith bold, white postdiscal linesbeneathbothwings providesaninstantflashof color againstthefoliageof its hostplant,pineland croton(Euphorbiaceae)(Smithet al. 1994;Salvato 1999).TheBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterflydoesnotexhibit sexualor seasonaldimorphism, but doesshowsomesexualdifferences.Theabdomenof themaleis bright white,while females aregray(M. Minno, pers.comm.2009).

TheBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly is proposedasendangeredfor listing. Criticalhabitatis proposedfor this subspecies.A completediscussionof thestatusof this speciesmaybefoundat ha s://ecos.fws. ov/seciesProfile/rofile/s eciesProfile.action?scode=107G.

Life history

TheBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly is rarelyencountered morethan5 m (16.4ft) from its hostplant,thepineland croton(Schwartz1987;Worth et al. 1996;SalvatoandSalvato 2008). Femalesovipositon theflowering racemesof pineland croton(Worth et al. 1996;Salvatoand Hennessey2004). Eggsarelaid singlyon thedevelopingflowers.

Population dynamics

TheBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly hasbeenobservedduringeverymonthonBig PineKey andENP;howevertheexact numberof broodsappearsto besporadicfrom year toyear(Salvato andHennessey2004; SalvatoandSalvato2010). Baggett(1982)indicatedthattheBartram’s scrub-hairstreakbutterfly seemedmostabundantin October-December.SalvatoandSalvato (2010)encounteredthesubspeciesmostoftenduring Marchto Junewithin ENP. Land(pers. comm.2012)hasnotedthesubspeciesto bemost abundantin thespringandsummermonths. Oneof theearliestreportsof Bartram’sscrub-hairstreakphenologyfrom Big PineKey was providedby Schwartz (1987)who encounteredthesubspeciesonly duringApril, Novemberand December,despiteanextensiveannualsurvey. Subsequentresearchby HennesseyandHabeck (1991), Emmelet al. (1995),andMinno andMinno (2009) reportedoccurrencesof Bartram’s scrub-hairstreakon Big Pinethroughouttheyearwith varyingpeaksin seasonalabundance. Salvato(1999) recorded92 and36adultBartram’sscrub-hairstreakonBig PineKey during1-week periodsin July 1997andJanuary1998,respectively,suggestingthespeciescanoccurin high numbersduringanyseasonif suitable habitatandconditionsarepresent.Since 2010on Big Pine 21 Key,Andersonhasfoundthem mostactive whentheaveragetemperatureis consistentlynear 80°Fwhich canoccuratanytimeof year(Anderson,pers.comm.2012).

Statusand distribution

TheBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterflyis currentlyknownto occuron Big PineKey, in the lower FloridaKeys(MonroeCounty), LongPineKeywithin ENP(Miami-DadeCounty),aswell asNavyWells PinelandPreserveandthevariousparcels that composetheRichmondPine Rocklands inMiami-DadeCounty(SalvatoandHennessey2004;Service2011). TheBartram’s scrub-hairstreakis extirpatedfrom themajorityof its historic rangein southernFlorida,extant populationsarethreatened bylossor inconsistentfire managementof pinerocklandhabitat, smallpopulationsize,poaching,andpesticideapplications.

Florida leafwing butterfly

Species/criticalhabitat description

TheFlorida leafwingbutterfly is a medium-sizedbutterfly approximately2.75to 3.00inches(in) (76to 78 mm) in lengthwith a forewinglengthof 1.3to 1.5in (34 to 38mm) andhas an appearancecharacteristicof its genus(OplerandKrizek 1984;Minno andEmmel 1993).The upper-wingsurfacecolor is red tored-brown,theundersideis grayto tan,with a taperedoutline, cryptically lookinglike adeadleafwhenthebutterflyis atrest. TheFloridaleafwing butterfly exhibitssexualdimorphism,with females beingslightly largerandwith darkercoloringalongthe wing marginsthanthemales.

TheFlorida leafwingbutterflyis aproposedasendangeredfor listing. Critical habitatis proposedfor this subspecies.A completediscussionof the statusof thisspeciesmaybefoundat http://www.fws.gov/ecos/ajax/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=1087.

Life history

Adults arerapid, wary fliers.Thesubspeciesis extremelyterritorial, withbothsexesflying out to pursueotherbutterflies(Baggett1982;Worth et al. 1996;SalvatoandHennessey2003; SalvatoandSalvato2010a).Minno (pers.comm.2009)andSalvatoandSalvato(2010a)note thatmalesaregenerallymoreterritorial. TheFloridaleafwing butterflyis multivoltine (i.e., producesmultiple generationsper year),with anentirelife cycleof about60 days(Hennessey andHabeck1991)andmaintainscontinuousbroodsthroughouttheyear(Salvato1999). Femaleslay eggssinglyonboththeupperandlower surfaceof the leavesof its hostplant, pinelandcroton,normallyon developingracemes(Baggett1982;HennesseyandHabeck1991; Worth et al. 1996;Salvato1999).

Population dynamics

TheFloridaleafwingbutterfly hasbeenobservedduringeverymonthwithin theEvergladesand formerly on Big PineKey;howevertheexactnumberof broodsappearsto besporadicfrom year to year(Baggett1982;OplerandKrizek 1984;Minno andEmmel1993;SalvatoandHennessey 2003;SalvatoandSalvato2010a;2OlOb).SalvatoandSalvato(2OlOa)andLand(pers.comm.

22 2012)encounteredthesubspeciesthroughouttheyear,but themajority of observationsoccurred from latefall to springin ENP. By contrast,whenextantonBig PineKey,SalvatoandSalvato (2010c)reportedfinding thesubspeciesabundantlythroughoutthe year,particularlyduringthe summermonths.

Status anddistribution

TheFlorida leafwingbutterflyis currentlyknownto occuronly within theLongPineKey within ENP (Miami-DadeCounty). RecentpopulationsonBig PineKey, in thelowerFloridaKeys (MonroeCounty),aswell asNavyWells PinelandPreserveandthe variousparcelsthatcompose theRichmondPineRocklandsin Miami-DadeCountyareno longerextant(SalvatoandSalvato 2010a). Theextantpopulationwithin theEvergladesremains threatenedby inconsistentfire managementof pinerocklandhabitat,smallpopulationsize, andillegal poaching.

Crenulate lead-plant

Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom theMSRP(Service1999),the5-yearstatusreview (Service2006),aswell asfrom recentresearchpublicationsandmonitoringreports.A complete crenulatelead-plantlife historydiscussionmaybefoundin theMSRP.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Thecrenulatelead-plantis a rhizomatous,perennial,deciduousshrub thatinhabitsmarlprairies andwetpinerocklandsin asmallareaof Miami-DadeCounty. This pinerocklandcommunityis maintainedby periodicfires. Also known astheMiami lead-plant,crenulate lead-plant growsto 1.5m in heightandis endemicto Miami-DadeCounty,Florida(FloridaDepartmentof Transportation[FDOT] 1997).Thebranchesof thisplantarered/purple,andcontain25to 33

leafletsborneonleavesthatare0 to 15centimeter(cm)long,with petioles1cmlongor less. The crenulateleafletsaregrayandgreenabove,palerandglandulardottedbelow,and5 to 11cm long. Theracemesareterminal,15to 20cm long,solitary,or in clustersof two to three. The8- millimeter longflowersareheldin loose clusters.Thecalyxis darkgreenor purplish,3.2to 4.0 mm long with theupperhalf glandulardotted. Theshowywhite standardflower is 5.2mm long and4.2mm wide with longexertedstamens.Thefruit is 6 toll mm long,laterallycompressed, andglandulardottedon theuppertwo-thirds. Theseedsproduced inthefruit are5 mm longand compressed.

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor thecrenulatelead-plant.

Life history

Not muchis knownof thelife historyof crenulatelead-plant.The plantsarelong-lived,but little to no recruitmentoccursin populationsin atypicalyear(Fisher2000). Plantsshowlittle to no growthandflower primarilyfollowing humandisturbance.Severalspeciesof nativesolitary bees,suchasDianthidiurn curvatumfiorictens andnon-nativehoneybees,Apis mellifora, pollinatetheflowers(Koptur 2006). Shootsof thesewoodyplantsdie backto theroot stock following fire or other disturbance,and,therefore,ageof theplant maynot bestronglycorrelated 23 with size(Fisher2000). Crenulatelead-plantis semi-deciduous,with about70percentof plants losingmostor all leavesbetweenDecemberandFebruary.New sprouts,whenobserved,have beenidentified asprimarily adventitiousroots(FDOT 1997). In addition,theviability of germplasmis not known (FDOT1997).Fisher(2000)reportedthis speciesis relativelyeasyto cultivate,indicatingthelackof reproductionin thewild maynot bedue toalack of viableseeds. Maschinskiet al. (2005)reportedlow recruitmentratesmaybedue tothedepthof theduff layer andto hydrologicinfluences.A propagationprotocolhasrecentlybeendevelopedfor conservationpurposes(Roncalet al. 2006). Population dynamics

Thecrenulatelead-plantoccursin plantcommunitiesthat werehistoricallyassociatedwith seasonallyhydratedsoilsandfrequentburning,includingwet pinelands,transverseglades,and hammockedges.It canbefoundgrowing inpoorly-drainedOpalockasandswithin pine rocklandsor in wetprairieswith Opalocka-rockoutcropcomplexsoils. It requiresopensunto partialshade.Thetypespecimen(SmallandWilson#1898)describestheprimaryhabitattype for crenulatelead-plantashammock(Miami-DadeCountyDERM 1993). No recentcollections havebeenseenfrom within hardwood hammocks.Manyof Small’sspecimen labels werepre printedwith habitatdataandsome specieswerecollectedandlabeledasoccurringin hammocks thatwereactuallycollected inhabitattypesoutsideof hammocks.It is possiblecrenulatelead- plantwasnever collected inhammocks.

Thepinerocklandswherethecrenulatelead-plantoccursarecharacterizedby acanopyof slash pine(Pinuselliottil var.densa),a shrubcanopyof sawpalmetto( repens),wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera),poisonwood(Metopiuintox~feruiii),andwillow bustic (Sideroxylon salicifoliuin). Commonherbaceous associatesincludecrimson bluestem(Schizachyrinin sanguineumvar.sanguineum),wire bluestem(S.gracile),scaleleafaster(Asteradnatus),and bastardcopperleaf(Acalypha chainaedr~folia). Othertypical speciesassociatesof crenulatelead- plantincludecabbagepalm(Sabalpalmetto),southernsumac(Rimscopallinavar. leucantha), bluestem(Schizachyriumrhizomatum),wild-petunia(Rue/hasucculenta),gulfdunepaspalum (Paspalummonostachyum),andblueheart(Buchneraamericana). Status and distribution

Crenulatelead-plantwaslistedasendangeredonJuly 18, 1985,becauseof thelossof pine rocklandhabitatfrom residentialandcommercialdevelopment.Vegetative communitieswithin thehistoric rangeof crenulatelead-planthavebeenalmostentirelyeliminatedby agricultural, urban,andcommercialdevelopment.The transversegladeswhere crenulatelead-plantoccurs wereamongthefirst areasin Miami-DadeCountyto befarmed,becausetheirmarl soils were bettersuitedto conversionto farmlandthanthelimestonerock of theadjacentpinelands.By 1984,98 to 99percentof Miami-DadeCountypine rocklandshadbeendestroyed,and developmentcontinuestoday. In addition,fire suppression,invasionby exoticplantspecies, and drainage threatenthesurvivalof thecrenulate lead-plant.Floweringandseedproductionmay not occurasaresultof thesedisruptions.A newlyrecognizedpotentialthreatto trees andshrubs in southFlorida is lobatelac scale(Paratachardinalobatalobata),aninvasivescaleinsect. It wasdiscoveredon someof thecrenulate lead-plantsatoneof the sitesin November2004 (Maschinskietal.2005). Sincethattime,it hasnotappearedto beathreatto crenulate lead-plant. 24 The crenulatelead-plantwasknownfrom a 20-mi2areafrom CoralGablesto Kendall,Miami- DadeCounty(DERM 1993). Its historicrange wasonly slightly greater,extendingsouth to Cutler(basedon anentryof Amoipha carolinianaon anunpublished plantlist by JohnKunkol Smallof Addison Hammock),andnorthto theLittle River in northeastMiami-DadeCounty. This range encompassesanarea5 mi eastto westand12mi northto south. Thecrenulate lead- plantis currently knownfrom six sites,four of whichcontainnaturalpopulationsandtwo containre-introduced populations(Roncalet al. 2006). Thetwo largest naturalpopulations showeda slightincreasein numbersof individualsin 2012,of which one sitehadparticularly high seedlingrecruitment(Maschinskiet al. 2012). However,within thelast 10years,four additionalnaturalpopulationswerelost to urbandevelopment,leavingthetotalpopulationsize atlessthan2,000individuals(Roncalet al. 2006).

Blodgett’s silverbush

Blodgett’ssilverbushfirst becameacandidateon October25, 1999.Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom themost recentspecies assessment(Service 2012)andfrom recentresearch publicationsandmonitoringreports.

Species/critical habitat description

“A. blodgeuiiis anerectsuffrutescent perennial1-6decimeters(dm) tall, thestems andleaves coveredwith bifurcatehairs;leavesentire,oval to elliptic, sometimesslightly spatulate,1.5-4cm long,oftencoloredadistinctivemetallic bluishgreen,distinctly3-nerved;staminatecalyx7-8mm wide; sepalsarelanceolate;petalsbroadlyelliptic, shorterthansepals;pistillate sepalslanceolate to linear-lanceolate;petalsbroadlyelliptic, shorterthansepals;pistillate sepalslanceolateto linear-lanceolate,5-6 mm long; capsule4-5 mm wide(Adaptedfrom Small 1933)”(Bradleyand Gann1999).Reproductionis sexual;flowering andfruiting apparentlytakesplacethroughout theyear(BradleyandGann1999).

Life history

Onthemainland,Blodgett’ssilverbushgrowsin pinerocklandandedgesof rockland hammock (BradleyandGann1999).In theKeys,thisspeciesgrowsin pinerockland,rocklandhammock, coastalbermandonroadsides,especiallyin sunnygapsor edges(BradleyandGann1999). BradleyandGann(1999)stated“A. blodgettüis primarilyaplantof opensunnyareasin pine rockland,edgesof rocklandhammock,edgesof coastalberm,andsometimes disturbedareasin closeproximityto anaturalarea.Plantscanbefoundgrowingfrom crevicesonoolitic or Key Largolimestoneor onsand.Thepinerocklandhabitatwhereit occursin Miami-DadeCountyand theFloridaKeysrequiresperiodicfire tomaintainanopen,sunnyunderstorywith aminimumamount of hardwoods.”BradleyandGann(1999)indicatedthisspeciesdoestoleratesomedegreeof human- induceddisturbance.It canoftenbefoundalongdisturbededgesof pinerockland,rockland hammock,andcoastalberm,or in completelyscarifiedpinerockland (BradleyandGann1999).

Population dynamics

In theKeys,Blodgett’ssilverbushis extanton nine islands,with three othersof uncertainstatus (HodgesandBradley2006). Thelargestpopulationsurveyedis on Big MunsonIslandandis 25 estimatedto be8,000-9,000plants(HodgesandBradley2006). Thepopulationsizein theKeys, excludingBig Pine,is estimatedto beapproximately11,000 plants (HodgesandBradley2006). OccurrencesonBig PineKey varyby locationandareshownbelow(HodgesandBradley2006). Accordingto datafrom IRC,theestimatedpopulationof Blodgett’ssilverbushin Miami-Dade Countyis 375-13,650plants(i.e.,total of low andhigh estimatesfrom loglO scale)(K. Bradley, pers.comm.2007); however,thismaybeanoverestimateof theactualpopulationsizebecauseit wasbasedupona loglO scale.In ENP,thecurrentestimatedpopulationsizeis 1,000plants(J. Sadie,pers.comm.2008a,2010).

Status anddistribution

HistoricalRange/Distribution:“A. blodgeuiihistorically occurredfrom centralandsouthern Miami-DadeCountyfrom Brickell Hammock (latitudeca.25°45.9’) to southwesternLongPine Key inENP (latitudeca.25°24.2’), andthroughouttheFloridaKeys(MonroeCountyand Miami-DadeCounty)from TottenKey (latitude25° 22.95’)southto KeyWest(latitude24° 32.52’)” (BradleyandGann 1999).BaseduponHodgesandBradley(2006)anddatafrom IRC (K. Bradley,IRC,pers.comm.2007),Blodgett’ssilverbushhasbeenextirpatedfrom the sitesin

Table 1(Bradleyand Gann 1999).

Table 1.Extirpatedoccurrencesof Blodgett’ssilverbush(BradleyandGann1999). Site Owner County Last Cause Obsei’~ed SrickellHanunock iJnknown Miani—Dacle 1937 Developed CaribbeanP~ik Miami-DadeCounty Miani-Dade 195’S Devdopecl CoconutGrove Unknown Miani-Dade 1901 Developed Cord GablesArea iJnknown Miani-Dade 1967 Developed FuchsHammock Miami-DadeCounty Miani—Dade 1991 Developed,fire suppres~on KeyWest IJnknown Monroe 1955 Developed KeyWestCemetery Public Monroe 1955 Unknown Mifler and72 Ave. ~ Miani-Dade 1975 Developed Noith KeyLago Various Monroe 1977 Unknown OrchidJunge Miami-DadeCounty Miani-Dade 1930 Unknown(development,fire suppression,exoticpestPlants likely) PalmsWoodla’,vn Pmlvtte Miani-Dade 1992 Developed (emetery S of Miani Piver Unknown Miani-Dade 1913 Developed StockIsland Priv~e Monroe 1931 Developed Totten Key(Biscayne NationalPakService Miani-Dacle 1904 Unknown NationalPark) VacaKey IJnknown Monroe 1909 Developed NFC#317 Priv~te Miani-Dade unknown Developed

CurrentRange/Distribution: “A. blodgeuiiis currentlyknownfrom centralMiami-DadeCounty from CoralGables(latitude25°43.45’) andsouthernMiami-DadeCountyto southwesternLong PineKey in ENP (latitude25° 24.2’), andtheFloridaKeysfrom Windley Key (latitude24° 57.08’)southwestto Big PineKey (latitude24° 38.52’)” (BradleyandGann1999). Althoughwe donot know thetotal extentof theformerrange,approximately12mi (19km) of habitathas beenlost near thenorthernendof therangein Miami-DadeCountyand43 mi (69 km) hasbeen

26 lost in Monroe County (Bradley and Gann 1999). More recently, Hodges and Bradley (2006) indicated that species’verified rangeextendsfrom Miami-Dade County to Boca Chica Key.

Basedupon Bradley and Gann (1999), Hodgesand Bradley (2006), and datafrom IRC (K. Bradley, pers. comm. 2007), Blodgett’s silverbush is extant at the sites in Table 2. However, the speciesmay be extirpated from the CharlesDeering Estate,the Epmore Drive Pineland fragment, the Old Dixie Pineland, and S.W. 184 Street and 83 Avenue (K. Bradley, pers. comm. 2007). The NFC #317 site hasbeen destroyed(K. Bradley, pers. comm. 2007). Indefinite occurrences (those which have not been verified lately) in Monroe County include Key West Golf Course, Boot Key, and Long Key State Park (Hodgesand Bradley 2006). Indefinite occurrencesin Miami-Dade County arebetween Coconut Grove and Cutler, and between Cutler and Longview Camp (K. Bradley, pers. comm. 2007).

Table 2. Extant occurrencesof Blodgett’s silverbush (Bradley and Gann 1999;Hodgesand Bradley 2006; J. Sadie,pers. comm. 2007, 2008a, 2008b, 2010,2011).

Site Oa,ti€r County Popifatloii flileats Size Big Munson Island The Boy Scouts of Monroe 1001- exotIc plants, possible development America 10,001 In future (non-Imminent) Big Pine Key, Cactus National Key Deer Monroe 1.000— tIre suppreseon, slorm surge, exotic Hammock and Long Reach Refuge 10,0(0 plants, trail maintenance coastal berm (apploxlmat ely 2.000) Big Pine Key. Koehn’s National Re,, Deer Monroe 101 —1,000 are suppresslon, exotic plants, road a.lbdivision Refuge (in part) (appretcimat maintenance, illegal dumping, ely 2(0) paving. Infrastructure ploiects, herbicIde spraying big Fine Key, Watson’s National Key Deer Monroe 2 fire suppression, hot fires, other Hammock Refuge natural disturbance events, exotic plants Blue Heron Hammocks, Florida Fish and Wildlife Monroe 11-1 00 road n’lalrltenance, exotic plants, Vaca Key Conservation infrastructure, herbicide spraying CommIssion Boot Key private Monroe 11-100 development Camp Owaissa Bauer MIami-Dade County Miami-Dade 101-1,OoO are suppression, exotIc plants ca~etiow Haininocr, t.lianiDacte County t:t,t,,it-Dade 1J,-iO0 itiC aJppres~on ‘exoac plants Charles Deering EstatC’ Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade 11-100 fire suppresdon. exotic plants, felice line_maintenance Counlty RidgeEslates private Miami-Dade 11-100 exotic plants Epmore Drive private Miami-Dade 2-10 development, exotic plants Pineland_Fragrnenr ENP, DeerHammockArea National Park Seivice Miami-Dade 1,000 Brazilian pepper (pine biockA) and adjacent pine_block_B Fuchs Hammock Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade 2-10 Addtlon oifmrd Arboretum Pinetand private Miami-Dade 2-10 development, exotic plants Key Largo, Do,e Creek Florida Fish and Wildlife Monroe 11 -100 road construction, mowing, exotic Hammocks Conservation plants Commlsston sty West Naval Air Department of Defense Monroe 1,001— lead tree (Leuceenaleucoce1ohafá), elation, Boca Chica Key 10,0(0 maintenance activIties, development. (appioximat dumping of toxic substances, ely 1,200) openIng of new roads Larry and Penny Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade 1.001- development, fire suppression, Thompson Park and 10,0(0 e~colic plants adiacent_properties Ugnunwitae Key Department of Monroe 11-100 maintenance acti,’ities, exotic plants Botanical Stale Park, Erlvironmentat Uonum Vtae Rev Protection Uonurnvltse Ke~ Department or Monroe 11-100 general disturbance, weedy and Botanical State Park, Environmental exotic plants tlopp Tract, Matecumbe Protection Key Ned Glenn Nature Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade 11-100 fire suppression, exotic plants Preserve Old Dixie Pinetand (= Keg private Miami-Dade 11.100 development, fire suppression. South Pineiandr exotic plants Owaissa Bauer Addition Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade 100-1,000 fire suppression, exotic plants Pine Ridge Sanctuary pnvate preserve Miami-Dade 2-10 exotic plants Snake Creek Hammock, Florida Fish and Wedlife Motiroe 101-1,000 exotic plants, maintenance actlvties Plantation key Conservation CommIssion SW. 1B4 St. and 63 Aver private Miami-Dade 11-100 development, nresuppression, exotic_pianis Windicy i

27 Thefinding of a new,smalloccurrenceapproximately0.9 mi (1.5km) from theDeerHammock site(yetwithin PineBlock B) suggeststhatthe rangewithin ENPis largerthanoriginally thought (J.Sadie,pets.comm.2010).

Florida brickell-bush

Floridabrickell-bushfirst becamea candidateonOctober25, 1999.Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom themostrecentspeciesassessments(Service2011;2012)andfrom recent researchpublicationsandmonitoringreports. Florida brickell-bushwasproposedasendangered on October3,2013. Theproposedrule to list the speciesasendangered maybefoundat https://www.federalregistei.gov/artcles/20 13/10/03/2013-24173/endangered-andthreatened wildlife-and-plans-proposed-endangered-status-for-brickellia-rnosieri.Critical habitatwas also proposed.The proposedruleto designatecritical habitatmaybefoundat https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/10/03/2013-24174/endangeredand threatened wildlife-and-plants-designation-of-critical-habitat-for-brickellia-mosieri.

Species/criticalhabitatdescription

Floridabrickell-bushis aperennialherb Ito 3.5ft (0.3to 1.1m) tall, slender,erect,and branching(Chafin2000). Leavesare0.4 to 1.2inches(1 to 3 cm) long,alternate,narrow, linear, thick, usuallyspreadingor curveddownward,entire orslightly toothed,resin-dotted(Chafin 2000). The flower headsarein loose,openclustersattheendsof branches(Chafin2000). Disk flowersarewhite in small,denseheadssurroundedby hairy,slightly ribbedbracts; thereareno rayflowers,althoughlongstylebranches(white,sometimesbrown)mayappearto be rays (Chafin2000). Reproductionis sexual,pollinatorsanddispersersareunknown (Bradleyand Gann1999). Floweringtakesplaceprimarily in thefall (Augustto October),but individualsmay befoundin flower duringmostof theyear(BradleyandGann1999).

Critical habitatis proposedfor approximately2,646ac(1,071ha)in Miami-DadeCounty, Florida.

Life history

BradleyandGann(1999)statedthatFloridabrickell-bushis “found exclusivelyin pine rocklands.It toleratesonly minor amountsof disturbance. The pinerockland habitatwhereit occursin Miami-DadeCountyrequiresperiodicfiresto maintainanopensunnyunderstorywith a minimum amountof hardwoods.It tendsto occurin areaswithin openshrubcanopyand exposedlimestonewith minimalorganiclitter (pineneedles, leaves, andotherorganicmaterials). Somepopulationsarefoundatrelativelyhigh elevations(3 to 4 m), oneoccurrenceis in a low elevationpinerocklandverycloseto a marlprairie(2 to 3 m). The pinerocklandwhich contains thisoccurrencemayhavefloodedperiodicallyduringthesummerwetseason.Periodic firesare extremelyimportantin maintainingthisecosystem.Thenaturalfire regimewasprobably3 to 7 years,with mostfires occurringatthebeginningof thewetseasonin springandearlysummer. Theseperiodicfires keeptheshrubcanopylow andreducelitter accumulation.”

28 Population dynamics

Larry andPennyThompsonParkhastheonly largepopulation. Basedupondatafrom IRC, Keith Bradley(pers.comm.2007)hadestimated1,001-10,000individualsatthislocation. More recently,basedupondatafrom FTBG,JenniferPossley(pers.comm.2008)hadestimatedthe populationsizeat 1,000-1,500individuals,notingthat 200plantswerefoundin a survey covering approximately10percentof thePark. BradleyandGann(1999)indicatedthatthis speciesrarelyoccursin greatabundance; mostpopulationsareverysparse,containingalow densityof plants.

BradleyandGann(1999) estimatedpopulationsusinga logarithmicscale. Onthatscale,the totalpopulationof Floridabrickell-bushwasestimatedat 1,001to 10,000plants,with theexact numberprobablybetween5,000and7,000plants(BradleyandGann1999). Basedonthelatest availabledata,thelower rangemaybecloserto approximately1,550individuals. Bradleyand Gann(1999)alsostatedthepopulationwasprobablydecliningbecause“private siteswherethis plantoccursareeithernot beingmanagedor arebeing developed.Populationsonpubliclands arealsobeingimpacted.”

Statusand distribution

HistoricalRange/Distribution: Florida brickell-bushis “endemicto Miami-DadeCountyonthe Miami RockRidge. It washistoricallydistributedfrom centralandsouthernMiami-Dade Countyfrom SouthMiami (latitudeca.25°42.5’) to FloridaCity (latitude25°26.0’). This is a rangeof approximately22.5mi alongtheMiami RockRidge.” Herbariumspecimenshavenot beenstudiedfrom theNew York BotanicalGarden,sothefull extentof its historicrangeis unknown”(BradleyandGann1999). BradleyandGann(1999)provideda list of herbarium specimensandotherrecordsfor this plantthatdonot give preciseor accuratelocation information. In thesecases,thelocalitieshavealmostcertainlybeendestroyedbecausethey were locatedin Miami-DadeCounty. BradleyandGann(1999)indicatedthis species was extirpatedfrom two privatelyownedsites(PalmsWoodlawnCemetery,andSunsetDrive and 71 Court)in 1968 and1992,dueto development.Bradley(pers.comm.2007)alsoconfirmed themorerecentextirpationof anotherpopulationat aprivatelyownedsite(TurnpikeExtension and93rdTerrace)due todevelopment.

CurrentRange.PopulationEstimates,andStatus:Florida brickell-bushis currentlydistributed from centralandsouthernMiami-DadeCountyfrom SW 120Street(latitudeca.25” 39.4)to FloridaCity (latitudeca.25” 26.0),suggestingits historicrangehascontractedatleast 4.8km (3 mi; morethan13percent)(BradleyandGann1999). At least9 knownpopulationsonprivate lands havebeenextirpatedincluding:SunsetDrive and71 Court (sitedeveloped;lastobservation in 1968);PalmsWoodlawnCemetery(site developed;lastobservation in1992);Turnpike Extensionand93~Terrace(site destroyed;confirmedextirpatedin 2007);plus atleast6 of 18undated occurrencesreported byAlan Herndon(BradleyandGann1999;Bradley,pers. comm.2007). In addition,severalof Herndon’s18sitesexperienced impactsto habitatthrough disturbance orinvasionby nonnativeplantsor densehardwoods,andFloridabrickell-bushmay no longeroccuratthese sites(BradleyandGann1999).

29 Thenumberof extantoccurrencesof this speciesis somewhat uncertaindueto thelack of completeandrecentsurveyinformation,which is primarily afunctionof thenumberof populationswhich occuronprivatelands,makingthemdifficult to survey.In addition,Florida brickell-bushcanbeextremelydifficult to identify when notin flower, makingit difficult to confidentlydeterminewhenapopulationhasbeenextirpated.Themostcompletesurveywhich includedthe specieswasthe 2004—2005mappingby IRC of naturalforestcommunities(NFCs; pinelandsandhardwoods)in Miami-DadeCountyoutsideof BNP. IRC mappedbothpublic and privateNFCs wherethecountygovernment obtainedlandownerpermissionor determinedit was not necessary.This surveyfoundFloridabrickell-bushon six privatelyownedparcels,including on theUniversityof Miami Richmondcampus(formerlytheU.S.Naval Observatory).Surveys of populationsonpublic lands,specificallythoseownedor managedby theCounty,occur more commonlyandprovidea moredetailedassessmentof the species’status onselectedpreserves. Floridabrickell-bushwasnotfoundduringa 2-yearprojectintendedto surveyandmap nonnativeandrareplantsalongFDOT right-of-wayswithin Miami-DadeCounty(Gordonet al. 2007).

Basedon thebestavailabledata,we classifiedthose occurrencesof Floridabrickell-bushwhich havenot beenconfirmedextirpatedaseitherextant(statusconfirmedwithin thelast 10years), possiblyextant(reliabledataaregreaterthan 10yearsbut lessthan 15yearsold, habitatis still extant), orunknown/historical(observationdoesnot includesufficientdetailand/ordataare morethan 15yearsold, habitatis still extant)(Table3). Usingthisclassification,populationsof Floridabrickell-busharebelievedto occuron atleast17(extantor presumedextant)sites,and maypossiblyoccuron up to another5 (possiblyextant)sitesalthoughmostof theselattersites havebeensearchedin recentyearswithout the speciesbeingfound. Floridabrickell-bushmay alsooccuratthreehistoricalsites,but additionalinformationwouldbeneededto confirm atthis time. Of the 17extantoccurrences,9 occuronpublic conservationlands,3 occuronprivate landsmanagedfor conservation,and5 occuron privatelandswith unknownmanagement (Table3). Fourof thepopulationsonpublic conservationlands,includingtwo of thethreelarge (>100 plants)monitoredpopulations,occuradjacentto oneanotherin theRichmondPineland Complex.

BradleyandGann(1999) estimatedpopulationsizeusingalogarithmicscale. On thatscale, the total populationof thespeciesin 1999wasestimatedat 1,001—10,000plants(with theexact numberprobablybetween5,000and7,000plants),andwasthoughtto bedeclining(Bradleyand Gann1999). Sincethattime,theestimatefor thelargestpopulation(LarryandPennyThompson Park,1,001—10,000plantsin 1999)hasdecreased to101—1,000plants,with adjacentareas (Universityof Miami, Metrozoo,MartinezPineland)estimatedto hold another112—1,100plants combined(Possley,pers.comm.20l3b, 2013c). Additional plantsaresuspectedto occuron adjacentprivatelyownedparcelsin theRichmondPinelandComplex(Possley,pers.comm. 2013a).Theonlyothermonitoredpopulationestimatedto becomposedof greaterthan100plants occurson theNavyWells PinelandPreserve,locatedapproximately20km (12.5mi) southwest atthesouthernendof speciescurrentrange. Anotherlargepopulationwasobservedon aprivate parcelsituated betweenNavyWells andtheRichmondPinelands,howeverthis propertyhasnot beensurveyedsince 2004.Smallerpopulations occuron pinerocklandfragmentsspreadacross thelandscape,mostno morethanapproximately3.2km (2 mi) from theirnearestneighboring

30 population— themajorexceptionto thisis a7.2-km(4.5-mi)gapbetweenthepopulationson QuailRoostPinelandandCampOwaissaBauer. Basedon the 17populationsconsideredto be extant,thecurrenttotal populationestimateis between515 and4,935plants,althoughtheactual numberof individualsis probablycloserto 2,150-3,700.Basedon currentestimates,thetotal populationof Floridabrickell-bushhasapparentlydeclinedby approximately50percentsince1999.

Table3. Extantandrecent(presencestill possible)occurrencesof Floridabrickell-bush.

OWNERSHIP POPULATION RANGE POPULATION * denoteslands managedfor No. plants and year if NFC # if applicable (P-#) conservation available

Extant: Regularly monitored populations— Status confirmed within last 5 years NavyWells PinelandPreserve Miami-Dade County* 101-1,000(272in 2009)1 (P-415)

Pine ShorePinelandPreserve(P-48) Miami-DadeCounty* 11-100(77-118in 2009)’

Stateof Florida— managedby QuailRoostPineland(P-l44) 11-100(23in 2011)’ Miami-Dade County*

RichmondPinelandsComplex— Larry andPennyThompsonPark Miami-DadeCounty* 101-1,000(815in 2008)’ (P-391)

RichmondPinelandsComplex— Miami-Dade County* 101-1,000(742in 2009)’ Miami MetroZoo(P-39l)

Stateof Florida— managedby RockdalePineland(P-52) 1-10(5in 2010)1 Miami-DadeCounty*

RonEhman Park Miami-DadeCounty~ 11-100(31-45in 2011)’

Stateof Florida— managedby WestBiscaynePineland(P-295) 11-100(15-150 in2008)’ Miami-Dade County*

31 PresumedExtant: Populationsnot regularly monitored — Statusconfirmed within last 10years P-132 Private 1~102 P-295 Private 101~10002

P-297 Private 11-1002 P-316 Private ll_1002 P-365 Private 11~l002 PineRidgeSanctuary (P-310) Private* 11-100~

PorterRussellPinelandPreserve Private— TropicalAudubon 10-15~ (P-160) Society* Unknown(previously RichmondPinelandsComplex— Miami-DadeCounty’~ groupedwith Larry and MartinezPineland(P-39l) PennyThompsonPark)

RichmondPinelandsComplex— Private— Universityof Universityof Miami, Richmond Miami* 11-1002 Campus_(P-391) Nixon SmileyPinelandPreserve Miami-DadeCounty* Unknown~ (P-370)

PossiblyExtant: Habitat extant but statuslast confirmed 10-15yearsago

CampChoee(P-397) Private* 11-100~

CampOwaissaBauer(H-681) Miami-DadeCounty*. ii-i00~ PantherPineland(P-338) Private 11-100~

Seminole WaysidePark (P-365) Miami-DadeCounty* 11-100~

TamiamiPinelandsComplex Stateof Florida — managedby io-ioo5 Addition (P-6.00) Miami-DadeCounty* Unknown/Historical: Habitat extant but records regarding occurrenceare limited and/or >15 years_old Stateof Florida — managedby IngramPineland(P-360) Unknown6 Miami-Dade_County*

Miami-DadeCounty— School Navy Wells #2 (P-329) Board Unknown~

Possley,pers.comm. 2013a,2013b,2013c.;2 BradleyandGann2005;4Bradley2008,pers.Comm.;

BradleyandGann 1999;6 Includedin a2005plantlist by IRC, but noestimateprovided;~FNAI Element Occurrence#7, dated9/5/1995; Includedin a 1999letterby IRC but noestimateprovided;alsoincluded in a2004IRC list of B. mosieri occurrences

32 Alan Herndonhadreported18occurrencesin anundatedreport(BradleyandGann1999). Six of Herndon’soccurrenceshavebeendevelopedand severaladditionalsiteshavebeen disturbedor, becauseof lack of management,the sitesarenowdominatedby exoticplantsand/or densehardwoods(BradleyandGann1999). Floridabrickell-bushmayno longeroccuratsome of thesesites(BradleyandGann1999). IRC mappedall of thepublic andmanyprivate pinelandsin Miami-DadeCountyoutsideof ENP in 2004. Theyfoundno newsitesfor this plant,otherthanatthePorter RussellPreserve.Datafrom IRC from 2007indicatesthat21other locationshaveanundeterminedstatus (i.e., theareawassurveyed,but theplantwasnot observed by IRC) (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007). Additional surveywork attheselocations(all private land)wouldbeneededto determinepresence.Thespecies wasnotfoundduringa 2-yearproject intendedto surveyandmapexoticand rareplants alongFDOT right-of-wayswithin Miami-Dade County(Gordonet al. 2007).

Threats:Nearlyall of thepinerocklandhabitatwithin thenarrowrangeof Floridabrickell-bush hasbeenurbanized,convertedto agriculturaluse,or degraded,sothattheoriginal low understory hasbeenreplacedby hardwoods orexoticplants. Baseduponavailabledata,thereare16extant occurrencesof Floridabrickell-bushin remnantsof its formerpinerocklandhabitatin Miami- DadeCounty (BradleyandGann1999;K. Bradley,pers.comm. 2007).Only oneoccurrenceof morethan100individualsis knownto exist. Essentiallyall remainingoccurrencesaresmalland isolated. The Servicehasdetermined thatthethreats toFloridabrickell-bushconsistprimarily of habitatloss andmodificationthroughurbanandagriculturaldevelopment,fire suppression, proliferationof nonnativeinvasiveplants,andsealevelrise. Threatsdescribedunderhabitat loss,fragmentation,anddegradationresultingfrom development,fire suppression,and competitionfrom nonnativeinvasiveplantsarebelievedto betheprimarydrivers inthehistoric andrecentdeclinesof Florida brickell-bush.This specieshasalsobeenthreatenedby anthropogenicdisturbanceswhich threatenpopulationsin disturbedhabitatssuchasfirebreaks androadrights-of-way,andthis taxais suspectedto benegativelyaffectedby threatsrelatedto small, isolatedpopulations.All of thesethreatsareexpectedto continueto impactpopulationsof thesetaxain thefuture. Currentlocal, State,andFederalregulatorymechanismsareinadequate to protectthesetaxafrom takingandhabitatloss. Despitetheexisting regulatorymechanisms, Floridabrickell-bushcontinueto decline.

This speciesis threatenedby habitatloss,which is exacerbatedby habitatdegradationdueto fire suppression,modificationof fire regime,thedifficulty of applyingprescribedfire to pine rocklands,andthreatsfrom exoticplants(BradleyandGann1999;NatureServe2012).

Remaininghabitatsarefragmented,andpopulationswhich occuronprivatelandsarethreatened by developmentandfurtherfragmentation.Climatic changes,includingsea-levelrise,arelong termthreatsthatwill furtherreduce theextentof habitat. Floridabrickell-bushis vulnerableto naturaldisturbances,suchashurricanes,tropicalstorms,andstormsurges.Dueto its restricted rangeandthesmallsizesof most isolatedoccurrences,this speciesis vulnerableto environmental(catastrophichurricanes),demographic(potentialepisodesof poor reproduction), andgenetic(potentialinbreedingdepression)threats.

33 Deltoid spurge

Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom thefinal listingrule (50FR 29345),theSouth FloridaMSRP(Service1999),the5-yearstatusreview (Service2006),andfrom recentresearch publicationsandmonitoringreports.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Deltoid spurge,a memberof theEuphorbiaceae (spurgefamily), is anherbaceous,prostrateto barelyascendingplantformingsmallmats toa few decimetersin diameter.Thethin, wiry stems extendfromacentralwoodytaproot.Leavesaredeltoidto ovatein shape,opposite,andupto 5 mm (0.2inch) long. Flowersareunisexual;maleandfemaleflowersarearrangedin acuplike structure(cyathium). The3-seededfruits are1to 2 mm (0.04to 0.08inch)wide; seedsmeasure about1mm (0.04inch) wide. Thedensityanddistributionof hairs on thestems,leaves,and capsulesdistinguishvarieties deltoideaandadhaerens.Varietydeltoideais essentiallyhairless; adhaerensis fairly hairy.

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor thedeltoid spurge. Life history

Thedeltoidspurgetends tooccurin areaswith anopenshrubcanopy, exposedlimestone(oolite), andminimal litter (pineneedles,leaves,andotherorganicmaterials).It is mostoftenfound growingattheedgesof sandpocketswith plantsgrowingbothin sand(sometimesin association with theendangeredtiny polygala)and onoolitic limestone.Thesoilsin which it growsare classifiedasOpalocka-RockOutcropsoils. The subspeciesC.deltoideassp.adhaerensoccursin fine, reddishsandyloamoverlimestone.Densecoloniesaresometimesfoundin pinelands that haveundergonea slight mechanicaldisturbance, wherelittle or notopsoilis formedandwhere productivityis low. Theshrubcanopyin this disturbedhabitatis oftenpoorly developed providinghigh light levelsandlow organiclitter accumulationrates.Thepinerocklandsare often consideredafire subclimax,andaremaintainedwith periodicfires (3 to 7 years). These periodicfires keeptheshrubcanopydownandeliminatethelitter accumulations.

Studiesinto thelife historyof thedeltoidspurge haveonly recentlybegun,andlittle is known aboutits reproduction.It is aperennialthatflowersfrom April throughNovember, peakingin July. Its extensiveroot system givesevidenceit is along-livedplant(Miami-DadeCounty DERM 1993). Thereproductiveecology inChamaesycehasbeenpoorlystudied,but it is known to behighly variable (Ehrenfeld1976,1979;Webster1967). Somespeciesarecompletelyreliant on insectsfor pollinationandseedproductionwhile othersareself-pollinating. Pollinatorsmay includebees,flies, ants,and wasps(Ehrenfeld1979). Seedcapsulesof manyEuphorbiaceaeare explosivelydehiscent,ejectingseedsa shortdistancefrom theparentplant. Theseedsof some speciesaredispersedby ants(Pemberton1988).

Population dynamics

Currentestimatesof thenumberof individualshavenot beenobtainedfor theentirepopulation, andpopulationtrendsarenot well understood.TheNAM staffof Miami-DadeCountyhave

34 reportedplantson someof their siteshavesignificantlydeclinedwith onesitehaving onlythree plants,anotherhaving twopopulations containingnomorethan oneor two plants,andathird sitehavingonly two distinctcoloniesremainingafterreportinganabundanceof plantsin thelate 1980s(Maguire2006in litt.). In a studyconductedin threeplots locatedin thenorthern Biscayne pinelands,Herndon(2002)notedpopulationsoccurin small,dense,widely-separated clustersof 50to 200individuals. Populationsizesvaried10to 50 percentannuallybut no generaldecreasein populationsizewasreported. Heestimated800to 8,000plantsoccurredin eachpopulationattheDeeringEstatepinelandsandLarry andPenny ThompsonPark.

Annualrecruitmentratesrangefrom 0.0to 0.2andmortalityratesrangefrom 0 to 0.39(Herndon 2002). Survivalin threestudy plots overthe3-yearstudyperiodwas41,46, and65percent. Low seedgerminationratesweredetected inbothgreenhouseconditionsandfield assessments, andseedproductionvariedseasonallyby rainfall amount.While Herndon’s(2002)study evaluatedparameterssuchaspopulationsize,recruitment,survival,andmortality,other informationsuchasgrowthandreproductivecharacteristicsarenecessaryfor population modeling. A researchprojectconductedatLarry andPennyThompsonParkin 1992compared thegrowthratesof this subspeciesin burnedversusunburnedplots (DERM 1993).Dataonplant sizeandflower densitywascollectedin eachplot, andresultsindicatedthatplantsrespondto fire by allocatingenergytowardsvegetativerecoveryimmediatelyafterfire, ratherthanto flowering.

Althoughthesedemographicstudieshaveprovidedacatalystfor recoveryof this subspecies, thesedataareonly sufficientto run short-termpopulationmodels. Additional informationis neededon theplant’slife history, especiallydataon age-specificmortality anddrought-related mortality. Additional censusesandstudieson seedproductionandgerminationmustbeinitiated to refinerecruitmentdatafor modelingpopulationtrendsto determinetheappropriatenumbers of self-sustaining populations requiredto ensureahigh probabilityof persistence.

Status anddistribution

Deltoid spurge isaMiami-DadeCountyendemicthatwashistorically knownto occurin pine rocklandsof theMiami rock ridgefrom theGouldsareanorthto the centerof thecity of Miami. Thenorthernportionof its rangehasbeencompletelymodifiedby urbanexpansion. In1992-93, deltoidspurgeplantswereknownto occuron 18sites,including theRichmondpinerocklands classifiedasonesitewhereseveral thousandindividualswererecorded(DERM 1993). Sevenof thesesiteswereownedby Miami-DadeCounty,andeightotherswere proposedfor acquisition. Accordingto recentupdates,five siteslocatedonprivatelandshavebeendeveloped(Maschinski 2005in litt.).

Resultsof aprojectto maptheremainingpinerockland habitatin 2006reporteddeltoidspurge occurredon 11public sites(IRC 2006). Currentlythespeciesis known to remainon 14public lands(12County,1State,I Federal)andanundeterminednumberof privatelandsfrom southern Miami to Homestead(K. Bradley,IRC, pers.comm.2010). Eventhoughthemajorityof the populationsoccuronpublic lands, theyarefragmented,andhabitatdegradation continuesto affecttheextantpopulations.Becauseof habitatmodificationdueto urban expansionin the

35 northernportion of therange,deltoidspurgeis now knownonly from southof Miami to the Homesteadarea. Its limited distributionrendersthespurgevulnerableto randomnaturalor humaninducedevents,suchashurricanesandencroachmentof invasive exoticspecies(IRC 2006). Thecurrentnumberof individualsin wild populationsis notknown,therefore, trend analysisis not available.Althoughsomedemographicinformationis availablefor deltoid spurge,additionallong-termresearchwill benecessary todevelopaccuratepopulationmodels.

Continued habitatlossandfragmentationthreatentheexistenceof deltoidspurge,andlessthan 2 percentof theoriginal acreageof pinerocklandhabitatremains(Maschinskiet al. 2002). Populationson privatesitesremainthreatenedwith destructionor habitatmodificationdue to improperor lack of management.Modification of pinerocklandhabitatonprotectedlandsis alsoof concern(Maschinskietal. 2008). Thereis anongoingeffort to conductprescribedburns atthepublicly-ownedsites.Managementof thesesmallpreservesis difficult becauseexotic plantsarepresentwithin andneartheproperties.Habitatdegradationon thesesitescontinuesto beamoderatethreatbecausevegetationrestorationandmanagementprogramsarecostlyand dependuponavailabilityof funding(Service2006).

Pineland sandmat

Pinelandsandmatfirst becameacandidateon October25, 1999.Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom themostrecentspeciesassessment(Service2012)andfrom recentresearch publicationsandmonitoringreports.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Pinelandsandmatis anascendingto erectperennialherbforming smalltufts; stemsarereddish; leafbladesreniform or deltoidto orbicularor ovate;involucres1mm long,pubescent; glands green;glandappendagesverynarrow,even-edged;capsules2 mm broad,pubescent;seed1mm long, transverselywrinkled,yellowish (Small 1993;BradleyandGann1999).

Although little is knownaboutthistaxon’sreproductivebiology andecology,reproductionis sexual(BradleyandGann 1999).Thepinelandsandmat’s extensiveroot systemindicatesit is a long-livedplant (Wendelberger2003). Pollinatorsareunknown;othercongenericspeciesare completelyreliant on insectsfor pollinationandseedproductionwhile othersareself-pollinating (Wendelberger2003). Pollinatorsmayincludebees,flies, ants,andwasps(Ehrenfeld1979). Dispersalis unknownfor pinelandsandmat;however,manyseedcapsulesof Euphorbiaceaeare explosivelydehiscent (Wendelberger2003). This speciesis knownto fruit yearround (WendelbergerandMaschinski2006). FTBG hasfound apeakin fruiting in thefall and stimulationafterfire (WendelbergerandMaschinski2006).

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor pinelandsandmat. Life history

BradleyandGann(1999)providethefollowing description,“This speciesoccursin pine rocklandin pocketsof clayeymarlor on oolitic limestone.The soilsonwhich it occursoutside of ENP areclassifiedasOpalockarock-outcropsoils(soilswithin theNationalParkhavenot

36 beenclassified)(U.S.Departmentof Agriculture [USDA] 1996).Thepinerocklandswhere this plantoccursareatthesouthernendof theMiami RockRidgeandare atlower elevationsthan mostpinerocklandareasto thenorth. This is especiallytruefor thepine rocklandsonLongPine Key,which flood occasionally. Fireis animportantelementin maintainingthepinerockland habitat. Periodicfires eliminatetheshrubsubcanopyandremovelitter from theground.” Pinelandsandmatis shadeintolerantandrequiresperiodic burningto reducecompetitionfrom woodyvegetation.Without fire, nativehammockspeciesandexotics invadepine rocklands changingtheir structureandfunction(Wendelberger2003).

Pinelandsandmat occursin pinerocklandscharacterized byacanopyof southernslashpine,a shrubcanopyof sawpalmetto, waxmyrtle,poisonwood,andwillow bustic (BradleyandGann 1999). Commonherbaceousassociatesinclude: crimsonbluestem,wire bluestem,scaleleaf aster,andbastardcopperleaf (BradleyandGann1999). Pinelandsandmatis oftenassociated with otherrareplanttaxa,includingBlodgett’ssilverbushandFlorida brickell-bush(Bradleyand Gann1999).

Population dynamics

ThepopulationsizeatENPis roughly 10,000plants(K. Bradley,pers.comm.2006). Occurrenceson otherpublic andprivatelandsaresmaller. In assessing theoverallstatusand trend,BradleyandGann(1999)indicatedthatthepopulationof thepinelandsandmatis probably decliningdueto thethreats tothis species.However,sincethattime,five additionaloccurrences havebeenfound.

Status anddistribution

HistoricalRange/Distribution:Pinelandsandmatwashistoricallyknown from only thesouthern portionsof theMiami Rock Ridgein southernMiami-DadeCounty(BradleyandGann1999). ThenorthernmostoccurrenceswerefoundatSW 296Street(latitudeca.25° 29.52’)andpossibly asfar northasSW248Street(latitudeca.25° 32.14’). It extendedsouththroughLongPineKey in ENP (BradleyandGann1999). Onepurportedlocality mayhave beenreportedinaccurately. A specimencollectedby Burch(No.232,New York BotanicalGarden)in 1963atthe intersectionof S.W. 187Avenueand248Streethadalabeldescribingthestationas‘Princeton’ (BradleyandGann1999). However,this intersectionis morethan5 mi (8 km) westof thearea known asPrincetonand3 mi (5 km) northof thenorthernmostconfirmedstationfor thistaxon (BradleyandGann1999).

Thepinelandsandmatis knownonly from thesouthernportionof theMiami RockRidgein southernMiami-DadeCounty,Florida(Small 1933;Long andLakela 1971;Wunderlin 1998) andextendssouththroughLongPineKey in ENP(BradleyandGann1999). Theareaoutsideof ENPrepresentsnearlyhalf of therangeof this taxon(BradleyandGann1999).

CurrentRange/Distribution:Thecurrentrangeis similar to thehistoric range,althoughmostof theformerhabitatoutsideof ENPhasbeenlost andonly smallremnants remain.Based upon BradleyandGann(1999)anddatafrom IRC (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007), this plantis extant atthesitesin Table4.

37 Table4. Extantoccurrencesof pinelandsandmat.

Site Owner Population Size Threats hydrologicchanges,exoticplants, ENP NPS 10,000-100,000 fire suppression FloridaCity Pineland Miami-DadeCounty 100-1,000 exoticplants,fire suppression NavyWells Miami-DadeCounty 1,000-10,000 exoticplants,fire suppression Miami-DadeSchool exoticplants,development, Navy Wells#2 Board I,000-10,000 fire suppression

PalmDrive Pineland Miami-DadeCounty 10-100 exoticplants,fire suppression PineRidgeSanctuary PrivatePreserve 10-100 exoticplants,fire suppression

RockPit #39 Miami-DadeCounty I 1-100 exoticplants,fire suppression SeminoleWaysidePark Miami-DadeCounty 100-1,000 exoticplants,fire suppression

FuchsHammockAddition Miami-DadeCounty t 1-100 exoticplants,fire suppression Navy WellsPineland#39 Miami-DadeCounty 100-1,000 exoticplants,fire suppression SunnyPalmsPineland Miami-DadeCounty 100-1,000 exoticplants,fire suppression NaturalForestCommunity development,exoticplants,fire pnvate 11-100 [NFCJ#P330 suppression development,exoticplants,fire NFC#P338 private 1,001-10,000 suppression development,exoticplants,fire NFC#P339 private I 1-100 suppression development,exoticplants,fire NFC#P347 private 11-100 suppression development,exoticplants,fire NFC#P41l private 101-1,000 suppression development,exoticplants,fire NFC#P413 private II-100 suppression development,exoticplants,fire NFC#P416 private 11-100 suppression development,exoticplants,fire NFC#P445 private 1,001-10,000 suppression Garber’s spurge

Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom thefinal listing rule (50FR 29345),theSouth FloridaMSRP(Service1999),the5-yearstatusreview (Service2007),andfrom recentresearch publicationsandmonitoringreports. - Species/criticalhabitat description

Garber’sspurgeis aprostrateto erectherbwith pubescentstems.Theleavesareovatein shape and4 to 9 mm long,with entireor obscurelyserrateleaf margins.Thecyathiaareabout1.5mm long andbornesinglyat theleafaxils. Theappendagesareminuteor completelyabsent.The fruit is apubescentcapsule1.5mm wide. Theseedseitheraresmoothor havetransverseridges, but arenot wi-inkled;this is not,however,a distinctivecharacterfor thisspecies.

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor Garber’sspurge. Life history

Reproductiveecologyin Chainuesycehasbeenpoorly studied, butis knownto behighly variable (Ehrenfeld1976, 1979;Webster1967). Somespeciesare completelyreliantoninsectsfor pollination andseedproductionwhile othersareself-pollinating. Pollinatorsmayincludebees, 38 flies, ants,andwasps(Ehrenfeld1979). Theseedcapsulesof manyEuphorbiaceaeare explosivelydehiscent(spontaneous),ejectingseedsa shortdistancefrom theparentplant. Some seedsaredispersedby ants(Pemberton1988).

Population dynamics

Garber’sspurgeis still foundnearlythroughoutits historicalrange.It hasbeenextirpatedfrom Collier Countyandpartof Miami-DadeCounty. Within its historicalrange,manystationswhere it onceoccurredhavebeenlost. On mainlandFlorida,Garber’sspurgeoccursin conservation landslike ENP. It probablyoccurson lessthanhalf of theislandswhereit onceoccurredin the FloridaKeys. Somepopulationsarevery smallandarethusthreatenedwith extirpationdueto their smallsizes.ExamplesincludeCudjoeKey with 1plant,LowerMatecumbeKey with 10to 20plains,CrocodileLakeNationalWildlife RefugeonKey Largowith 10to 20plants,andCrawl

Keywith fewerthan10plants.Two populationsarelarge,with probablyover 1million plantson Cape Sableandover100,000plantsonLongPineKey in ENP. Therehavebeeninsufficient studiesto determinelong-termpopulationtrendsonanysite. At manysiteswhereGarber’sspurge doesoccur,managementis insufficientto ensurelong-termpersistenceof thespecies.

Status anddistribution

Garber’sspurgeis endemicto SouthFlorida. It is abundanton CapeSable,LongPineKey, and throughouttheKeysin smallnumbers.Historically,it occurredfrom Perrine,Miami-Dade County,westto CapeSable,MonroeCounty,andto theSandKeys westof Key West,Monroe County(Small 1933;LongandLakela 1971).

Garber’sspurgeis currentlyknownfrom about17populations,includingtwo in Miami-Dade County,and oneatCapeSable(ontwo Capes)(ENP)andon 14islandsin theKeysin Monroe County(BahiaHondaKey,Big TorchKey, BocaGrandeKey,Crawl Key,Key Largo, Cudjoe Key,FatDeerKey,GrassyKey,Long Key,Long PointKey,LowerMatecumbe Key,Marquesas Keys,SugarloafKey, SummerlandKey)(FNAI 2006).Some islandscontainmorethanonecolony.

Most (96percent)knownextantpopulationsof Garber’sspurgeareonpublicly owned conservationlandsandareprotectedfromfurtherhabitatloss. Onprivateproperty,twoparticularly significantpopulationsoccurin privatelyownedcoastalrockbarrens,oneon Long Key and anotheron CrawlKey. Otherpopulationsprobablyexiston privatelandsbut havenotbeenseen dueto lack of accessandsurveys.Severalpopulationsoccuronpublic landsthatarenot considered protected,for example, alongtheroadshoulderson GrassyKey. Becauseof the species’tendencyto growondisturbedsubstrates,it is oftenfoundin placesthatarenot typically managedfor theirnaturalresources.

All populationsarethreatenedto a degreeby exoticplantinvasion. PopulationsonLongPine Key areprobablytheleastthreatenedby exoticplants,becauseof theirisolationandcontinued managementby prescribedfire. Populations incoastalhabitatsarethreatenedby invasiveplants which constantlycolonizevia oceandispersedseedsandcanrapidlyinvade,especiallyfollowing coastaldisturbancessuchastropicalcyclones.

39 Fire suppressionis aproblemattheDeeringEstateatCutlerpopulationin Miami-DadeCounty. The pinerocklandareawith Garber’sspurgehasnotburnedsince1993. Like all pinerockland fragmentsin Miami-DadeCounty,it hasbeenimpossibleto maintaina properfire cycleatthis site. This situationis not likely to changein thenearfuture.

Pinerocklandsin thelower FloridaKeys(Keys), nowmostlyprotectedin theNationalKey Deer Refuge(NKDR),historicallycontainedpopulationsof Garber’sspurge,althoughthis doesnot seemto beits primaryhabitatin theKeys. It hasbeencollectedin pinerocklandonBig Pineand No NameKeys,althoughno populationsarecurrently knownfrom pinerocklandhabitat inthe Keys. Thismaybe dueto thelack of a properfire regime,compoundedwith anincreasein Key deer(Odocoileus virginianus clavium) populationsizesandsubsequentincreasesin herbivory. Implementationof prescribedfire in thelower Keys,especiallyin NKDR, hasbeena highly contentiousissue,with muchpublic opposition. Lackof aproperfire cyclehasprobably contributedto thedensehardwoodandpalmunderstoryon islandswith pinerockland,anda subsequentreduction indiversityanddensityof theherblayer,limiting habitatsuitabilityfor Garber’sspurge.

Sealevel risemay becomea significantthreatinfluencingthelong-termpersistenceof populationsof Garber’sspurge,especiallyin theKeysand CapeSable(ENP). All of these coastalpopulationsoccurat verylow elevations,manyonly metersfrom theocean.Sealevel risehasbeenfoundto becausinga reductionin pinerocklandacreagein thelower Keysby Ross et al. (1994),andwill haveimpactson othertypesof habitataswell. As describedby Wanlesset al. (1994),sealevelrisewill causedrasticimpactsto coastal ecosystemsin Florida,especially duringepisodiceventslike tropicalcyclones.Sealevel risewill probablydegrademuchof Garber’sspurge’shabitatin theKeysandCapeSable totheextentthatit is nolongersuitableto maintainpopulationsof thespecies.

Florida prairie-clover

Floridaprairie-cloverfirst becameacandidateon October25, 1999. Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom themostrecentspecies assessment(Service2012)andfrom recentresearch publicationsandmonitoringreports.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Floridaprairie-cloveris a suffrutescent(havinga stemthat is woodyonly atthebase;somewhat shrubby)shrub3 to 6 ft (0.5 to 2 m) tall (BradleyandGann1999;Chafin2000). Bradleyand Gann(1999)describeit asfollows, “Leaflets 15to 23,ovateto elliptic, 5 to 14mm long, glandularpunctuate beneath;spikessubcaptitateto shortlyoblong,0.5 to 1.5(-2) cm long, pubescent;pedunclesoppositetheleaves,terminalor appearingaxillary, ito 3.5cm long; bracts shorterthancalyx;calyx 5 to 7 mm long,subequalandexceedingthetube,plumose;corolla subpapilionaceous,initially greenishwhite, turningmaroon ordull purple,4 to 5 mm long; stamens9 to 10(Adaptedfrom Isely 1990).”

40 Although thereproductivebiology andecologyof thistaxonhasnot beenstudied,reproduction is sexual(BradleyandGann 1999). Researchby FTBG hasshownthatscarificationhasa positiveeffecton thegerminationof this plant’sseeds(Carroll 2005). Both concentratedsulfuric acidandboiling waterfunctionequallywell asscarifyingagents;thisinformationcanleadto greatersuccessin propagationandreintroductionefforts(Carroll2005).

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor Floridaprairie-clover. Life history

This shrubis foundin pinerocklands,edgesof rocklandhammocks,coastaluplands,andmat-i prairie (Chafin2000). BradleyandGann(1999)suggestedfire is probablyveryimportantto the livelihood of this taxon. Plantsprobablydo nottolerateshadingby hardwoodsin theabsenceof periodicfires. Two of theextirpatedoccurrenceswerereportedfrom rocklandhammocks (CastellowandCox). Historically,thisspecieslikely occurredattheedgesof rockland hammocksand wasalsoknownto occurin coastaluplands,atleastwithin PalmBeachCounty.

In 1999,eachof thefive occurrencesknownatthattime werelocatedin slightlydifferenthabitat types: disturbedpine rockland,pinerocklandandrocklandhammockecotone,pinerockland androcklandhammockecotonealongroadedges,edgeof roadsidein marl prairie,andecotone betweenrocklandhammockandmarlprairieandflatwoods(BradleyandGann1999). In 2007, Jimi Sadie(NationalParkService[NPS],pers.comm. 2007)characterizedoneoccurrencein Big CypressNationalPreserve(BCNP)at anecotonebetweenpinelandandhammockhabitats. Floridaprairie-cloveroccursin associationwith southFloridaslashpine,live oak(Quercus virginiana), gumbo-limbo(Bursera simaruba),poisonwood,willow bustic,white stopper (Eugeniaaxillaris), bluestemgrasses,andpaspalumgrasses(Faspalumspp.)(BradleyandGann 1999).

Population dynamics

AlthoughBradleyandGann(1999) estimatedthetotal population(based ona10gwscale)to be 101to 1,000plants,theyindicatedthatthetotal populationsizeis probablycloserto 200to 300individualsandthatthepopulationis probablydecliningsinceit hasbeenextirpatedon manysiteswhereit onceoccun-ed.Updatedinformationfor theoccurrencesatMiami-Dade Countypreserveswasprovided byJoyceMaschinski(pers.comm.2007)for 2007. Maschinski (pers.comm.2007)indicatedthat 10woodyplantsand 4seedlingsoccurredattheR. Hardy MathesonPreservein 2007. Since2003,thenumberof woodyplantshaddeclineddramatically atthis preserve- from 31to one(PossleyandMaschinski2009). Elevenseedlingswerefoundin September2008(PossleyandMaschinski2009). Overall,thepopulationatthis siteperformed poorly, likely dueto fire suppressionfor decades(PossleyandMaschinski2009). By 2008,only four plantsremained,andonly onewaslargeenough toreproduce(J.Possley,pers.comm. 2008). Plantsarefailing to thrive for unknownreasons,andthepopulationatthis preserveis essentiallyextirpatedleadingsometo speculatethatthepopulationwould soonbeextirpated(J. Possley,pers.comm.2008). However,thepopulationreboundedto 50 to 200plantsin 2010, apparentlyasaresultof managersrakingawaypine strawandusinga stringtrimmer (weed- eater) oncompetingplantsin theimmediatearea(J.Possley,pers.comm. 2011).

41 Statusand distribution

HistoricalRange/Distribution:Floridaprairie-cloverwashistoricallyknownfrom Miami-Dade, Collier, Monroe,andPalmBeachcounties(BradleyandGann1999). Collectionsweremadein PalmBeachCountyat anunknown locationnearPalmBeachby Curtiss in1895,andsouthof PalmBeachby Small in1918. In MonroeCountyit hasbeenknownhistoricallyfrom the Pinecrestregionin theBCNP. It wasdiscoveredin Collier Countyportionof theBCNPin 1999 (BradleyandGann1999).

In Miami-DadeCounty,thisplantwasreportedfrom manylocations,includingKey Biscayne, Castellow Hammock,theCharlesDeeringEstate,R. HardyMathesonPreserve,theedgeof ENP, theCoralGablesarea,pinelandssouthof theMiami River,andCox Hammock(Bradleyand Gann1999). Therehavebeenno reportsof thisplantfrom PalmBeachCountysince1918 (BradleyandGann1999). Gannet al. (2002)accountedfor essentiallyeveryherbarium specimenandreliablesighting. Gannet al. (2006)did notfind Floridaprairie-cloverin ENPand it is presumedto beextirpatedatthis location. Previousrecords(2) atthis locationmayhave representedwaif populationsestablishedonroadfill or disturbedsoil (Gannet al. 2006).

BaseduponBradleyandGann(1999)anddatafrom theIRC (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007), Florida prairie-cloverhasbeenextirpatedfrom thesitesin Table5.

Table5. Extirpatedoccurrencesof Floridaprairie-clover.

Last Site Owner County Observation Cause Castellow Hammock fire suppression, EnvironmentalEducationCenter Miami-DadeCounty Miami-Dade 1975 exoticpestplants CoralGablesarea Private Miami-Dade 1967 development development, fire suppression, Cox Hammock Private Miami-Dade 1930 exoticpestplants ENP NPS Miami-Dade 1964 unknown PalmBeacharea Private PalmBeach 1918 development

CurrentRange/Distribution:This plantis extantatthe sitesin Table6 (Bradleyand Gann1999; datafrom IRC [K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007);datafrom FNAI (2007, 2011)[A. Jenkins,pers. comm.2007];datafrom NPS [J. Sadle,pers.comm.2007,2011];and datafrom FTBG [J. Maschinski,pers.comm.2007;J. Possley,FTBG,pers.comm.2008,pers.comm.2009,pers. comm.2011; PossleyandMaschinski2009;Maschinskiet al. 2010]).

Table6. Extantoccurrencesof Floridaprairie-clover.

Site Owner County Occurrence Threats Size BCNP,FloridaTrail NPS Collier I 1-100 off-roadvehicles,fire suppression,exoticplants

BCNP, I I-Mile Road NPS Collier 2-10 fire suppression,exoticplants. Brazilianpepper (Schinus 42 Site Owner County Occurrence Threats Size tetebinthifolius);off road vehicleactivity atthis location is minimal

BCNP,Pinecrest NPS Monroe 11-100 off-roadvehicles,fire suppression,exoticplants, changes_in_mowing_practices CharlesDeeringEstate, Miami-Dade Miami- 500 (46woodyplants;453 firesuppression,exoticplants northof Addison County Dade seedlings) Hammock CharlesDeeringEstate, Miami-Dade Miami- 4 woodyplants,7 seedlings fire suppression,exoticplants southof Addison County Dade Hammock Virginia Key BeachPark City of Miami Miami- 4 duneerosion,competition (reintroduction) Dade fromearlysuccessional dune species CrandonPark Miami-Dade Miami- 1,000-1,500 fire suppression, County Dade encroachmentof seagrape (Coccoloba_zn’ifera) R. Hardy Matheson Miami-Dade Miami- 50-200 fire suppression,mountain Preserve County Dade biking, exoticplants,lobate lac scale(Paratachardina pseudolobata) StrawberryFields private Miami- 2-10 notyet assessed Hammock(nextto Natural Dade Forest Community) FloridaPowerandLight FloridaPower Miami- 2-10 notyetassessed property andLight Dade

Only nineoccurrencesof Floridaprairie cloverremain,sevenof which areonconservationlands. Thereis oneadditionalreintroducedoccurrence,consistingof four plants,atVirginia Key Beach Park(Maschinskiet al. 2010). Thespecies’range isrestrictedand thereareasmallnumberof plantsatmostsites. Althoughnopopulationviability analysishasbeenconductedfor this plant, indicationsarethatmostexistingoccurrencesarenot viable,atleastin Miami-DadeCounty. As aresult,threatsassociatedwith smallpopulationsizearepresent.Theseinclude potential vulnerabilitiesfrom environmental(catastrophichurricanes), demographic (potentialepisodesof poorreproduction),andgenetic(potential inbreedingdepression)threats.

Florida pineland crabgrass

Floridapinelandcrabgrassfirst becameacandidateon October25, 1999.Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom themostrecentspeciesassessment(Service2012)andfrom recentresearchpublicationsandmonitoringreports.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Floridapinelandcrabgrassis arhizomatous perennial;sheathauriclesca. 1.5mm long;sheaths hairy (becomingglabrouswith age);ligule 1.5to 2 mm long; leafbladesflexuousor twisted, spreading,7 to 18cm long, ito 2.2mm wide,hairyon bothsurfaces(becomingglabrouswith age);mainaxisof theinflorescence10to 80mm long,primarybranches2 to 8, appressedor spreadingfrom themain axis,ca.0.3mm wide;pedicels2 to 3 mm long,0.7to 0.9mm wide; spikelets30to 60 on aprimarybranch,lanceolate,2.7 to 3 mm long,0.7to 0.9mm wide; first 43 glume oftenpresent;secondglumethesamelengthasspikelet,usually7-nerved,glabrous, acuminateto acute;lemma of lowerfloret 7-nerved, acuminateto acute,glabrous;upperfloret thesamelengthasthelowerfloret; lemmaof theupperfloret becomingpurple,acuminateto acute(Adaptedfrom WebsterandHatch1990;BradleyandGann1999).

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor Floridapinelandcrabgrass.

Life history

Thereproductivebiologyandecologyhasnotbeenstudied,but reproductionis sexual(Bradley andGann1999). This speciesfruits in thefall (WendelbergerandMaschinski2006). The speciesoccurs mostcommonlyalongtheecotonebetweenpinerocklandandmarlprairie habitats, butdo overlapsomewhatinto bothof theseecosystems(Bradleyand Gann1999). The soil whereit occurredattheRichmondPineRocklandshasbeenclassifiedasBiscaynemarl, drained(USDA 1996).Thesehabitats,particularlymarlprairie,do flood for 1to severalmonths everyyearin thewetseason.Gannet al. (2006)describedthemajorhabitattypesfor Florida pinelandcrabgrassatLongPineKey to consistof pinelandI prairieecotonesandprairies. Gann et al. (2006)indicatesthisspeciesis associatedwith low elevationpinelandsandpinelandI marl prairieecotonesthatflood eachsummer.

Status anddistribution

HistoricalRange/Distribution:Thehistorical distributionincludedcentralandsouthernMiami- DadeCountyalongtheMiami RockRidge,from thesouthMiami area(latitude25°42.5’) to Long PineKey (latitude25°20.5’), arangeof approximately42 mi (67.6km). J. K. SmallandJ. J. Carter(No. 916,NY) collectedFloridapinelandcrabgrassin pinelandsnearthehomestead road,betweenCutlerandLongviewCamp,Florida,Nov. 9-12, 1903”(BradleyandGann1999). The 1903Eatoncollectionsfrom “Jenkinsto Everglades”werepossiblyfrom thesamecollecting trip.

BradleyandGann(1999)statedafterafew collectionsin thebeginningof thecentury, this speciesseemed todisappear.After a 1936collection,it wasnotfound againuntil 1973in ENP near OsteenHammockonLongPineKey (Avery 1983ascitedin BradleyandGann1999). Sincethattime it hadbeendocumentedmany timesin LongPineKey. In 1995,a singleplant wasdiscoveredin a smallmarlprairieon thegroundsof theLuis MartinezU.S.Army Reserve Centerin theRichmondPineRocklands inMiami-DadeCounty;however, thisplanthassince disappeared(Herndon1998;BradleyandGann1999). Basedon datafrom IRC, this occurrence waslastobservedin 1997andis consideredextirpateddueto decreasedhydroperiod(K. Bradley, IRC, pers.comm.2007;IRC 2009). This specieswasextirpatedfrom its historicalrangeonthe Miami RockRidge bydrainageanddevelopment(FNAI 2007). Prior to its discoveryin BCNP in 2003,the rangeof thisspecieswasthoughtto havecontractedby approximately29mi (46.7km) (BradleyandGann1999).

44 Wipff (2004)notedFloridapinelandcrabgrassis knownonly from thetypecollection,which wascollected inpinelandsof DadeCounty,Florida. Wipff apparentlydid not haveaccessto morerecentcollections,althoughthedistributionmap cites“reliablereports”from mainland MonroeandCollier Counties.The sourceof thesereportsis unknown. WunderlinandHansen (2004)reportit only from Miami-DadeCounty.

CurrentRange/Distribution:Floridapinelandcrabgrassis currentlyknownfrom theLongPine Key areaof ENP (BradleyandGann1999; Gannet al. 2006)andfrom BCNP (Table7) (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2005a). Citing Avery, BradleyandGann(1999)indicatedthatthisspecies occurredin anareaof ENP“stretchingfrom near theparkentrance(justeastof LongPineKey), southwestto theMahoganyHammockturnoff atthewesternendof LongPineKey”, anareaof about31mi2(8,000hectares[ha]). Priorto researchby Garin etal.(2006),thisspecieswasknown from thefollowing locationswithin LongPineKey: Hole-in-theDonut,PineBlocksA, C,D, H. Follow-upsurveysof historicallocations yieldedtwo additionalextantoccurrencesof thisspecies in theHole-in-the-Donut(Gannet al. 2006). Inaddition,Jimi Sadle,botanistatENP, locatedthe speciesatPineBlocksSW2,B, andF2 (J.Sadle,NPS,pers.comm.2010). Gannet al. (2006) alsoexpectto find new occurrencesof Floridapinelandcrabgrasswithin ENP aswork continues to establishthelimits of this species’habitatrequirements.Floridapinelandcrabgrassappearsto havea muchwider rangethanpreviouslythought(Gannet al. 2006).

In 2003,KeithBradley(pers.comm. 2005)discoveredthis speciessouthof Loop Roadin BCNP in MonroeCounty. This finding is a significantdiscovery,sinceit is thefirst occurrenceof this narrowendemicdocumentedoutsideof theMiami RockRidge/ Evergladesarea(FNAI 2007). Prior to thisdiscovery,theonly extantpopulationwason LongPineKey (FNAI 2007). IRC and FTBGhaveinitiatedsurveysof thegeneralareaaroundGumSlough,southof LoopRoad(K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007). Fundingbecameavailablefor afull surveyin 2009,andafull surveywithin BCNPbeganin 2011(Bradley2009). Until this studyis complete,themost accuraterangewideestimateis 1,000-10,000individualsatLongPineKey (Gannetal. 2006)and >10,000individualswithin BCNP (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007). Thereis also somepotential for thespeciesto still occuron remainingunsurveyedpinerocklandfragmentswithin Miami- DadeCounty.

Table7. Extantoccurrencesandpopulationestimatesof Floridapinelandcrabgrass(Gannet al. 2006;K. Bradley,pers.comm. 2007;J. Sadle,pers.comm.2010,2011).

Site Owner PopulationSize Threats ENP NPS 1,000-10,000 hydrologicchanges(possible), exoticplants BCNP NPS > 10,000 exoticplants,fire suppression

45 Small’s milkpea

Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom thefinal listing rule (50FR29345),theMSRP (Service1999),the5-yearstatusreview(Service2007),andfrom recentresearchpublications andmonitoringreports.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Small’s milkpeais aperennialherbwith numeroustrailing stemsradiatingfrom largewoody taprootsandwith relativelylargeflowers(calyx6 to 8 mm [0.2 to 0.3inch] long,standardand keel 1to 1.5cm [0.4to 0.6 inch] long) (Herndon1981). This specieshascompoundleaves, usuallywith 3 elliptic leaflets1.5to 3 cm (0.6to 1.2inches)long. Thestempubescenceis ascendingor spreading-sericeous,andupperleafsurfaceis puberulent(hairs0.1to 0.2 mm [0.004to 0.008inch] long);hairson stemlessthan0.5 mm [0.02 inch]long)(Herndon1981).

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor Small’s milkpea. Life history

Thereis limited knowledgeaboutthedemographicfeaturesandtrendsof thisplant. Small’s milkpeais aperenniallegumeand,therefore,probablyexperienceslittle annualvariationin populationsize(Fisher2000;BradleyandPossley2002). This speciesdoesnotexperience seasonaldiebackandis thoughtto belong-lived,asmostof theplantsusedin apollination study survivedoveraperiodof 5 years(BradleyandPossley2002). Floweringoccursthroughoutthe yearbut mostabundantlyduringthedry season.Becausemostflowersdonotproducefruit, it maybeself-incompatible(BradleyandPossley2002). Oncepollinated,seedstakeseveral monthsto matureandoftengerminatein responseto fire. Annualvariabilityin flowering, seed production,seedviability, andestablishmentrequirementsareunknown(BradleyandPossley 2002). FTBGis conductingpropagationtrials in orderto expandtheexsitucollectionof this species. Becauseof thesmallsizeof seeds,seedstoragehasbeendifficult (Maschinski2005).

Small’smilkpeaprefersopensunandlittle shadeandcanbethreatened byshadingfrom hardwoodsanddisplacementby invasive exoticspeciesin theabsenceof periodic fires. Disturbance,suchasprescribedfire, is a necessarymanagementtool to maintain suitable habitat for the species.Habitatdegradationon thesesitescontinuesto beamoderatethreatbecause vegetationrestorationandmanagementprogramsarecostly anddependuponavailability of funding. Population dynamics

O’Brien (1998) locatedthe specieson 10sites. li 2002,FTBG reportedthisspeciesoccurredon fewerthan12siteslocatedin a 6.5-mile(10.5-kilometer)area(BradleyandPossley2002). The totalpopulationat thattimewasestimatedto belessthan 10,000plantsandrangedfrom 3 to over 1,000individualspersite,with only two sitesthatcontainedover 1,000plants(Bradleyand Possley2002). The mostrecentcomprehensive surveyof pinerocklandsdocumentedthe presenceof Small’s milkpeaon five public sitesbut did not determinepopulationsizes(IRC 2006). Thesesiteshavebeenpurchasedby Miami-DadeCountyfor conservationpurposes.The Countyis working to restoreand managetheselands. 46 Status and distribution

Whenthis specieswaslisted,it wasknownfrom two sites nearHomesteadin Miami-Dade County. In a studyof distributionandhabitatpreferenceof two plantgeneranativeto south Floridapine rocklands,Small’smilkpeawasfoundin theRedlandregionanda few sitesatthe southernendof theBiscayne region(O’Brien 1998). Thedistributionof this speciesis correlated with soil depthandcolorin Redland pinerocklands.Small’s milkpeaappearsto prefer calcareoussoilswith lessquartzsands,but not atlow elevations,anddoesnot occurin pine forestsoff of thelimestonerockridge(O’Brien 1998). As elevationdecreasessouthwardalong theMiami RockRidge,sodoesquartzsand(BradleyandPossley2002). Preferredsoilsare mappedasCardsoundRockoutcropcomplexandareporousandwell-drained(Bradleyand Possley2002). Theelevationwheretheplantsoccur generallyrangesfrom 7 to 10ft (2 to 3 m) with a smoothslopefrom 0 to 2 percent(BradleyandPossley2002).

Thedistributionof thisplantis fragmented.Onestudynotedseveralsiteshad largenumbersof plantsdistributedthroughouteachsitewith nowell-definedpopulationclusters(Fisher2000). In 2002,this speciesoccurredin lessthan12fragmentedsiteslocatedalonga 6.5-mile(10.5- kilometer) portionof theridge(BradleyandPossley 2002).Thetotalpopulationatthattime was estimatedto belessthan 10,000plantsandrangedfrom 3 to 1,000individualspersite,with only 2 sitesthatcontainedover 1,000plants(BradleyandPossley2002). Resultsof aprojectto map extantpinerocklandhabitatindicatedthattheplantsremainedon7 public and 15privatesites (IRC 2006;Bradley2OlOa).Miami-DadeCountyowns sixof thepublic sites,purchasedfor conservationpurposes,and isworkingto restoreandmanagetheselandsthroughtheirEEL program. Theremainingpublic siteis ownedby theCounty’sBoardof Education (Bradley 20lOb)andis, therefore, subjectto futuredevelopment.However,theEEL programis currently attemptingto acquire thissite(Guerra 2010).

In 2009,alargepopulation containingasmany 100,000individualswasdocumentedon an additionalpublic property(Countyowned)adjacentto theHomesteadAir ReserveBase(HARB) (Bradley2009). AlthoughHARB is seekingto developtheselands,theyarealsocoordinating with theServiceandIRC to retainandmanage theplantatthissite. Therefore,themostcurrent assessmentof NFCsin Miami-DadeCountyrecordedthespecies oneightpublic sites(IRC 2006;Bradley2009,2010a).Also in 2009,anadditionalsmallpopulationwasdiscoveredon the privatePalmsWoodlawnCemeteryalongOld Dixie Highwayin Homestead(Bradley2010b). Becausethis specieshasno apparentmechanismfor long-distancedispersalof seeds,it is presumedthat thesefragmentedpopulationsarerelictsof largerpopulationsprior to fragmentation(O’Brien 1998).Not muchis known abouthowfragmentationhasimpactedthe populationdynamicsof thespecies,but mostlikely populationshavebecomeisolatedandmore imperiled(O’Brien 2006in litt.).

Lessthan2 percentof theoriginal acreageof pinerocklandhabitat remains(BradleyandPossley 2002). Most of thathabitatoccursin small,isolatedstandsin anurban landscape thatare difficult to protectandmanage.Many of thefragmentsareovergrownandin needof restoration. Theknown siteswhereSmall’smilkpeaoccurson public landsareprotectedfrom development, but thesesitesmustbemanagedto prevent habitatdegradationandpotentiallossof plants. Privately-ownedsitesremainatrisk of beingdevelopedandmanagementremainsaconcern. 47 Limited distributionrendersthespeciesvulnerableto random naturalor humaninducedevents, suchashurricanesandencroachmentof invasiveexoticspecies.All of thepopulations require activemanagement,includingexotic plantcontrol,thinningof overgrownvegetation, and/or prescribedfire. Thecurrentnumberof individualsin wild populationsis not known,therefore, trendanalysisis not available.Althoughsomedemographicinformationis available,additional long-termresearchwill benecessary todevelopaccuratepopulationmodels.

Thereis anongoingeffort to conductprescribedburnsatthepublicly-ownedsites. Management of thesesmallpreservesis difficult becauseexoticplantsarepresentwithin andnear the properties.Habitatdegradationon thesesitescontinuesto bea moderatethreatbecause vegetationrestorationandmanagement programsarecostlyanddepend uponavailabilityof funding. Continued habitatloss andfragmentation,fire suppression,andinvasionby exoticplant speciesthreatentheexistenceof Small’smilkpea(Service 2007). Sandflax

Sandflax first becameacandidateon October25, 1999.Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom themostrecentspeciesassessment(Service2012)andfrom recentresearch publicationsandmonitoringreports. Species/criticalhabitat description

Sandflax is awiry, yellow-floweredherb(BradleyandGann 1999;Bradley2006). Bradleyand Gann(1999)state sandflax “is a glabrousperennialherb;stems1-severalfrom thebase,wiry,

35to 53cm tall; leavesmostlyalternate,linear,7 to 10mm long,0.6 to 1mm wide,entire or with scatteredmarginalglands;stipules glandular, reddish;inflorescenceacymeof afew slender,spreadingor ascendingbranches;pedicels2 mm longor less;sepalslanceolateto ovate with aprominentmidrib, 2.4 to 3.2mm long;petalsyellow, obovate,4.5 to 5.5mm long; fruit 2.1to 2.5mm long,2 to 2.3mm diameter,pyriform,dehiscinginto tensegments;seedsovate, 1.2to 1.4mmlong,0.7 to 0.8 mm wide. (Adaptedfrom Rogers1963)”. Thereproductive ecologyandbiology of this taxonhasnotbeenstudied(BradleyandGann1999).No studies havebeenconductedon theecologyof thespecies(Bradley2006).

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor sandflax. Life history

Sandflax is foundin pinerockland,disturbedpinerockland,marl prairie,roadsidesonrocky soils,anddisturbedareas(Bradleyand Gann1999;HodgesandBradley2006). Thepine rocklandandmarl prairiewhere thisspeciesoccursrequiresperiodicwildfires in orderto maintainanopen,shrubfree subcanopyandreducelitter levels(BradleyandGann1999).This taxonis currentlyrarein relativelyundisturbednaturalareas,with theexceptionof plantsonBig PineKey andthegroundsof anoffice building on Old CutlerRoadin CoralGables(Bradleyand Gann1999;HodgesandBradley2006). Severaloccurrencesarein scarifiedpinerockland fragmentsthataredominatedby nativepinerocklandspecies,but havelittle or no canopyor subcanopy.Onepopulationin Miami-DadeCountyoccursentirely on aleveecomposedof crushedoolitic limestonein themiddleof asawgrassmarsh(BradleyandGann 1999;Hodges andBradley2006).

48 Morerecently,HodgesandBradley(2006)foundin the Keyssandflax seemsto only rarely occurwithin intactpinerockland,but morefrequentlyadjacentto it. Its persistenceonroadsides is not fully understood,but it is possiblethis specieshasevolvedto occurin thishabitatasfire regimesandnaturalareaswerealteredanddestroyedoverthelastseveralhundredyears(Hodges andBradley2006).

Population dynamics

In Miami-DadeCounty,KernanandBradley(1996)reportedsix mainlandoccurrencesfor sand flax. Theyestimatedthatapproximately1,000plantsoccurredin Miami-DadeCounty,with about600atHomesteadAir ReserveBase.In 2008,Bradley(pers.comm.2008)estimated that hundredsof plants,possiblythousands,remainedatthissite,nowownedby theMiami-Dade CountyHomelessTrust. In 2009,Bradley(2009) estimated thatapproximately74,000sandflax plantsoccuronthe site,with densitiesrangingashighas4.5plants per10.8ft2(per1.0m2).Thisis thelargestknown populationin Miami-Dade,but aportionof it is threatenedby development;the U.S.Army Special Operations CommandCenter South(SOCSOUTH)seeksto locatepermanent headquartersatthissite(Departmentof Defense2009). Projectplansincludeavoidanceof the majorityof thepopulationwith accompanyingprotectionandmanagementof approximately 60,000individuals(Service2011). However,thisprojectwill needto becarefullymonitored becauseimpactswouldaffectthelargestknownoccurrenceof thespecies.

An occurrencecalledOld Cutlercontained26percentof theknownindividualsin Miami-Dade County,prior to beingcleared(BradleyandGann 1999).As of 1996,therewerefewerthan 200plantsin theremainingsiteson themainland (KernanandBradley1996).Accordingto Bradley(2006),thepopulationsizein 2006in Miami-DadeCountywasunknown. A new occurrencehasbeenconfirmedrecently inMiami-DadeCountyon a tractof landenrolledin the EELprogram,whichisanadditiontoCamp OwaissaBauerPineland(J.Possley,pers.comm.2011).

More detailedinformationis availablefor theKeys. Neither Dickson(1955) norAlexanderand Dickson(1972)reportedthespeciesin theirstudies.Carlsonet al. (1993)recordedit at a frequencyof 1.3percentin study plots(0.5m2)onBig Pine Key.RossandRuiz (1996)found sandflax on only 16plots across5 Big PineKey transects.Accordingto theiranalysis,sites mostlikely to supportsandflax hadahighrelativerepresentationof graminoidsin the understory,abundantpineregeneration,andhighcoverof exposedrock (RossandRuiz 1996).

More recently,in thefirst comprehensivestudyof distributionandabundancein theKeys, HodgesandBradley(2006)estimatedthattherewerebetween101and 1,000plantsin theKeys outsideof Big Pine Key.In afollow-up study,examiningthedistributionandpopulationsizeof threepinerocklandendemicsonBig PineKey,sandflax wasfoundto beextremelyrare,located atonly five samplelocations throughouttheislandandatthreeplacesnot associatedwith sample locations(Bradley2006). Bradley(2006)foundatotal of 33plants,mostlyin theinterior of the islandawayfrom thecoast. In thenorthern pinelandsit wasfoundin 6 of 427plots(1.4 percent) ata densityof 0.07± 0.09plants/plot(Bradley2006). In thesouthernpinelands,it wasfoundin I of 114plots (0.9percent)ata densityof .009± 0.91plants/plot(Bradley2006). Thedifference in densitywassignificant(U = 32,978.5,P 0.033). Sincesandflax wasfoundatsuchlow densitiesin sofew plots,themeandensityhadanextremelybroadrange;95percentconfidence 49 intervalsshowedarangefrom -3,353to 56,404individuals(Bradley2006). All plantswere foundprior to HurricaneWilma; sandflax wasnotfound atall in surveys8 to 9 weeksafterthe hurricane(Bradley2006). In 2007,BradleyandSaha(2009)foundsandflax in northernplots, but did notfind it in anyof thesouthernplots. Additional surveyshavenotbeenconducted,soit is not possibleto determineif sandflax hasrecovered.

Status and distribution

Historical Range/Distribution:Sandflax historicallywasdistributedin MonroeCountyin the lower Keysandin centralandsouthernMiami-DadeCounty(BradleyandGann1999). In Miami-Dade,theplantwaswidespreadfrom theCoconutGroveareato southernMiami-Dade County,closeto whatis nowthemainentranceto ENP andTurkeyPoint(BradleyandGann 1999). In MonroeCounty,theplantwasrecordedfrom Big PineKey,RamrodKey, Sugarloaf Key, ParkKey,BocaChica Key,andMiddle TorchKey (BradleyandGann1999). Basedupon BradleyandGann(1999),HodgesandBradley(2006),anddatafrom IRC (K. Bradley,pers. comm.2007),sandflax hasbeenextirpatedfrom thesitesin Table8.

Table8. Extirpatedoccurrencesof sandflax.

Site Owner County Last Cause Observation BocaChica Key Departmentof Monroe 1912 unknown,probably Defense development

MiddleTorch Key unknown Monroe 1979 unknown ParkKey unknown Monroe 1961 unknown,probably development RamrodKey unknown Monroe 1979 unknown AllapatahLinum Site private Miami-Dade 1996 landclearing CampJacksonArea unknown Miami-Dade 1907 unknown Camp OwaissaBauer Miami-DadeCounty Miami-Dade 1983 fire suppression CemeteryPineland private Miami-Dade 1996 propertyscarified, may_regenerate Eastof Naranja unknown Miami-Dade 1907 unknown Homesteadto Camp unknown Miami-Dade 1907 unknown Jackson Homesteadto Big unknown Miami-Dade 1911 unknown HammockPrairie

CurrentRange/Distribution:Sandflax is currently knownfrom four occurrencesin theKeysand eightoccurrencesin Miami-DadeCounty(Bradley2006;K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007,2011;J. Maschinski,F1’BG,pers.comm.2007, 2011;J.Possley,FTBG,pers.comm. 2011).Based upon BradleyandGann(1999),HodgesandBradley(2006),Bradley(2009),datafrom IRC (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007;Gannetal. 2001-2010),datafrom FTBG (Maschinskiet al. 2002;J. Maschinski,pers.comm.2007;J. Possley,pers.comm.2011;J.Maschinski,pers.comm.2011) andBradleyandSaha(2009),sandflax is extantatthesitesin Table9. OnBig PineKey, sand flax occursattheTerrestrisPreserve,which is ownedby TheNature Conservancy(TNC); this occurrenceis includedwithin theBig PineKey sitein Table9.

50 ______Size (sitespecificonly)

Table9. Extantoccurrencesof sandflax.

Site Owner County Population Threats

Big PineKey NKDR, TNC, otherpublic Monroe 2,676 development,fire (primarily conservationlands) andprivate entities suppression,exoticplants Lower SugarloafKey FloridaDepartmentof Monroe 101-1,000 roadclearingor other Transportation(FDOT) maintenance,illegal dumping,exoticplants Big Torch Key MonroeCounty Monroe 11-100 roadclearingor other Departmentof maintenance,exoticplants Transportation Middle Torch Key MonroeCounty Monroe 2-10 roadclearingor other Departmentof maintenance,exoticplants Transportation

Village of PalmettoBay private Miami-Dade 11-100 development,lire suppression,exoticplants CocoplumDevelopment private Miami-Dade 11-100 development CountryRidgeEstates/ privateI Miami-Dade Miami-Dade 11-100 development,herbicide Camp OwaissaBauer County (partialconservationlands) HomesteadAir ReserveBase Miami-DadeCounty Miami-Dade 74,000 development;proposed andadjacentland HomelessTrust military facilitiesand operations HomesteadBayfrontPark Miami-DadeCounty Miami-Dade 101-1,000 roadclearingor other (conservationlands) maintenance IRC Preserveandadjacent IRC andSouthFlorida Miami-Dade 2-10 herbicideapplicationon canalbank WaterManagement canalbank (primarily conservationlands) District Luis B. MartinezU.S.Army U.S.Army Miami-Dade 30-50 notassessed ReserveStation,Richmond PineRocklands CampOwaissa Bauer Miami-DadeCounty Miami-Dade I-lU notassessed PinelandAddition#1 (conservationlands)

HodgesandBradley(2006)initiatedpopulationsurveysfor sandflax in theKeysonBig Pine Key andotherkeyswith potentialhabitat. The surveyincludedextantoccurrences,historicsites, andexploratorysurveysof potentialhabitat. This projectprovidedthefirst comprehensive surveyof distributionandabundancefor thearea.Negativesurveyresults(i.e.,location surveyed,but sandflax absent)included: BocaChicaKey (southernedge),No NameKey (roadsideedgesandNKDR), RamrodKey (DanAustin Site),roadsidesfrom Little TorchKey to Lower SugarloafKey,andUpper SugarloafKey (NKDR) (HodgesandBradley2006).

In 2009,anassessmentof rareplantsandpinerocklandhabitatwasconductedfor theproposed SOCSOUTHheadquartersatthesiteadjacentto theHomesteadAir ReserveBase(Bradley 2009). During a surveyof the90-ac(36.4-ha)tract,Small’smilkpeaandsandflax werefoundin 27 differentlocationscovering13.2ac(5.3ha)in disturbedpinerocklands(Bradley2009).

51 Carter’s small-flowered flax

Carter’ssmall-floweredflax first becamea candidateon October25, 1999.Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom themost recentspecies assessments(Service2011 and2012)and from recentresearchpublicationsandmonitoringreports. Carter’ssmall-floweredflax was proposedasendangeredon October3,2013. Theproposedrule to list thespeciesasendangered maybefoundat haps://www.federalregistei.gov/regulations/1018-AZI 5/endangeredand threatened-wildlife-and-plants-listing-carter-s-small-flowered-flax-and-florida-brick.Critical habitatwasalsoproposed.Theproposedrule to designatecritical habitatmaybefoundat https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/1018-AZ64/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and plants-critical-habitat-designation-for-carter-s-smallflower.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Carter’ssmall-floweredflax is ai~annualor short-livedperennialherbthatis endemicto Miami DadeCounty,whereit growsin pinerockland,particularlydisturbedpinerocklands(Bradleyand Gann1999).BradleyandGann(1999)describedthe speciesasfollows,“Stemserect23to 36cm tall, commonlybranchednearthebase,puberulent;leavesslender,18-26mmlong,0.8to 1.2mm wide,entire,alternate,closely overlappingatthebaseof theplant,moredistantabove;stipuleswith paired dark glands;inflorescenceanascending orspreading cyme;pedicels4.5to9 mmlongin fruit; sepalslanceolate,short-awned,glandulartoothed,3-nerved; orangeyellow,broadly obovate,9 to 17mm long,quicklydeciduous;fruit straw-colored,ovoid,4.1to4.6mmlong,3.4to 3.7mm diameter,dehiscinginto five two seededsegments;seedsnarrowlyovoid-elliptic,2.3 to 2.8mm long,I to 1.3mm wide. (Adaptedfrom Rogers1963and 1968). Inhabitandflower the plantcloselyresemblesPiriqueta caroliniana(pittedstripeseed)in theTurneraceae.”

Critical habitatis proposedfor approximately2,605ac(1,054ha)in Miami DadeCounty, Florida.

Life history

Carter’ssmall-floweredflax is foundin pinerocklands,particularlythosethatarescarifiedor haveundergonesomesortof soil disturbance(e.g.,firebreaks,canal banks,edgesof railway beds)(BradleyandGann1999). Noneof theknownoccurrencesarefrom acompletely undisturbedpinerockland(BradleyandGann1999). BradleyandGann(1999) indicated thatall documentedoccurrencesarewithin scarifiedpinerocklands,in disturbedareasadjacentto or within pinerocklands,or in completelydisturbedareas.This speciesdoesnottolerate shadingor litter accumulation,andthereforemayhavebeenexcludedfrom muchof its formerhabitatby fire suppression(BradleyandGann1999).

Thereproductiveecologyandbiologyof thistaxonis not well understood,but reproductionis sexual(BradleyandGann1999). Themagnitudeandfrequencyof seedproductionis unknown; somefruits dehiscein a characteristic5-partedstarpattern,while othersneverdehisce(Fellows 2002).

52 MaschinskiandWalters(2008) studiedin situ germinationandgrowth-to-maturityof plants growing inthewild attwo sites,measuringheight,numberof branches,numberof buds,flowers, andfruit of 32seedlings.Of thetotal32 seedlings tracked,only 6 setfruit (Maschinskiand Walters2008). Themeantimeto setfirst budwas 197± 2.4days,while meantime to first fruit setwas226 ± 2.3 days(MaschinskiandWalters2008). The226-daygrowth-to-maturityenables Carter’ssmall-floweredflax to contributeseedsto a nextgenerationin arelativelyshortperiod (MaschinskiandWalters2008). Oncemature,individualsmaylive oneto severalyears producingmultiple fruits (MaschinskiandWalters2008). Growth-tomaturitymaybeinfluenced by seasonof germination;seedsgerminatingin thesummermaygrowto maturitymorerapidly thanseedlings thatgerminatein thefall or winter (MaschinskiandWalters2008). Carter’s small-floweredflax is capableof floweringthroughoutthe year,but tendsto havemost abundantflowering andfruiting following rain (MaschinskiandWalters2008).

Carter’ssmall-flowered flaxhastypicalbehaviorfor anearlysuccessionalspecies(Maschinski 2006). In arecentstudyto examinepopulationviability in responseto disturbance,long-term demographystudieswereinitiatedatdisturbedandundisturbedsitesin Miami-DadeCounty (Maschinski2006;MaschinskiandWalters2007). These studiesindicatedCarter’ssmall- floweredflax occurredin higherdensitiesat a mowedsitewherecompetitionwith other plants wasdecreased.However,mowingcanalsoeliminatereproduction entirelyin very youngplants or delayreproductivematuration(MaschinskiandWalters2007). Disturbancefrom mowingwas foundto resultin highermortality,but greaterfruit production(Maschinski2006). Because mowinghadbeena repeated pressureon onepopulationfor morethan50years,it is possiblethat mowingis alsoselectingfor plantsthatcangrow andreproducemorerapidlythanthedisturbed siteplants(Maschinski2006). This work confirms,to a degree,therecommendationby Bradley andGann(1999)that“periodicmowingin theseareasmaypartiallyreplacefires,maintainingan open, freeunderstory.”

Preliminarymodelsindicatedthatpopulationviability wasgreatlyaffected byreproductionand whetherthereis apersistentseedbank(Maschinski2006;MaschinskiandWalters2007). Fruiting wasvariableacross yearsandsites, suchthat therewasno cleareffectof mowingon fruit production(Maschinski2006;MaschinskiandWalters2007). Seedlingsandjuveniles (non-reproductive)hadahigherprobabilityof survivalto adultstageattheundisturbedsite than atthemownsite;however,themownsite hadhigherreproductionthantheundisturbedsite (Maschinski2006). Models indicatethattransitionsfrom seedlingto adultandadult reproductiongreatlyinfluence populationtrajectories(MaschinskiandWalters2007). Increasing thesevital ratesis critical to improvingpopulationpersistence(MaschinskiandWalters2007). Year-to-year variationwasfoundto beextremelyhigh acrosspopulationsandsubjectto the unpredictabilityof weather(MaschinskiandWalters2007). Continuedmonitoringis needed to determinewhetherdisturbance regimehasapersistentimpactonlife history(Maschinski2006).

Population dynamics

BradleyandGann(1999) estimatedthatthetotal populationsizewas 101to 1,000plants(based on a log10scale)andthatthepopulationmaybedeclining. Basedonthelatestavailabledata, the total populationsizeis estimatedto bebetween318to 2,615individuals,althoughabetter

53 estimateof theupperrangemaybe 2,215if all populationsonprivatelandshavebeenextirpated. Maschinskiet al. (2003and2004)notedthatthis short-livedperennialhaswidely fluctuating numbersof individuals. Development,exoticplants,mountainbiking, modificationto fire regime, mechanical disturbance,andherbicideusewerecitedasthreats(BradleyandGann 1999). BradleyandGann(1999)statedthatthis taxonis in severedangerof extinctionsince mostof theoccurrenceswere notonconservationlands(atthattime). BradleyandGann(1999) alsoindicatedthattheconservationlandswhere thisspeciesoccurscontainedonly a few dozen plantscombined,oneof which wasdamagedby maintenancecrews. Since1999,datafrom IRC andFTBG indicatethatatleastthreeadditionaloccurrences(onprivatelands)havelikely been extirpatedsincemostof thosesitesweredestroyed(CocoplumDevelopment,Old Dixie Pineland [=KegSouthPineland],andPonceandRivieraPineland) (K.Bradley,pers.comm. 2007;J. Possley,pers.comm. 2012).However,populationsattheRockdalePinelandPreserveandthe USDA SubtropicalHorticultureResearchStationwerefoundto havemoreindividualsthan previouslyestimated(K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007;J. Possley,pers.comm.2012),anda new occurrencewasdiscovered(MontgomeryFoundation)(J.Maschinski,pers.comm.2006).

Status anddistribution

HistoricalRange/Distribution:JohnKunkelSmallandJoelJ. Carterfirst collectedthis species in 1903betweenCoconutGroveandCutler;Smalldescribedit asanewspeciesin 1905(Gannet al. 2002). BradleyandGann(1999)indicatedit hasbeenfoundatmanywidespreadlocations, from theCoconut Groveareaof Miami (latitude25°43.8’) to southernMiami-DadeCounty, terminatingnearSW280Street(latitude25° 30.4’), arangeof about24 mi (39km) (Bradleyand Gann1999). Since1903,Carter’ssmall-floweredflax hasbeenfoundin pine rocklandsfrom as far northastheBrickell Hammockareato asfar southastheNaranjaarea(Gannet al. 2002).

Austin et al. (1980) mapped17stationsfor Carter’ssmall-floweredflax. Most of thosestations arelikely to behistoric(thereport’s formatdid notallow theauthorsto clearlynotewhere plants hadbeenfoundduringfield work). BradleyandGann(1999)believeseveraloccurrences representedmisidentifications—thattheplantswereeithersandflax or Small’sflax (Linum carteri var.smallii). Forexample,apreviousreportof theplant occurringatHomesteadAir ReserveBasesiteis now consideredto beerroneous(K. Bradley, IRC,pers.comm.2008). Basedupondatafrom IRC, Carter’ssmall-floweredflax is extirpatedfrom Brickell Hammock (ownerunknown)dueto development,CharlesDeeringEstate(ownedby Miami-DadeCounty) for unknownreasons, andtheRed Roadand114Terracelocations (privateland)due to development (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007). Austin et al. (1980)notedthat there werefour historicalsitesfor this speciesin a studyof southernFlorida,includingNKDR andGreatWhite HeronNationalWildlife Refuge. However,in 1980,Austin et al. (1980)foundonly one site remaining,representinga75 percentreductionin numberof sites,andattributedthereductionto urbanization.Gannet al. (2002)indicatedmostof its habitathasbeendestroyed.

CurrentRange,PopulationEstimates,andStatus:Carter’ssmall-floweredflax is currentlyfound from R. HardyMathesonPreserve (nearPinecrest)southwestto Naranja/Modello,with a distanceof approximately27.3km (17mi) betweenthefarthestlocations. Theapparent

54 reduction inits historicrange(11.2km (7.2mi); 30percent)hasoccurredentirelyin thenorthern portion,between PinecrestandCoconutGrove,primarily due tourban development.Similarly, muchof thehabitatwithin thevariety’scurrentrangehasbeendestroyed(Gannetal. 2002). At leastfive knownpopulationshavebeenextirpatedincluding:Brickell Hammock(sitedeveloped; lastobservationin 1911); RedRoad/I14Terrace(sitedeveloped;lastobservationin 1969); DeeringEstateatCutler(notsightedsince1980s;unknownreason);PonceandRivieraPineland (sitedevelopedin 2004);andCocoplumDevelopment(sitedevelopedin 2005)(Bradleypers. comm.2007;BradleyandvanderHeiden2013). BradleyandGann(1999)describednine known populations(only threeof theseoccurringonconservationlands)with anestimatedtotal populationof 100-1,000individuals;its statuswasthoughtto bepossiblydeclining. Maschinski et al. (2004) estimatedthetotal populationto be 10,300plantsacrosseightpopulationsin 2003, with onepopulationsustainingthevastmajority(approximately10,000individuals). Carter’s small-floweredflax wasnotfoundduringa2-yearprojectintendedto surveyandmapnonnative andrareplantsalongFDOT right-of-wayswithin Miami-DadeCounty(Gordonetal. 2007).

In 2012,BradleyandvanderHeiden (2013)conducteda statussurveyfor Carter’ssmall- floweredflax to includeextantoccurrences,historiclocations,andnewsurveystations.Because theyhadpreviouslyconductedacothprehensivesurveyof all pinerocklandhabitatin 2004-2005 (during which,Carter’ssmall-floweredflax wasnotfoundon anynewsites),thishabitatwas excludedfrom newsurveys. Canalswithin urbanMiami-DadeCountythat intersectedwith the pinerocklandsoilsof theMiami RockRidgeweresurveyed,aswereadditionaldisturbedsites with remnantnativevegetationin closeproximity to existingsites. Carter’ssmall-floweredflax wasfoundat sevenlocationscontaining approximately1,313individuals;populationsrangedin sizefrom a singleplantto 700plants,with a medianof 18plants(Table 10;Bradleyandvander Heiden2013). Oneoccurrence(atGifford ArboretumPineland),which hadnotbeenobserved sincethe l990sbut whosehabitatwasstill extant,wasdeemed“Historical” andmayreappear there(BradleyandvanderHeiden2013). Of thesevenextantoccurrences,five populationsare onpublicly ownedlandsbut only threeof thesearemanagedfor theconservationof natural resources(Table10). Fourof thepopulationsoccurnearthenorthendof thevariety’srange (nearR. HardyMathesonPreserve)andthreeoccurnearthesouthend(near CampOwaissa Bauer),with anapproximately16km (10mi) gapbetweentheclosestpopulationsof these groups.Within eachgrouping, populationsareapproximately1.3-4.3km (0.8-2.7mi) apart.

Becausethis varietyis knownto bea short-livedperennialwith widely fluctuatingnumbersof individuals(Maschinskiet al.2003, 2004),aswell asbeingdifficult to find whennot in flower, we includeanestimateof populationrangeusingthelogarithmicscale(Table10)to accountfor thesecharacteristicsandto providea comparisonto theprevious total populationestimates. Usingthelogarithmicscale, thetotal populationestimateis 337-3,310plants. However,it shouldbenoted thatmost2012observationswereatthelow endof thecorresponding logarithmicrange suchthattheresultinghighendfor thetotal populationestimate maybea gross overestimateof theactualpopulation. Basedstrictly on 2012observations,thetotalpopulaiion estimate maybecloserto 1,300individuals. Comparingtheseestimatesto the 1999and2003 populationestimatesgenerallysupportstheboom-and-bustnatureof Carter’ssmall-flowered flax, althoughthedeclinesince2004couldalsopotentiallyindicatea decliningtrendfor the largest occurrence. 55 Thespecieswasnot found duringa two-yearprojectintendedto surveyandmapexoticandrare plantsalongFDOT right-of-wayswithin Miami-DadeandMonroecounties(Gordonet al.2007).

TABLE 10. EXTANT AND HISTORICAL POPULATIONSOF CARTER’S SMALL-FLOWERED FLAX

I OWNERSHIP POPULATION POPULATION RANGE ~(° denoteslands managedfor (NEC # if applicable (P-#)) (Est. No. of plants in 2012) ~_conservation) Extant: Population statusconfirmed in 2012surveysconductedby IRC

Stateof Florida — South C-I 03 Canal FloridaWaterManagement I-10 (1) District

Stateof Florida — managedby CampOwaissaBauerAddition (P-255.4) 11-100(13) Miami-DadeCounty°

ChapmanField, USDA SubtropicalHorticultural Federal— U.S.Departmentof 101-1000(700) ResearchStation(portionsareP-63) Agriculture

Private— Montgomery MontgomeryBotanicalCenter 11-100(12) BotanicalCenter Old Dixie Pineland Private 11-100(18)

Stateof Florida — managedby R. HardyMathesonPreserve(14-634) 101-1000(374) Miami-DadeCounty°

Rockdale Pineland(P.52) Miami-DadeCounty° 101-1000(195)

Historical: Population not observedfor> 10years,but habitat extant clifford ArboretumPineland Private 0

Sourcefor numberof plantsis Bradleyand vanderHeiden(2013)

Threats:The numberof knownpopulationsof Carter’ssmall-floweredflax hasdecreasedby nearly50percentin recentyears,andextantpopulationsaresmallandisolated. Of theremaining species’occurrences,four areonconservationlands;threeof thesehaveapproximately 100individualsor fewer.Anothersiteis owned bytheU.S.government,but thesiteis not managedfor conservation.Onprivatelands,this speciesis threatenedby on-goingurban development(NatureServe2012),andhabitatdestructionis a majorthreat(Gannet al. 2002)as demonstratedby therecentprobableextirpationsof atleastthreepopulationson privatelands (Table10). TheServicehasdeterminedthatthethreatsto Carter’ssmall-floweredflax consist primarily of habitatlossandmodificationthroughurbanandagriculturaldevelopment,fire suppression,proliferationof nonnativeinvasiveplants,andsealevel rise. Threats described underhabitatloss,fragmentation,anddegradationresultingfrom development,fire suppression, andcompetitionfrom nonnativeinvasiveplantsarebelievedto betheprimarydriversin the historic andrecentdeclinesof Carter’ssmall-floweredflax andhasalso beenthreatenedby anthropogenicdisturbanceswhichthreatenpopulationsin disturbedhabitatssuchasfirebreaks androadrights-of-way,andbothtaxaaresuspectedto benegativelyaffected bythreatsrelatedto small,isolatedpopulations. All of thesethreatsareexpectedto continueto impactpopulations of thesetaxain thefuture. Currentlocal,State, andFederalregulatorymechanismsare inadequate toprotectthesetaxafrom takingandhabitatloss. Despitetheexistingregulatory mechanisms,Carter’ssmall-floweredflax continueto decline.

56 Remaininghabitatsarefragmented.Climatic changes,includingsea-levelrise,arelong-term threatsthatwill furtherreducetheextentof habitat. Most occurrencesare in low-lying areasand will likely beaffectedby rising sealevel. Carter’ssmall-floweredflax is vulnerableto natural disturbances,suchashurricanes,tropicalstorms,andstormsurges.Due to thefew remaining occurrenceswithin arestrictedrangeandthesmallandisolatedpopulations,this speciesis vulnerableto environmental(catastrophic hurricanes), demographic(potentialepisodesof poor reproduction),andgenetic(potential inbreedingdepression)threats.This speciesexistsin such smallnumbersatsofew sites,thatit maybedifficult to developandmaintainviableoccurrences on theavailableconservationlands. Viable plant populationsfor small,short-livedherbsmay consistof tensof thousandsof plants. Althoughnopopulationviability analysishasbeen conductedfor thisplant,indicationsarethatexistingoccurrencesare atbestmarginal,andit is possiblethatnonearetruly viable. Lack of dispersal between occurrencesalso maybea threat (Fellowset al. 2004).

Tiny polygala

Thefollowing discussionis summarizedfrom thefinal listingrule (50FR 29345),theSouth FloridaMSRP(Service1999),the5-yearstatusreview(Service 2007),andfrom recentresearch publicationsandmonitoringreports.

Species/criticalhabitat description

Tiny polygalais 1of 9 speciesof Polygalanativeto Miami-DadeCountyand 1of 11from Palm BeachCounty(WunderlinandHansen2004). The mostsimilar speciesis candyroot(Polygala nana) (BradleyandGann1995),which is distributedthrough muchof Florida. Bradleyand Gann(1995)foundexistingidentificationkeyswere inadequate,but thetwo speciescouldbe distinguishedby seedsize. Theseedbody length(notincludingtherostrum)of tiny polygalais between1.2and1.4mm;thelengthfor candyrootis between0.6 and0.8 mm (BradleyandGann 1995). BradleyandGann(1995)foundbothspeciesoccurattheJupiterRidge NaturalAreain PalmBeachCounty,andthedistributionmapsin WunderlinandHanson (2004)showthe distributionof candyrootextendingsouthto BrowardCounty.

No critical habitathasbeendesignatedfor tiny polygala.

Life history

Thelife spanof tiny polygalais short,averagingonly 180days,with only 9 percentof wild plantsliving beyond1year(Kopturet al. 1998). Plantstypically appear,flower, andthen disappearuntil thenextfire or othersuitabledisturbance.Tiny polygalaproducesaseedbank thatpersistswithin thesoil for atleast2 years(Kennedy1998). Seedlingemergencepeaksfrom September-November,but a few seedlingsemergefrom May-June.Seedgermination experimentshavebeenconductedin thefield, but few demographicstudieshavebeeninitiated (WendelbergerandFrances2004). Kennedy(1998)foundat situseedsgerminatedwithin 3 weeks, and80-100percentof older,buriedseedsgerminatedregardlessof seasonalphotoperiod(Koptur et al. 1998). Seedsburiedto adepthof 1cm for over2 yearshadahigh viability rate,suggesting

57 seedsmaypersistfor 10yearsor morewhenslightly buried(Kennedy2006in litt.). It is, therefore,importantto managenotonlyfor above-groundplants,but for theconservationof the seedbank.

Becauseseedsmayremain dormantin thesoil until fire disturbsthesite,abundanceand populationtrendsfor this speciesaredifficult to assess.Kopturet al. (1998)suggestedthatfire is a requirementfor seedgermination,becausefreshseedscollectedfrom thewild exhibiteda 50percentgreatergerminationratefollowing soakingin a smokeextract. Fellows(2002) repeatedtheexperimentandfoundthatinitial germinationratesof seedstreatedwith smoke extractaverageda ratethatwas4.3 daysfaster thannon-smoketreatedseeds.Total percent germinationwassimilar. Dueto fragmentationof populationsandtheshortgenerationtime of tiny polygala,WendelbergerandFrances(2004)believethatthespeciesmayexperiencelow geneticdiversity. Current knowledgeof this species’life historyis presentedin theConservation Action Plan(WendelbergerandFrances2004).

Statusand distribution

Whentiny polygalawaslisted,it wasknownfrom sandypinerocklandandFloridascrub vegetationin Miami-DadeandBrowardCounties(theMiami andFort Lauderdalemetroareas, respectively).A surveyof 56 sitesbetweenBrowardandIndianRiver Countiesextendedits knownrangeinto northernPalmBeachandsouth-centralMartin Counties,but only at afew sites (BradleyandGann1995). Later,Bradleyet al. (1999) conductedanendangeredplantsurveyin Floridascrubvegetationin Martin, St.Lucie,andIndianRiver Counties,covering25properties. Theyfoundno newpopulations.Surveysfor rareplantsin BrevardCountydid notfind tiny polygala(Kennedy2003a,2003b, 2004),althoughthis wasnot a targetspeciesandmayhave beenmissed.In 2004,thirteensitescontainedapproximately22 populationsin Miami-Dade, Broward,PalmBeach,andMartin Counties groupedinto four populationclusters,with the highestdensityof populationslocatedin southernMiami-DadeCounty(Wendelbergerand Frances2004). Clustersof populationsareseparatedby anaverageof 38mi, andthedistribution of this plantremains fragmented.Theoverallnumberof plantsis estimatedatapproximately 11,000,with themajority of theseoccurringon a singlesitein Miami-DadeCounty(Maschinski 2010).

Therehavebeenno newfinds of tiny polygalasince1995,despitesurveysof possiblescrubsites (BradleyandGann1995;Bradleyet al. 1999;Woodmanseeet al. 2007;Maschinskiet al. 2008; FNAI 2010),aswell asaprojectto mapthepinelandsof Miami-DadeCounty(IRC 2006). The speciesis currently knownfrom four sitesin Miami-DadeCounty(Maschinskiet al. 2008; Maschinski2010),two sitesin PalmBeachCounty,andsingleoccurrencesin Martin andSt. Lucie Counties(BradleyandGann1995;Walesky2005; Woodmanseeet al. 2007;FNAI 2010). Sevenof eightknown occurrencesareonpublicly ownedlands,andall thesesitesarecurrently beingmanagedfor conservationof tiny polygala.

During 2008,FTBG conductedsurveysfor the speciesat all known siteswithin Miami-Dade County(Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010). The four knownsiteswhereit remains includethepublicly ownedMiami MetrozooandadjacentU.S.CoastGuardproperty, both

58 locatedwithin the2,100-acreRichmondpinelands(Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010). The CoastGuardsitecontainsthelargestpopulationof plants,which wasestimatedatover 10,000plantsduringa 2008survey(Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010). Thespecies was alsoreportedfrom theDeeringEstateatCutler(441ac)andthePine ShorePinelandPreserve (PineShorePark)(8 ac)(Maschinski2005in litt; Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010; FNAI 2010). This surveyfailed to locatetheplantattwo previouslydocumentedsites, the CountyownedLudlampinelandandtheadjoiningFloridaPowerandLight Companyeasement (Maschinski2005in litt.; IRC 2006;Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010;FNAI 2010), suggestingthespeciesmaybeextirpatedfrom thesesites. Thesurveyalsodid notreportfinding thespeciesatformersiteson Universityof Miami andAir Forcelands,bothoccurringwithin the Richmondpinelands(Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010). However,Woodmanseeet al. (2007)indicatetiny polygalaoccurrencesappear tobecyclic, suggestinghistoricaloccurrences, if givenappropriatemanagement,mayreappear.

In BrowardCounty,tiny polygalawasknownto occuronly atonesite, the16.5-acreGopher TortoisePreserveatFortLauderdaleExecutiveAirport, managedby theCity of FortLauderdale (FNAI 2010;Maschinski2010). Thissitewassurveyedin 2002andnoplantswerefound(Possley 2006in litt.), butit is presumedthatseedsremainin dormancy.However,Woodmanseeetal. (2007)alsofailedto locatetheplantatthissiteduring2006surveysandsuggestedthatdrought conditions,exoticplants,andlackof fire mayhavehinderedthispopulation.Thenearlyadjoining CypressCreek ScrubPreserve(8 ac),alsomanagedbytheCity ~FNAI2010),hasnotbeensurveyed for tinypolygala(Possley2006in litt.; Maschinski2006in litt.), butplantsmayoccurthere.

PalmBeachCounty’sDepartmentof EnvironmentalResourcesManagement(Walesky2005in litt.) reports thattiny polygalais foundin two locations intheCounty. Walesky(2005in litt.) indicatesall of thelocationsarecharacterizedby openpatchesof white sandwith agroundwater tablethatis relativelynearthe surface.At JupiterRidgeNaturalArea(269ac),which had 100plantswhendiscoveredby Gannin 1994,therewere12plantsin 2004and86in August2005. Countybiologistsattributetheincreasedpopulationin 2005to theopeningup of thesite’sdry hammock(hardwoodforest)from hurricaneactivity andabove-normalspringandsummer rainfall (Walesky2005in litt.; Woodmanseeet al. 2007). Furthersurveysby Woodmanseeet al. (2007)foundsmallerdensitiesin 2006andnotedthespeciesabundanceatthesitefluctuates dramaticallyfrom yearto year. Tiny polygalawasalsodiscoveredatLimestoneCreekNatural Areain 2002. A survey conductedin July 2003recorded13plants(Walesky2005in litt.). Since 2006,thenumberof plantsrecordedatthissitehasrangedfrom 3 to 60,with 26encounteredduring April 2010(Woodmanseeet al. 2007;Shearer2010). Walesky(2005in litt.) indicatedthe County’soceanfrontDiamondhead!RadnorFuture ParkSite(154ac),discoveredin 2001, maintainedapopulationof about50plants. However,furthersurveysatthis sitedeterminedthat theplantsreportedfrom this sitewerecandyroot,theclosest congenerof tiny polygala (Woodmanseeet al. 2007;Bradley2010).

In southernMartin County,tiny polygalais knownto occurin JonathanDickinsonStatePark (JDSP)(17,314ac). Surveysof thesiteconductedfrom 2000to 2008haverecordedvarying numbersof plants (Woodmanseeet al. 2007;FNAI 2010). Woodmanseeet al. (2007)indicated thatwhile thespecies appearsto bein declineatJDSP,it is expectedplantnumberswill increase 59 in thelongrun,providedfires areadministered.In St.Lucie County,thespecies wasdetermined to occurattheprivatelyownedLynn University,basedon a specimencollectedin 1984(Bradley andGann1995).Woodmanseeet al. (2007) located14plantsatthis sitein 2006,furthernoting thesitehadrecentlybeenburnedandthatexoticswerebeingmanaged.BradleyandGann (1995)documentedthespeciesattheLynngateportionof SavannaPreserveStatePark,alsoin St.Lucie County. However,Woodmanseeet al. (2007) reportednoplantsduringa2006survey andindicatedfire suppressionovertime wasthemostlikely causefor theplants’disappearance from this site.

Evergladesbully

Species/criticalhabitat description

Evergladesbully is a decumbentor uprightshrub,3-6ft (1-2m) tall. Thebranchesaresmooth, slightly geniculate,andsomewhatspiny. Leavesarethin, obovateor ovate,0.8-2inches(2-5cm) long,evergreen,oblanceolate,andfuzzyontheirundersides.Theflowersarein axillarycymes (LongandLakela1971). Evergladesbully is distinguishedfrom theothertwo subspeciesof S. reclinatumin Floridaby its leaves,which arepersistentlypubescent(fuzzy)ontheirundersides, ratherthansmoothor pubescentonly alongthemidvein(WunderlinandHansen2003).

Life history

Evergladesbully is restrictedto pinelandswith tropicalunderstoryvegetationon limestonerock (pinerocklands),mostlyin theLongPineKey areaof ENP,which is anareaof pinerockland surroundedby wetlands.In ENP andBCNP,Evergladesbully is foundin pinelands, pineland/prairieecotones,andprairies(Gannet al. 2006;Bradleyet al. 2013). Plantsarefound in low elevationpinelandsandpineland/marl prairieecotonesthatflood eachsummer(Gannet al. 2006;Bradleyet al. 2013). Bradleyet al. (2013)conductedsurveys intheGumSloughregion of Lostman’sPinesin BCNPandreportedfinding the subspeciesto havedistributionwithin the studyarea.

Population dynamics

In 2005,IRC reportedthatmorethan 10,000plantswerefoundin surveysof LongPineKey (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2005). ThebaselineabundanceestimateatLongPineKeybased ona loglO abundanceestimateis 10,000-100,000plants(Gannet al. 2006). Gannetal. (2006)found 14occurrencesof this speciesrecordedat 149stations.Bradleyet al. (2013)conductedsurveys in theGumSloughregionof Lostman’sPinesin BCNP andreportedfinding Evergladesbully to havelimited distributionwithin thestudyarea.A total of 17plants(representing0.2plantsper ha)werecountedwithin pinelands plots(n = 3), thatwereassociatedwith sawgrassand hardwoodhabitats(Bradleyet al. 2013).

FTBG tagged41 groupsof plants,eachgroupconsistingof ito 6 individuals,for atotal of approximately73 individualsatLarry andPennyThompsonPark (PossleyandMcSweeney 2005). Thisis probablythelargestpopulationoutsideof LongPine Key.Estimatedpopulation sizesfor theotheroccurrencesarenotedin Table 11(HodgesandBradley2006;Gannet al. 2006;K. Bradley,pers.comm. 2007;J. Possley,pers.comm.201la, 201ib). 60 Statusand distribution

Theroundedglobalstatusof Evergladesbully is Ti, critically imperiled(NatureServe2010). NatureServe(2010) indicates thistaxonis anarrow,endemicsubspeciesoccurringin sensitive andhighly fragmentedpinerocklandsof southernFlorida. FNAI considers Evergladesbully to havea globalrankof G4G5T1,meaningthespeciesas awholeis “apparently”or “demonstrably secureglobally,” but thesubspecies is“critically imperiledglobally” (FNAI 2011). Everglades bully wasconsideredto becritically imperiledby IRC; however,basedupondatacollected inthe first yearof their study,IRC down-rankedthis speciesto imperiled(Gannet al. 2006;Gannetal. 2001-2010).Evergladesbully is not listedby theState.

HistoricalRange/Distribution:Evergladesbully waslongconsideredto berestrictedto the tropicalpinelandsof Miami-DadeCounty. Gannet al. (2002)providedahistoryof collections: Evergladesbully wasfirst documentedatCampJacksonnearwhatis now themainentranceto ENP. It hasbeencollectedseveraltimes(startingin 1852)atLongPineKey. Thespecieshas beenobservedin pinelandseastof ENP,theNixon-LewisHammock(wherethepinelandshave sincebeendestroyed),privately-ownedGrantHammock,andprivately-ownedPineRidge Sanctuary.

In MonroeCounty,this speciesis foundonly on themainland(HodgesandBradley2006). HodgesandBradley(2006)statedthatif it hadoccurredin theFloridaKeys,themostlikely locationswould havebeenpinerocklandson Key Largo,Big PineKey,Cudjoe Keyor Lower SugarloafKey, all of which weresurveyedfor this species.HodgesandBradley(2006)indicated that mostof the siteson Key Largohavebeendeveloped.Therehavebeenno recordsof this taxoneverbeingcollectedthere.

CurrentRange!Distribution: Evergladesbully is extantat 11sites(Table 11). Onepopulation occurslocally atBCNPalongtheedgesof GumSloughwithin Lostman’sPinesarea(southof Loop Road),on themainlandportionof MonroeCounty(Bradleyet al. 2013). Thelargest populationis atLongPineKey within ENP inMiami-DadeCounty(HodgesandBradley2006; Gannet al. 2006). New occurrenceswithin ENP areexpectedto befound aswork continuesto establishthelimits of this species’habitatrequirements.Evergladesbully appearsto havea muchwider range thanpreviouslythought(Gannet al. 2006).

Oneoccurrenceis locatedatLarry andPennyThompsonParkin theRichmondPinelands adjacentto theMetrozooin Miami-DadeCounty(Gannetal. 2002;PossleyandMcSweeney 2005). This plantoccursattheprivately-ownedPineRidgeSanctuaryin Miami-DadeCounty andpossiblyat afew non-protected pinelands,suchasGrantHammock(Gannet al. 2002). In 2007,Bradley(pers.comm.2007)reported smalloccurrencesin Miami-DadeCountyatthe following locations:Lucille Hammock,SouthDadeWetlands,NFC#P-300,andNFC#P-310. Morerecently,Possley(J.Possley,FTBG,pers.comm.201la) foundtwo plantsat QuailRoost Pineland,anareathatwasformerly very overgro~’n,but wastreatedfor manualhardwood reductionin 2007andthenburnedin 2009.

Possley(pers.comm.201Ib) reportedpopulationsfrom NavyWellsPinelandPreserve(fourplants) andSunnyPalmsPinelands(twoplants),bothareasareMiami-DadeCountyconservationlands.

61 Table 11:Extantoccurrencesof Evergladesbully (HodgesandBradley2006;Gannetal. 2006;K. Bradley,pers. comm. 2007;J. Possley,pers.comm.201Ia, 201Ib; J. Sadie,pers.comm. 2011;Bradleyet al.2013).

Site Owner County Estimated Threats abundance (sitespecificonly) LongPineKey,ENP NPS Miami-Dade 10K — lOOK Sealevelrise,exoticplants,fire suppression,hydrologic alterations Big CypressNational NPS Monroe 17 Sealevelrise,exoticplants,fire Preserve suppression,hydrologic alterations Larry andPenny Miami-Dade Miami-Dade Approx 73 Sealevelrise,exoticplants,fire ThompsonPark County suppression,hydrologic alterations NavyWells Pineland Miami-Dade Miami-Dade 4 Sealevelrise,exoticplants,fire Preserve County suppression,hydrologic alterations SunnyPalmsPineland Miami-Dade Miami-Dade 2 Sealevelrise,exoticplants,fire County suppression,hydrologic alterations PineRidgeSanctuary private Miami-Dade Unknown Sealevelrise,development,fire suppression,exoticplants Lucille Hammock Miami-Dade Miami-Dade 11- 100 Sealevelrise,exoticplants,fire County suppression South DadeWetlands Partiallyacquired Miami-Dade Unknown Sealevelrise,exoticplants,fire by Miami-Dade suppression County NFC#P-300 private Miami-Dade 2- 10 Sealevelrise,development,fire suppression,_exotic_plants

NFC#P-310 private Miami-Dade 1- 1100 Sealevelrise,development,fire suppression,_exotic_plants QuailRoostPineland Miami-DadeEEL Miami-Dade 2 Sealevelrise,fire suppression, Preserve exoticplants

Florida bristle fern

Species/criticalhabitat description

TheFloridabristlefern is a verysmall,mat-formingfern, superficiallyresemblingsome liverwort species.WunderlinandHansen(2000)describedit as“Stemlong-creeping,mat forming,thetrichomes(hair-likeor bristlelikeoutgrowth)brownishblack,of 2 types,2-celled glandularandelongaterhizoidlike ones;rootsabsent.Leavesseparated,thepetiole0.1-2 cm long,usuallyshorterthantheblade,pubescent above andbelowwith trichomeslike thoseof the stembut shorter,with stellate(star-shaped)trichomesfew anddistalonthewingedupperpart, thebladeflabellate(fan-shaped), round,narrowlyoblanceolateto nearly linear,entireor irregularlylobedat theapex,0.5-2 cmlong,0.2-1.1cm wide,themidrib wantingor lessthanhalf thebladelength,the apexroundedto obtuse,thebasenarrowlycuneate(wedge-shaped),the marginentireto irregularlyandflabellatelylobed, lobesoblongandblunt to obscurelydeltoid, frequentlyresemblingproliferousoutgrowthsdistally,with marginalblackstellatetrichomes, with 2-celled glandulartrichomesontheveins,false veinsfew, thetrueveinsnot enlargedat

62 their apex. Involucres(acup-shapedstructurewhichhouses thespore-bearingorgans)1.5-2mm long, 1-6atthebladeapex,immersedfor half or moreof theirlengthto fully so,thelips distinct from thebladetissue,inconspicuouslydark-margined,thereceptacleincludedor exsertedto less than abouthalf theinvolucrelength.”

Life history

Floridabristlefern is alwaysassociatedwith shadedlimestoneoutcrops.Plantsusuallygrowon barelimestone,but areoccasionallyfound ontreerootsgrowingonlimestone.In Miami-Dade County,it hasbeenfoundexclusivelyin oolitic (composedof minuteroundedconcretions resemblingfish eggs)limestonesolutionholesandrocky outcropsin rocklandhammocks. Solutionholesareformedby dissolutionof subsurfacelimestonefollowedby acollapseabove (Snyderet al. 1990).Solutionholesvary insize,from shallowholeslessthan0.5m (1.6ft) deep to thosethatcoverover 100m2(1,076ft2)andareseveralmetersdeep.Thebottomsof most solutionholesarefilled with deeporganicsoils. Deepersolutionholespenetratethewatertable and have(at leasthistorically)standingwaterfor partof theyear. Humidity levelsarehigherin andaroundthesolutionholesbecauseof standing waterandmoistureretainedin theorganicsoils.

The canopycoveris typicallyverydensewhereFloridabristlefernoccurs,andconsistsof a mix of temperateandtropicalhardwoodtreesincludinglancewood(Ocoteacoriacea),pigeonplum (Coccolobadivers~fo1ia),live oak,paradisetree(Simaroubaglauca),stranglerfig (Ficusaurea), andmastic(Sideroxylonfoetidissimum) (K.Bradley,pers.comm.2007). Many tropical, epipetricplantspeciesareassociatedwith solutionholesin rocklandhammocks.Soilsatthe Miami-DadeCountysitesareclassifiedasMatecumbeMuck (http://www.fgdl.org/). In Sumter

County,theplantsoccurin a mesic/hydrichammockon limestoneboulders1 - 2 m (3.3 - 6.6ft) tall, undera canopyof live oak,cabbagepalm,andAmericanhornbeam(Carpinuscaroliniana) (C. Werner,pers.comm.2007). Floridabristlefern growsonboulderswith tall, horizontalfaces with otherrarefernspecies(e.g.,hemlockspleenwort[Aspleniurn cristatunz],andwidespread polypody[Peclumadispersal). Thehammockswhereit hasbeenfoundaresurrounded bya mosaicof wetlands. SoilsattheSumterCountystationareclassifiedasMabelFineSand, boulderysubsurface(http://www.fgdl.org/).

Little is knownaboutthelife historyof this taxon, orfor membersof thegenusin general.Like all ferns,Floridabristlefern hastwo life historystages,a gametophytestageanda sporophyte stage.All populationsthathavebeenreportedhavebeenin thesporophytestage.Theinitial stage,aftera sporegerminates,is thegametophytestage.Thegametophyte containsseparate spermandeggproducingstructures.In the presenceof wateror moisture,spermreach theeggs for fertilization. Fertilizedeggs,undertheproperconditions,developinto sporophytes— the typical form mostfernsareobservedin. The sporophytes producesporeswhich in turncan germinateto producenewgametophytes(Nelson2000). Reproductionmayalsooccurin two otherways. Plantsmay reproduceby division, whenrhizomesbreak,forming clonesof the parentplant. Theymayalsoreproducewith theproductionof gemmae,propagulesproducedby gametophytes,whichcangrowinto newgametophytesof thesamegenotype(Hill 2003).

63 Sporeshavebeenrecordedin October(J.Possley,pers.comm.2007),butplantsprobably producesporesduringmuchof thesummer wetseason.During thedry season,sporophyteshave beenobservedto desiccate,andprobablydonotproducespores.ForFloridabristlefern,the reproductiverequirements,suchasmoisturelevels,neededfor each stageof its life historyare unknown. Dataareneededon longevity,growthrates,recruitmentrates,dispersal methods,and geneticvariation.

Population dynamics

BecauseFlorida bristlefern growsin densematsandis rhizomatous,it is difficult, if not impossible,to accurately countindividualplants. This difficulty hasbeenencounteredin other Trichomanes species,suchasAppalachian bristlefern (Trichomanes boscianum) (Hill 2003). In Miami-DadeCountythetaxonoccursatfour sitesin eightsolutionholesandseveralsmaller holesandrockyoutcroppings(J.Possley,pers.comm.2008,2011). Possleyhasestimatedthat individualcoloniescoverfrom 30cm2(4.7squareinches)to a maximumof 400cm2(62square inches)on thewalls of solutionholes. Thetotal areacovered bythecoloniesattheeightsolution holesis roughly 1620cm2(251.1squareinches).Thereareprobablylessthan500totalplants, andmanyplantsmaybegeneticallyidentical,sincenew plantscanarisefrom brokenrhizomes (Possley,pers.comm.2011). In SumterCounty,thesinglesmallcolonygrowsonfive or six bouldersandcoversapproximately0.3 m2(3.0ft2)(C. Werner,pers.comm.2007). Thereare probably fewerthan 1,000total plantsin existence,but this maybea largeoverestimateof the actualnumber(K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007).

Statusand distribution

FNAI considerstheStatestatusof theFloridabristlefern to beSi, “critically imperiledin Floridabecauseof extremerarity (five or feweroccurrencesor lessthan1000individuals)or becauseof extremevulnerabilityto extinctiondueto somenaturalor man-madefactor” (FNAI 2011). NatureServe (2010)gives itsglobalshort-term trendasdecliningwith aroundedglobal statusof Ti, critically imperiled,due toextremerarity andthreatsfrom drainage,conversionof habitat,andexoticplants. The IRC considersits statusas“critically imperiled”(Gannet al. 2001-2008).TheFloridabristlefern is listedasendangeredby theState.

HistoricalRange/Distribution:Thehistoricalrangeof Floridabristlefern includedsouthern (Miami-DadeCounty)andcentral (Sumter County)Florida. In Miami-DadeCountyit occurred historicallyin atleast12hammocks(Castellow,Cox,Fuchs,HattieBauer,Meissner,Modello area,Nixon-Lewis,Ross,RoyalPalm, Shields,SilverPalm,SnapperCreekarea)(Gannet al. 2002). Therangeextendedfrom RoyalPalmHammock (nowin ENP)atits southernlimit, north to atleast SnapperCreek,andpossiblyfurthernorthinto theMiami area(Oannet al. 2002). This is arangeof atleast 45km (28 mi).

JohnKunkelSmall called attentionto thedemiseof this taxonbecauseof habitatdestructionin 1938(Small 1938). Sitesthathavebeendestroyedincludea station (studylocation)near the City of Miami, theSnapperCreekarea,ahammocknearModello (in southernMiami-Dade Countyneartheintersectionof U.S.I andS.W.288Street), ShieldsHammock,andahammock nearLongviewCamp(betweenFloridaCity andENP). Someother hammocksstill existwhere

64 thetaxonformerly occurred.TheseincludeCox Hammock(privately-ownedMonkeyJungle touristattraction)whereit waslastseenin 1989,Silver PalmHammock(preserveowned by Miami-DadeCounty)whereit waslastseenaround1980,Nixon-LewisHammock (privately- owned,disturbed,andmostlydestroyed)whereit wascollected in1915,andRoyalPalm Hammock(in ENP)whereit waslastreported in1917or earlier(Gannet al. 2002). It hasalso beenreportedfor theDeeringEstateat CutlerandMathesonHammockPark,bothMiami-Dade CountyParks,but thesereportswereneverconfirmed(Gannet al. 2002).

In SumterCounty,Florida bristlefern hasbeendocumentedto occuronly in a smallarea (WunderlinandHansen2000).All of theknown collectionsarefrom thevicinity of thetownof Wahoo. However,mostherbariumlabeldataareimprecise.Essentially allverified collections havebeenmadefrom theareajust northof Wahoo,which is eastof theWithlacoocheeRiver. Theonly knownpopulationin SumterCountystill occurs in thisareaandis approximately2 km (1.2mi) northof Wahoo.

Two specimenshavelabeldatathatindicatethatthespecimenswerenot collected northof Wahoo,but thelabeldataonbothof thesearesuspect.Onespecimenin 1963,Lakela#26474 (Universityof SouthFloridaherbarium),wascollectedat“IndianField Ledgeswestof WithlacoocheeRiver off #48.” If this labeldataarecorrect,thisstationwasabout6.0-6.5 km (3.7—4.0mi) to thewestof Wahoo. Thestatement thatit waswestof theriver maybein error, asDarling (1961)statedthattheIndianField Ledgesarenorthof Wahoo,a locality eastof the river. Anotherspecimencollectedin 1939(threeyearsafterits discoveryin Florida,whenit was thoughtto be T.sphenoides)hasthelabeldata“southof Floral City,FL. This is theonly known stationin theUnitedStates.”It wascollectedby J.B.Mcfarlin (FloridaStateUniversity herbarium).Wahoois approximately11.3km (7.0mi) southeastof Floral City. The labeldata maybeincorrectandprobably referto thepopulationin theWahooarea.Becauseof thenew reportof thetaxonfrom thatarea,McFarlin probablycollectedatthesamelocality wherethe taxonwasfound in 1936 andincorrectlyrecordedthedirectionfrom Floral City assouthinstead of southeast.Thespecimenhasled to reportsof thetaxonin Citrus County(Wherry 1964; Nelson2000).

CurrentRange!Distribution: Therearecurrentlyfive, andpossiblysix, extantoccurrencesof Floridabristlefern (Gannet al. 2002),four in Miami-DadeCountyandtwo in SumterCounty (Table 12). The SumterCountyoccurrencesareapproximately400km (249mi) northof those in Miami-DadeCounty.

In Miami-DadeCounty,Floridabristlefern is knownfrom MeissnerHammockin two solution holes(K. Bradley,pers.comm.2009),from FuchsHammockPreservein threesolutionholes, andfrom Castellow HammockParkin two largesolutionholesandseveralsmallerholesand rocky outcroppings(J.Possley,pers.comm.2008).FuchsandMeissnerHammocksare immediatelyadjacentto eachother,andCastellow HammockParkis 10.5km (6.5mi) to the northeast.During 2011,eight smallpatchesof Floridabristlefern werere-discoveredatHattie BauerHammock. Sevenof the thesepatchesoccurredwithin a singlesolutionhole,theeighth patchwasfounda few metersawayfrom theholeJ. Possley(pers.comm. 2011).HattieBauer

65 Hammockis 2.5mi southof Castellow Hammockandapproximately5 mi northeastof Fuchs andMeissner Hammocks.In SumterCounty,it is knownfrom onecolonyin theWithiacoochee StateForest’s Jumper Creek Tract, northof Wahoo. Anotheroccurrenceconsistingof two coloniesonprivatelandjust southof theStateForestmaybeextirpated.

While nocomprehensivestatussurveyhasbeenconducted,rocklandhammocksin Miami-Dade Countywith suitable habitathavebeenextensively explored,includingsiteswhereit was formerlyfound. It is unlikely thatadditionalsurveyswill revealnewoccurrencesin Miami-Dade County. However,it is possibleFloridabristlefern occursatsomeof thehammocksor hammockfragments that remain intact.It is possiblethreeor four hammocksmaybesufficiently intactto supportthespecies(K. Bradley,pers.comm.2009). Attemptsto relocatethetaxonin RoyalPalmHammockin ENPhavenotbeensuccessful(Gannet al. 2006;J. Sadie,ENP,pers. comm.2008a),andadditionalsurveystherearenotexpectedto besuccessful(J.SadIe, pers. comm.2008b). It could notbefoundin surveysof Silver PalmHammockin thelate 1990sand early2000s(Gannet al. 2002). It couldnotbefoundin Nixon-LewisHammockin 2004, although what remainsof thehammockis sodisturbedthatfinding it wasextremelyunlikely (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007). Extensivesurveys havenot beenundertakenatCoxHammock,and the speciesmaypersistthere(K. Bradley,pers.comm. 2008).

Also, newlocationscouldbeencounteredin SumterCounty. Thesoil typeof theknown occurrencein SumterCountycovers 3,652ac(1,478ha),andtheseareashavenotbeen systematicallysurveyed.In August2007,aboulderfield in theWithlachoocheeStateForest’s Jumper CreekTractcalledtheIndianFieldswasexploredwithout success(C.Werner,pers. comm.2007). Thehammocksin thevicinity oftheknown colonyhavealsobeensearched without finding additionalcolonies(C. Werner,pers.comm.2007). A systematicsurveyof all potentialandsuitablehabitatin andaroundSumterCountyis needed.

Table 12: Summaryof known,extantoccurrencesof Floridabristlefern. Dataarefrom Gannetal. (2002),K. Bradley(pers.comm.2009),andJ. Possley(pers.comm.2008,2011).

Cotuitj Location Ownaiship Nof colonies Status Miami- MeissnerHammock’ Public 2 Extant Dade FuchsHammockPreserve2 Public 3 Extant CastellowHammockPark2 Public 2÷ Extant HattieBauerHammock4 Public 1 Extant Sumter WithlacoocheeStateForestsJumperCreek TractS Public 1 Extant Privateland southofJumperCreekTract° Private 2 Unknown

ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE

Statusof the species/criticalhabitat within the action area

Floridabonneted bat— TheFloridabonnetedbatappearsto berestrictedto southandsouthwest Florida. Thecorerange mayprimarily consistof habitatwithin Charlotte,Lee,Collier, Monroe, andMiami-DadeCounties.Recentdataalsoconfirmuseof portionsof OkeechobeeandPolk countiesandpossibleuseof areaswithin GladesCounty. Within theactionareain Miami-Dade County,theFloridabonnetedbathasbeendocumentedattheRichmondPinelands(Larry and PennyThompsonMemorial ParkandtheMiami Metrozoo). Thespecieshasbeendocumented

66 attheMiami Metrozoowithin anurbanpublic park(Ridgley2012;MarksandMarks2012). A deadspecimenwasfoundon theMiami MetrozoogroundsattheAsianElephantbarnin 2004 (MarksandMarks2008a).Miami-DadeCountybiologistsobservedsevenbatssimilar in size to Floridabonnetedbats andheardchatteratthecorrectfrequencyafew yearsago,but wereunable to obtaindefinitive recordings(S.Thompson,Miami-DadeParkandRecreation Department, pers.comm.2010)until a singlecall wasrecordedby FloridaBat Conservancy outsidethesame enclosurein September2011(Ridgley2012;MarksandMarks2012). Floridabonnetedbatcalls havealso beenrecordedatLarry andPennyThompsonMemorialPark(F.Ridgley,pers.comm. 2013).Thenumberandstatusof thebonnetedbatateachlocationin theactionareaisunknown.The populationisestimatedtobein hundredsto low thousands(MarksandMarks2008a;FWC2011).

Easternindigo snake— Becauseeasternindigo snakesarethoughtto bewidely distributedin southFlorida,it is probablethat theyoccurwithin theactionarea.Giventheirpreferencefor uplandhabitats,easternindigosnakesarenotfoundin greatnumbersin thewetlandcomplexes of theEverglades region,eventhoughtheyarefoundin pinelands,tropicalhardwoodhammocks, andmangroveforestsin extremeSouthFlorida(Steineret al. 1983). Easternindigo snakesare habitatgeneralists; theywill useeverythingfrom thepristineuplandsandwetlandsto highly disturbed residentialareas(Bolt 2006). Even thoughtheactionarea isin southFloridawhere gophertortoise burrowsarenot widespread,easternindigo snakeswill usea varietyof den sites, suchasotherholes orburrows,treestumps,root masses,andpilesof yardor constructiondebris (Bolt 2006).

Reptilesurveys wereconductedin pinerocklandhabitatin six countyparksin Miami-Dade Countyin 1996-97andin 2001,but no easternindigosnakesweredetected(Engeet al. 2004). Engeet al. (2004)statedtheseparksmaynot havesupportedthepreybaseneededfor large snakes.Easternindigosnakeswerereportedfrom pinelandhabitatin Long PineKey,ENP (Dalrympleet al. 1991). Staff attheMiami Metrozoohaveobservedoneeasternindigo snakein theproperty’sundevelopedpinelandswithin thelast 10years(Conners 2002,ascitedin Engeet al. 2004). Becausetheyhavebeenreportedin pinerocklandhabitatin southFlorida andthe habitatis suitable,easternindigo snakesareexpectedto occurwithin theactionarea.

Bartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly — TheBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly is currently known to occuratLongPineKey within ENPaswell asseveralof thelarger pinerockland fragmentsoutsideENPincludingNavyWells PinelandPreserve,CampOwaissaBauer,andthe RichmondPinelands(Larry andPennyThompsonPark,MartinezPineland,andtheMiami Metrozoo),all within theproposedactionareaassociatedwith theFWC project(Salvatoand Hennessey2004; Salvato, Service,pers. obs.2008). Critical habitatis proposedwithin theaction areafor theFWC projectin theRichmondPinelands(Miami Metrozoo,Larry andPenny Thompson,Luis B. Martinez),NavyWells,Nixon SmileyPineland,BoystownPineland,Camp OwaissaBauer,QuailRoostPineland,SunnyPalmsPineland,TamiamiPinelandComplex Addition, FloridaCity Pineland,Navy WellsPineland#39,PalmDrive Pineland,Fuchs HammockAddition, OwaissaBauerAddition, andSilver PalmGroves.

67 Florida leafwingbutterfly — TheFlorida leafwingbutterfly is currentlyknownto occuronly at LongPineKey within ENPin Miami-DadeCounty(SalvatoandHennessey2003;Salvato, Service,pers.obs.2008). Until recentlythespecieswas alsoknownto occurin severalpine rocklandfragments outsideof ENP,aswell thelower FloridaKeys(SalvatoandHennessey 2003). However,SalvatoandHennessey(2003)andSalvato(pers.comm. 2008)havegenerally failed to observetheFlorida leafwingbutterflyin theseor otherrelict (survivingremnant)pine rocklandareasoutside ENP.During June2007,oneadultleafwingwasobservedwithin Navy Wells within theproposedactionareaassociatedwith theFWC project(Salvato,pers.comm. 2008);however,noevidenceof larval activitywasencounteredsuggestingthisobservationwasa stray occurrence.addition, In noleafwinghavebeenrecorded outsideof ENPsincethattime. BreedingFloridaleafwingbutterfly populationshavenot beendocumentedin pinerockland fragmentsadjacentto ENPfor the past25years.Critical habitatis proposedwithin theaction areafor theFWC projectin theRichmondPinelands(Miami Metrozoo,LarryandPenny Thompson,Luis B. Martinez)and ontheNavyWells site.

Crenulatelead-plant— Thecurrentrangeof this species,limited to four naturalsitesand two introducedsites,is almostfully containedwithin theactionarea.Thesitesin theaction proposedfor management thatcontainnaturalpopulationsof theplant areA.D. BarnesPark (22 ac), andTropicalPark(5 ac). Therewere208plantsrecordedatA.D. BarnesParkand 130plants recordedin TropicalParkin 2012surveys(Maschinskiet al. 2012). Thesearethe two largest naturalpopulations.R. HardyMatheson,alsoproposedfor managementin theFWC project,containedoneof thefour naturalpopulations,but themostrecentsurveyin 2010found no plants(Maschinskiet al. 2012). Theonly othernaturalpopulationof thisspecies,atCoral PinesPark,is verysmall(5 plants;Maschinskiet al. 2012),but is not proposedfor management in theseprojects. TheDeeringEstate,whereoneof theintroducedpopulationsresides (67plants in 2011;Maschinskiet al. 2011),is proposedfor managementin theFWC project(up to137ac). TheotherintroducedpopulationatLuis MartinezArmy Reservein theRichmondPinelands (215plantsin 2012;Maschinskiet al. 2012)is alsopartof theactionarea.

Blodgett’ssilverbush— Thecurrentrangefor Blodgett’ssilverbushincludesMiami-DadeCounty andtheKeys. Accordingto datafrom IRC,theestimatedpopulationof Blodgett’ssilverbush in Miami-DadeCountyis 375-13,650plants(i.e.,total of low andhigh estimatesfrom loglO scale) (K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007); however,this maybeanoverestimateof theactualpopulation sizebecauseit wasbasedupona loglO scale.“Blodgett’s silverbushis currently knownfrom centralMiami-DadeCountyfrom CoralGables(latitude25° 43.45’) andsouthernMiami-Dade Countyto southwesternLongPineKey in ENP(latitude25° 24.2’). Therangein Miami-Dade Countyhascontractedapproximately12mi, all atthenorthernendof its range,theheaviest developedportionof Miami-DadeCounty”(BradleyandGann1999). Basedupon Hodgesand Bradley(2006)anddatafrom IR.C(K. Bradley,pers.comm. 2007),Blodgett’ssilverbushhas beenextirpatedfrom atleast10formersiteswithin Miami-DadeCounty. However,severalsites in theactionarearetainBlodgett’ssilverbushpopulations,including severalproposedfor managementassociatedwith theFWC project:CampOwaissaBauer,theDeeringEstate (populationpotentiallyextirpated),FuchsHammockAddition, RichmondPinelands(Larry and PennyThompsonParkandadjacentproperties), NedGlenn Pineland,andOwaissaBauer Addition.

68 Floridabrickell-bush— All of theextantsiteswhere thisspeciesis knownto occur(NavyWells, PineShore,QuailRoost,RichmondPinelands[Larry andPennyThompsonParkandMiami Metrozooj, RockdalePineland,RonEhmanPark,andWestBiscaynePineland)arewithin the actionareaof theFWCproject,aswell as2 of the 10sitesthatarepresumedextant(confirmed within thelast 10years;RichmondPinelands-MartinezandNixon SmileyPineland).Thereare alsothreeof five populationswherethehabitatremainsextantbut thespeciesstatus waslast confirmed 10to 15yearsagothatarepartof theactionareain both projects (CampOwaissa Bauer, SWP,andTamiamiPinelandsComplexAddition). Themajorityof thepopulationis growingon theextantsitesreferencedabove.

Deltoidspurge— Deltoidspurgeis a Miami-DadeCountyendemicthatwashistoricallyknownto occurin pinerocklandsof theMiami rock ridgefrom theGouldsareanorthto thecenterof the city of Miami. Currentlythe speciesis knownto remainon 14public lands(12 County,1State,

1Federal)andanundetermined numberof privatelandsfrom southernMiami to Homestead (K. Bradley,IRC,pers.comm. 2010).Within theactionareaof theFWC project,it occurson thefollowing 10sites:Bill SadowskiPark,theDeeringEstate,Ludlum Pineland,NedGlenn Pineland,PineShore,QuailRoost,RichmondPinelands,RockdalePineland,RonEhmanPark, andTrinity Pineland.Thecurrentnumberof individualsin wild populationsis notknown.

Pinelandsandmat— Thepinelandsandmatis knownonly fromthesouthernportionof theMiami RockRidgein southernMiami-DadeCounty,Florida (Small 1933;LongandLakela1971; Wunderlin 1998),andsouththroughLong PineKey in ENP(BradleyandGann1999)wherethe majority of thepopulationresides(morethan 10,000plants). Most of theformerhabitatoutside of ENP hasbeenlost andonly smallremnantsremain. Within theactionareaof boththeFWC andFDACSprojects,pinelandsandmatoccurson theFloridaCity Pineland (100-1,000plants), Navy Wells (1,000-10,000 plants),PalmDrive Pineland (10-100 plants),RockPit #39 (11-100 plants),SWP(100-1,000plants),FuchsHammockAddition (11-100 plants),andSunnyPalms Pineland(100-1,000plants).

Garber’sspurge— Garber’sspurgeis currentlyknownfromabout17populations,including2 within Miami-DadeCounty:LongPineKey andtheDeeringEstateatCutler. Fire suppression historically hasbeenaproblemattheDeeringEstateatCutler.With a long intervalbetween fires, populationsof Garber’sspurgewill probablydeclinedueatleastin part to increasing hardwoodandpalmdensitiesandaccumulationsof leaf litter. TheDeeringEstateis oneof the sitesnow proposedfor habitatmanagementassociatedwith theFWCproject. Thissitecontains up to approximately137acthat mayreceive management treatment.At theDeeringEstate, DERM (1993)reportedapopulationsizeof 250-500plantsbasedon4 daysof searches specificallyfor this species.Herndon(2002) estimatedapopulationsizeof 600-6,000plants. In contrast,J. Possley(FTBG,pers.comm. 2007) estimatedthatonly 100-200plantswere present in 2004. However,neithertheHerndon norPossleyestimateswerebasedon thoroughsurveys. Thetotal rangewidepopulationsizehasnot yetbeendetermined.Numbersof individualsin populationsvarywidely. Somepopulationshavefewerthan20plants(e.g.,Crawl Key rock barren,CudjoeKey,KeyLargo,LowerMatecumbe Key).Two populationsareextremelylarge. OnNorthwestCape Sable(ENP),theremaybeover I million plants (Greenet al. 2007b).On Long PineKey (ENP),theremaybeover 100,000plants(Greenet al. 2007a).

69 Florida prairie-clover- Floridaprairie-cloveris currentlyknownfrom two occurrencesin Collier County,oneoccurrencein MonroeCounty,andsevenoccurrences inMiami-DadeCounty. The speciesis presentattheDeeringEstateandR. HardyMathesonPreservewithin theactionarea (BradleyandGann1999;datafrom IRC [K.Bradley,pers.comm.2007];datafrom FNAI [A. Jenkins,pers.comm.2007];anddatafrom FTBG [J. Maschinski,pers.comm.2007]). These two occurrencesrepresentapproximately550to 700plants. Overall,thepopulationattheR. HardyMathesonPreservewaspreviouslydeclining,likely due tofire suppressionfor decades (PossleyandMaschinski2009). However,thepopulationreboundedto 50to 200 plantsin 2010, apparentlyasaresultof managersrakingawaypinestrawandusingastringtrimmer(weed eater)oncompetingplantsin theimmediatearea(J.Possley,pers.comm. 2011).

Floridapinelandcrabgrass— Floridapinelandcrabgrassis currentlyknownfrom theLongPine Key areaof ENPandBCNP (BradleyandGann1999;Gannetal. 2006). BradleyandGann (1999)indicatedthatthis speciesoccurredin anarea“stretchingfrom near theparkentrance(Just eastof LongPineKey), southwestto theMahoganyHammockturnoff atthewesternendof Long PineKey,” anareaof about31mi2(8,000ha). Floridapinelandcrabgrassappearsto havea muchwiderrangethanpreviouslythought(Gannet al. 2006)andongoingstudieswithin the actionareaareexpectedto find additional populations.No populationsareknownto occurin the proposedprojectsites;howeverongoingsurveysmayfind additionallocationsfor thespecies within theactionarea.

Small’smilkpea—Small’smilkpeais foundin theRedlandregionandafew sitesatthesouthern endof theBiscayneregionin Miami-DadeCounty(O’Brien 1998).Themostcurrentassessment of NFCsin Miami-DadeCountyrecordedthespecieson 8 public sitesand 15privatesites(IRC 2006;Bradley2009,20lOa). Within theactionareaof both theFWC andFDACSprojects,it is foundonNavyWells (dataunavailable),Ingram Pineland (11-100plants), SWP(data unavailable),PalmDrive Pineland(11-100plants),SunnyPalmsPineland(100-1,000 plants), andRock Pit#39 (11-100plants).

Sandflax - Sandflax is currentlyknownfrom four occurrencesin theKeysandsix occurrences in Miami-DadeCounty (Bradley2006;K. Bradley,pers.comm.2007,2011). In1996, the species’mainlandrangewasfromjust northof SW 184Street southto SW288Streetandwest to SW264 Streetand 177Avenue;adistanceof approximately11.5mi (18.5km) northeastto southwest(KernanandBradley1996).Thegeographicrangeonthemainlandhascontracted approximately61percent(KernanandBradley1996). This speciesis presentatseveralsites within theactionarea(Bradleyand Gann1999;HodgesandBradley2006;K. Bradley,pers. comm.2007),including theRichmondPinelands(Luis B. MartinezU.S.Army ReserveStation), CampOwaissaBauer,andOwaissaBauerAddition. Theseareall populationsof 100or fewer plants,comparedto thepopulationattheHomesteadAir ReserveBaseandadjacentland in Miami-DadeCountywhich is estimatedto beapproximately74,000plants.

Carter’ssmall-floweredflax — Carter’ssmall-floweredflax wasrecentlyfoundat sevenlocations containingapproximately1,313individuals;populationsrangedin sizefrom a singleplantto 700plants,with amedianof 18plants(BradleyandvanderHeiden2013). Fourof the populationsoccurnearthenorthendof thevariety’srange(nearR. HardyMathesonPreserve) 70 andthreeoccurnearthesouthend(near CampOwaissaBauer),with anapproximately16km (10 mi) gapbetweentheclosestpopulationsof thesegroups.Within theactionareafor theFWC project,thisvarietyoccurson theOwaissaBauerAddition (11-100plants),R. HardyMatheson (101-1,000plants),andtheRockdalePineland(101-1,000plants). R. HardyMathesonandthe RockdalePinelandappear tocontaintwo of thethreelargestoccurrencesof the subspecies.

Tiny polygala— Thespeciescurrentrangeencompassesareasin four counties,including Miami- DadeCounty(Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010). Within Miami-DadeCountytiny polygalaoccursentirelyonprotectedsites,severalof which aremanagedby Miami-DadeCounty andaresitesproposedfor habitatmanagementassociatedwith theFWCproject. The largestsite (not thelargestpopulation)is thepublicly-ownedpinelandatTheDeeringEstateatCutler, followed by theMiami Metrozoo portionof theCounty-ownedpinelandatRichmondandthe adjacentU.S.CoastGuardpropertyatRichmond. TheCoastGuardsitecontainsthelargest populationof plants(Maschinskiet al. 2008;Maschinski2010). TheDeeringEstateand RichmondPinelands(Metrozoo)aretwo of the sitesproposedfor habitatmanagementassociated with theFWCproject.Thesesitescontainupto approximately691acthatmayreceive managementtreatment.Additionally,managementis proposedonthePineShoresite(8 ac)where this speciesoccursandtheLudlumPineland(10ac)wherethespecieswaspreviouslydocumented.

Evergladesbully — Evergladesbully is extantat 11sitesin MonroeandMiami-DadeCounties (Bradleyet al. 2013). This subspeciesoccurswithin theactionareafor theFWC projectin the RichmondPinelandsatLarry andPennyThompsonParkadjacentto theMetrozoo(73 plants; Gannet al. 2002;PossleyandMcSweeney2005). Possley(J.Possley,FTBG,pers.comm. 201la) foundtwo plantsatQuail Roost Pineland,anareathatwasformerlyveryovergrown,but wastreatedfor manualhardwood reductionin 2007andthenburnedin 2009. This siteis also within theactionareafor theFWC projectfor receiving additionaltreatment.Possley(pers. comm.201ib) reportedpopulationsfrom NavyWells PinelandPreserve(four plants)andSunny PalmsPinelands(two plants); bothareasareMiami-DadeCountyconservationlandsandwithin the actionareafor theFWC project.

Floridabristlefern — Therearecurrentlyfive, andpossiblysix, extantoccurrencesof Florida bristle fern (Gannet al. 2002),four in Miami-DadeCountyandtwo in SumterCounty. Within theactionareafor theFWC projectin Miami-DadeCounty,Floridabristlefern is known from FuchsHammockPreservein threesolutionholes(J.Possley,pers.comm. 2008).While no comprehensivestatussurveyhasbeenconducted,rockiandhammocksin Miami-DadeCounty with suitable habitathavebeenextensivelyexplored,includingsiteswhereit wasformerly found. It is unlikely thatadditionalsurveyswill revealnew occurrencesin Miami-DadeCounty. However,it is possiblethatFloridabristlefern occursat someof thehammocksor hammock fragments thatremainintact. It is possiblethatthreeor four hammocksmaybesufficiently intact to supportthespecies(K. Bradley,pers.comm.2009).

Factors affecting the specieshabitat within the action area

The actionareacontainsappropriatehabitatfor listedandcandidateplants,bats,butterflies,and easternindigosnakes.However,therapid urbanizationof Miami-DadeCountyhasresultedin the virtual eliminationof extensive pine rocklands,thepreferredhabitatfor severallisted and

71 candidatespecies.BasedonIRC surveys,pinerocklandhabitat inurbanMiami-DadeCounty hasbeenreducedto about1.8percentof its naturalextent. Of theoriginal 127,000ac,only 2,273acof largelyfragmentedpinerocklandsremainthroughoutMiami-DadeCounty,outsideof ENP. Theprimaryfactorsnow affectinglistedandcandidate plantswithin pinerockland fragmentsareexoticsandnaturalfire suppression.Altogether,79 speciesof naturalizedexotic plantshavebeenrecordedin pinerocklands,themostproblematicbeingBurmareedand Brazilianpepper.Pinerocklandsaredependantonnaturalfires to maintainscrubandherb layers aswell asto preventsuccession.Without naturalfires or adequateprescribedburns,pine rocklandscanbereplacedby hardwoodhammockandinvasive plantspecies.Pinelandcroton, theplantonwhichbothproposedendangeredbutterfliesdependfor reproduction,is quickly out- competedby exoticplants orreducedin pinerocklands whenfire is restricted.

Many of theseremainingpine rocklandsandpinerockland-containingdisturbedareassuchas parks,pastures,andvacantlots aregeographicallydistinctand,therefore,donotprovide contiguous habitatfor thesnake,bat, listedandcandidateplants,andbutterflies. Theyare fragmentedby highly urbanizedandsuburbanareasmakingit difficult to managetheseparcels anddifficult for snakesor butterfliesto movefrom oneareato another.Breedingandforaging opportunitiesmaybelimited. In wildland urbaninterfaceareas,residentialhousingis alsoa threatto easternindigo snakesbecauseit increasesthelikelihood of snakesbeingkilled by propertyownersanddomesticpets. Collectingpressuremayaffectsomeof thespecies onpublic lands. Otherfactorsaffectingthespecieswithin theactionareaincludeanotherongoing federally-fundedrestorationprojectfor privately-ownedpine rocklandsthatwill benefitthe species.

EFFECTS OF THE ACTION

This sectionincludesananalysisof thedirectandindirecteffectsof theproposedactionon the speciesand/orcritical habitatandits interrelatedandinterdependentactivities. This projectwill restoredegradedhabitat,improvehabitat conditionsfor listed andcandidatespecies,and reintroduceandestablish newpopulationsof candidateandlistedplantsin pinerocklands. However,someremainingadverseeffectswill occurto thecoveredspeciesasdescribedbelow. This projectis expectedto havelong-termbeneficialeffectsfor theFloridabonnetedbat,eastern indigo snake,Bartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly,Florida leafwing butterfly,crenulatelead plant,Blodgett’ssilverbush,Floridabrickell-bush,deltoidspurge,pinelandsandmat,Garber’s spurge,Floridaprairie-clover, Floridapinelandcrabgrass,Small’s milkpea,sandflax, Carter’s small-floweredflax, tiny polygala,Evergladesbully, andFloridabristlefern.

Factors to be considered

Physicaldisturbance(includingnoise) All of thecoveredactions,eitherdirectlyor indirectly,havethepotentialto producesome additionallevel of physicaldisturbancebecausetheyinvolve thephysicalpresenceof humans and/orassociatedequipment,vehicles ormachinery.Although effectsarenot quantitatively known,theliteraturesuggestssomeform of physicaleffectsfrom presenceandassociatednoise will createa disturbanceresponseto individualsof eachof thecoveredspecies.

72 Theneteffectof thephysicaldisturbanceincludingsustainedsourcesof noisemaybealocalized reductionof survivalor productivity,avoidanceof otherwisesuitablehabitat, and/orreductionof breedingfrequency.Theseeffectsareexpectedto rarelyoccurandarenot expectedto produce substantialchangesin speciesdistributionandabundance.However,somesmalllevel of mortalityis expected.

Temporarysoil disturbanceandvegetationremoval Temporarysoil disturbanceandvegetationremovalareexpectedfrom theimplementationof prescribedfire activities. This disturbancemayresultin lossor temporarychangein habitat conditionsfor thecoveredspecies.Sourcesof thedisturbancewould includeuseof equipment (tractors,andothermachinery)aswell aspractices thatinvolvemanipulationof vegetation(e.g., fire breakinstallation,mechanical treatment,andprescribedburning). Thegrounddisturbance mayinvolve minorsurfacedisturbancesuchastracked vehiclesor tires. Commonpotential adverseeffectsidentifiedby theServiceincludeshorttermdegradationof habitatconditionsand thepotentialfor increasedhabitatfragmentationif the scaleof thedisturbanceis largeenough andthepotentialto createopportunitiesfor colonizationof thesedisturbedsitesby invasiveplants.

Temporaryadverseeffectsonindividualscanincludeincreasedlevelsof stresshormones,increased recessesduringincubation(i.e.,mayincreasedetectionby predatorsandpredation risk),or disturbance/flushingof young.If theserisksarerealized,individualfitnessis reducedandmay havepopulationlevel effectsif disturbanceis overabroadenough spatialor temporalscale.

Permanentremoval/lossof suitablehabitat This adverseeffectis aresultof permanentremovalof habitatconditionsandspecificvegetative losscausedby theproposedactionsor theexpectationthat,onceimplemented,permanent degradationof habitatconditionsfor anyof thecoveredspecieswill haveresulted.

Theprimaryadverseeffectis thepermanentlossof habitatwhichcanleadto a subsequent decline inpopulationsof thecoveredspecies.However,anypermanentlossof habitatis expectedto besmallin scaleandwill not substantiallyaffectpopulationtrendsor resultin quantifiableadditionalhabitatfragmentationeffects.

Increasedpotentialof accidentalmortality to individuals Proposed actions mayincludeaccidentalmortalityfrom collisionswith vehiclesor, in thecaseof plants,lossof individual plantsdueto crushingor asaresultof vegetativemanipulation. Prescribedburningcouldpotentiallycausemortalityor injury to listedspecies.Accidentalinjury or mortality of individual membersof thecoveredspeciesmayoccurif theburn is conducted duringthenestingor brood-rearingseasons.Fires thatburntoo fastor hot maynot provide individualsseekingrefuge/cover,time to escape,causingmortality. While fire may“top kill” coveredplant species,theseplantsarefire adaptedandhavevariousstrategiesfor respondingto fire events,includingvigorousre-sproutingfrom rootsstockor seedbanks. A temporary reductionof habitatmayoccurandpersistuntil thehabitatrecovers.In almost allcases,recovery of habitatis rapidwith improvementin habitatconditions resultingin a netconservationbenefit for both plantsandanimals.Conversely, inthe absenceof fire, habitatwill degradeandreacha point whereconditionsareno longer suitablefor thecoveredspeciesresultingin anoverallloss of populationnumbers. 73 Increasedpotentialfor predation Certainproposedactions mayincreasethepotentialfor predationonindividualsthroughthe modificationof existinghabitat conditions.Theaffectedactionsincludethosethatinvolve habitat manipulations. Forexample,somepracticesmaycreatehabitatfor raptorperching.In addition,somepracticeswill temporarilyreduceavailablecoverandfood sources,makingthe coveredspeciesmorevulnerableto predation.

Speciesresponseto the proposed actions

Floridabonnetedbat TheFloridabonnetedbatis knownto foragealongwetlandsandopenwaterandroostwithin pineflatwoodsandotherhabitats.This speciesis endangered.Specificnatural roostsitesare unknown. Potential effectsto Floridabonnetedbatsdue totheproposedactionincludea number of directandindirecteffectson thebatandits habitat. Potential directeffectsto thebator its habitatinclude:(1) directmortalityfrom fireor other proposedactivities;(2)harassmentby proposedactivities;and (3)destructionof roostingsites. Potentialindirecteffectsinclude beneficiallong-termimprovementsin habitatquality. Batsmaybedisturbedby fire pre treatmentandherbicideapplication.Becauseit is thoughttheyroostin treehollowsandin foliageof palmtrees,batsmaybeinjuredor killed duringprescribedfire or fire-relatedactivities.

Habitatloss andalterationin forestedandurbanareasaresubstantialthreatsto theFlorida bonnetedbat(Belwood1992;NatureServe2009). Innaturalareas,this speciesmaybeimpacted whenforestsareconvertedto otherusesor whenold treeswith cavitiesareremoved(Belwood 1992;NatureServe 2009).In urbansettings,this speciesmaybeimpactedwhenbuildingswith suitableroostsaredemolished(Robson1989;NatureServe 2009) orwhenstructuresaremodified to excludebats. Smallpopulationsize,restrictedrange,low fecundity,andfew andisolated occurrencesareconsiderableon-goingthreats.This speciesis alsovulnerableto prolonged extremecold weatherevents.Thecoldspellexperiencedin Floridain early2010 mayhave causedadeclinein theFloridabonnetedbatpopulation. A colonyin LeeCountyonceincluded approximately20 to 24 individualsin two houses(S.Trokey,pers.comm.2008a,2008b),but only 9 remainedaftertheprolonged coldtemperaturesin early2010(5. Trokey,pers.comm. 2010a,2010b).

Easternindigo snake Fire crewmemberssupported bythisprojectwill betrainedto identify thespecies,learnabout habitatneedsthatpertainto thehealthof thepopulation,andlearnaboutspecificmanagement practicesthatwill avoid detrimentalimpactsto individuals. Personnelwill usecautionto avoid runningoverindividualswhen operatingvehiclesduringpreparationsfor prescribedburns. Ring fires,which couldtrapindigo snakesinsidetheburnarea,will not beused. if anindigo snakeis observedinsidetheburn unit,ignition will ceaseandthe snakewill beallowedto leavetheunit. if thatis not successful,fire activitieswill bedelayedto give thesnaketime to find refuge undergroundbeforeburningis continued,if fire threatens toburnoveranindividual,crew memberswill attemptto extinguishthefire to avoidimpactsto thesnake.Any easternindigo snakein aburnprojectareamayincur abrief periodof disturbanceto its patternsof feeding,

74 breeding,or sheltering.Disturbancefrom prescribedburnswill occurfor only 1to 2 dayson eachof theburnunits,andtheburnswill beconductedin mosaicpatterns,providingareasof refugefor indigo snakes.Firetreatmentscouldconceivablykill or injuresnakes,but the precautionsto betaken makeit verylikely thatsnakeswould successfullyfleefires or escapeinto undergroundrefugia. However,juvenile easternindigo snakesusedensevegetationfor cover ratherthanundergroundrefugiaandmaybeinjuredor killed duringfirebreak construction, mechanicaltreatment,andapplicationof prescribedfire. Prescribedfiresareexpectedto improvepreyspeciesabundancein there-growingvegetation.Theeasternindigo snakeinhabits fire-adaptedvegetation,sotheproposedactivitiesareexpected,overa termof severalyearsto a decade, tobebeneficialto the easternindigosnake.

Bartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly Prescribedburnscouldresultin disturbanceto thebutterfly or its habitatandlarval hostplant, pinelandcroton, butpinerocklandswill beburnedin a mosaic patternovertime, therebyeasing thebutterfly’s dispersalfrom andreturnto treatmentareas.ImmatureBartram’sscrub hairstreakswill likely bekilled by prescribedfires. Similarly, adultBartram’sscrub-hairstreaks arelargelysedentary,rarelydispersingfartherthan5 m from theirhost plant.As aresult,only adultbutterfliesattheperipheryof treatmentareasarelikely to escapeprescribedburns. However,prescribedfireswill restoreandincreasethedistributionof pinelandcrotonin treatmentareas,providingmorehabitatfor butterfly use. In addition, effortswill bemadeto avoidthelargeststandsof pineland crotonto provide refugiafor thebutterfliesandtheir immaturestages.Mechanicaltreatmentmayalsoresultin disturbanceand/ormortality to the butterfly andherbicidetreatmentmaydamage itshostplant. Adversemodificationof proposed critical habitatis notexpectedto occur.

Florida leafwingbutterfly Prescribedburnscouldresultin disturbanceto thebutterfly or its habitatandlarval hostplant, pinelandcroton,butpinerocklandswill beburnedin a mosaic patternovertime, therebyeasing thebutterfly’s dispersalfrom andreturnto treatmentareas.ImmatureFloridaleafwing butterflieswill likely bekilled by prescribedfires. However,thestrongflight abilitiesof the adultFloridaleafwingbutterflywill allow thesubspeciesto bothescapefires,aswell asto quickly re-colonizeanareaafter treatment. Prescribedfires will restoreandincreasethe distributionof pineland croton intreatmentsareas,providingmorehabitatfor butterflyuse. In addition,effortswill bemade toavoidthelargeststandsof pinelandcrotonto providerefugiafor thebutterfliesandtheirimmaturestages.Mechanicaltreatmentmayalsoresultin disturbance and/ormortalityto thebutterfly andherbicidetreatmentmaydamageits hostplant. Adverse modificationof proposedcritical habitatis not expectedto occur.

Crenulate lead-plant Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging,mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment. Hand toolsmay alsobeused. Dependingonneed, theleastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When

75 conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked.In theeventof a spot over,suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing could destroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. if herbicideis applieddirectlyto theplantor if oversprayor drift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut thisplantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscouldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto thisplant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting, recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,anetconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Blodgett’ssilverbush Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaks usingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging, mowing,disking,andplowingusingrubber-tiredor tracked equipment. Handtoolsmay alsobeused.Dependingon need, the leastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked.In theeventof a spot over, suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectlyto theplantor if overspray ordrift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Firewill kill all above-groundstemsbut thisplantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin asoil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulations couldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto this plant.Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Floridabrickell-bush Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging, mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor tracked equipment. Handtools may alsobeused.Dependingon need, the leastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires,.equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked. Intheeventof a spot over,suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectlyto theplant or if oversprayor drift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut thisplantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing) to retainits vigor. Patchyfires

76 mayallow survivalof individualplants. Populationswill probablyrecover aftera fire via dormantseedsin asoil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degrade andpopulationscouldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto this plant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Deltoid spurge Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusing mechanicalmeasures suchaschoppingmulching, logging,mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Hand toolsmay alsobeused. Dependingonneed,theleastdisruptivemethod possiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked.In theeventof a spot over,suppressionequipmentoften includestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectly to theplantor if oversprayor drift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. Duringanyactivities,mechanical equipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut thisplant resproutsafterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfiresmayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoveraftera fire via dormantseedsin asoil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In the absenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscouldeventuallybelost. Therefore,fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto this plant. Individualsmaybelost, butwith potentialfor re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a net conservationbenefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Pinelandsandmat Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging,mowing,disking,andplowingusingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Hand toolsmay alsobe used.Dependingon need,theleastdisruptivemethod possiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked. Intheeventof a spot over, suppressionequipmentoftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectly to theplantor if overspray ordrift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. Duringanyactivities,mechanical equipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individualplants. Populationswill probablyrecover afterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulations couldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto this plant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

77 Garber’sspurge Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging, mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Hand tools may alsobe used.Dependingonneed,theleastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked. Intheeventof a spot over,suppressionequipmentoftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof thisshrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectlyto theplantor if oversprayor drift occurs, plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Firewill kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscouldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto this plant.Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto be attainedfrom implementationof activities.

Florida prairie-clover Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging, mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Handtoolsmay alsobe used.Dependingon need, theleastdisruptivemethod possiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked. Intheeventof a spot over,suppressionequipmentoftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. if herbicideis applieddirectlyto theplantor if oversprayor drift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun over plantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In the absenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulations couldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto this plant.Individualsmaybelost, butwith potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Floridapinelandcrabgrass Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusing mechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging, mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Handtoolsmay alsobe used.Dependingonneed,the leastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When

78 conductingprescribed fires,equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked.In theeventof a spot over,suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. if herbicideis applieddirectly to theplantor if oversprayor drift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanicalequipment could run overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individualplants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In the absenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscouldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighlybeneficialto this plant.Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Small’s milkpea Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagers andotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusing mechanicalmeasures suchaschoppingmulching, logging, mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Hand toolsmay alsobeused.Dependingonneed,the leastdisruptivemethod possiblewill be selected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked.In theeventof a spot over,suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. if herbicideis applieddirectly to theplantor if overspray ordrift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanical equipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individualplants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In the absenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulations couldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto this plant.Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Sandflax Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusing mechanicalmeasuressuchaschopping mulching, logging,mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Hand toolsmay alsobeused. Dependingon need,theleastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires,equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked.In theeventof a spot over,suppressionequipmentoftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectly totheplantor if overspray ordrift occurs, plantscouldbekilled. Duringanyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchy fires

79 mayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscould eventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto thisplant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting, recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Carter’ssmall-floweredflax Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging,mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor tracked equipment.Handtoolsmay alsobeused. Dependingon need,theleastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked. Intheeventof a spot over, suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth.If herbicideis applieddirectlyto theplantor if overspray ordrift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanical equipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut thisplantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing) to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoveraftera fire via dormantseedsin asoil seedbank. Unburned orunmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscould eventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto thisplant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting, recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Tiny polygala Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusing mechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging,mowing, disking,andplowingusingrubber-tired ortracked equipment.Handtoolsmay alsobeused. Dependingon need, the leastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked. In theeventof a spot over,suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectlyto theplantor if overspray ordrift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. During anyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Firewill kill all above-groundstemsbut thisplantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing) to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individual plants. Populationswill probablyrecoverafterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscould eventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighly beneficialto thisplant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting, recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

80 Evergladesbully Prescribedfire andassociatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandotherpersonnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusing mechanicalmeasuressuchaschoppingmulching, logging, mowing,disking,andplowingusingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Handtoolsmay alsobeused. Dependingonneed,theleastdisruptivemethod possiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires,equipmentmayberubbertired or tracked.In theeventof a spot over,suppressionequipment oftenincludestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectly to theplantor if oversprayor drift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. Duringanyactivities,mechanical equipment could run overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individualplants. Populationswill probablyrecover afterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplants losevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulationscouldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighlybeneficialto thisplant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,a netconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

Floridabristle-fern Prescribedfire and associatedfire preparationwork mayincludethecreationandmaintenanceof fire breaksby mechanicalmeans.Landmanagersandother personnelwill maintainand constructwherenecessaryfire breaksusingmechanicalmeasuressuchaschopping mulching, logging,mowing,disking,andplowing usingrubber-tiredor trackedequipment.Hand toolsmay alsobe used.Dependingonneed,the leastdisruptivemethodpossiblewill beselected.When conductingprescribedfires, equipmentmayberubber tiredor tracked. Intheeventof a spot over,suppressionequipmentoften includestheuseof a trackedfire plow. Mowing coulddestroy stemsof this shrubbut shouldencourageregrowth. If herbicideis applieddirectly to theplantor if overspray ordrift occurs,plantscouldbekilled. Duringanyactivities,mechanicalequipment couldrun overplantskilling them. Fire will kill all above-groundstemsbut this plantresprouts afterfire andmayrequireperiodicdisturbance(fire or mowing)to retainits vigor. Patchyfires mayallow survivalof individualplants. Populationswill probablyrecover afterafire via dormantseedsin a soil seedbank. Unburnedor unmowedplantslosevigor. In theabsenceof fire, thehabitatfor theplantwill degradeandpopulations couldeventuallybelost. Therefore, fire is expectedto behighlybeneficialto this plant. Individualsmaybelost,but with potential for re-sprouting,recoveryof plantsfrom seedbanks,andimprovedhabitat,anetconservation benefitis expectedto beattainedfrom implementationof activities.

CUMULATIVE EFFECTS

Cumulativeeffectsincludetheeffectsof futureState,tribal, local,or privateactionsthatare reasonably certainto occurin theactionareaconsideredin thisbiological opinion. Future Federalactions thatareunrelatedto theproposedactionarenot consideredin this section becausetheyrequireseparateconsultationpursuantto section7 of theAct.

81 State,local,andprivateactions,suchasdevelopment,arelikely to continuethroughoutthe actionarea.Theseactivitiesarelikely to resultin varyingdegreesof adverseandbeneficial effectsto Floridabonnetedbat,easternindigosnake,Bartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly, Floridaleafwingbutterfly,crenulatelead-plant,Blodgett’ssilverbush,Florida brickell-bush, deltoidspurge,pinelandsandmat,Garber’sspurge,Florida prairie-clover,Floridapineland crabgrass,Small’s milkpea,sandflax, Carter’ssmall-flowered flax,tiny polygala,Everglades bully, andFloridabristlefern.

SUMMARY OF EFFECTS

Implementationof theproposedactionis intendedto utilize theprescribedfire andrelated activitiesto conductimportanthabitatmanagement,restoration,andenhancementactions.By improvinghabitatconditions,theseactionswill directlyeliminateor reducea primarythreatto thecoveredspecies.Thetargetedbenefitof theproposedactionis to createimprovementsto the statusof the specieson eligiblelandsreceivingsection6 financialassistance.Theproposed actionis expectedto benefitthecoveredspeciesby.maintaining,enhancing,andrestoring populationsandtheirhabitatsaswell asby reducingtherisk of adverseeffects.

We expectthemajorityof incidentaltakewill bein theform of death,injury, or temporary harassment(via displacement)duringproposedactivities. For someactivities,aportionof incidentaltake isexpectedoverthelife of thepractice. Thescaleof theeffectwill belandscape specific,but will mostlikely involvemortalityof somemembersof thespeciescoveredin this Opinion.

Theoverwhelmingconservation benefitsof implementationof theproposedactionwithin the selectedpriority areas,maintenanceof existinghabitat,andenhancementof marginal habitatwill outweighshort-termnegative impactsto individual membersof thecoveredspecies.The implementationof theproposedactionwill resultin managementthethreatsthatadverselyaffect populations,andmorehabitatfor thesespeciesunderthe appropriatemanagementprescriptions.

Cumulatively,theServicefinds effective implementationof theproposedhabitatmanagementis anticipatedto resultin apositive populationresponseby the species.This positiveresponseis expectedasthreatsarereduced,notablyin addressinghabitat fragmentationandimprovementof habitatconditionsin pinerocklandhabitat. Additionally, theproposedactionis expectedto limit unfavorableimpactsto thespecies,andto maintainandenhancehabitatatboththepopulation andlandscapelevel. In conclusion,theanticipated levelsof adverseeffectsaremorethanoffset by theimplementationof theproposedactionresultingin a netconservationbenefitto the coveredspecies.

CONCLUSION

After reviewingthe statusof theFloridabonnetedbat,easternindigo snake,Bartram’sscrub hairstreakbutterfly,Florida leafwing butterfly,crenulatelead-plant,Blodgett’ssilverbush, Floridabrickell-bush, deltoidspurge,pinelandsandmat,Garber’sspurge,Floridaprairie-clover, Floridapinelandcrabgrass,Small’smilkpea,sandflax, Carter’ssmall-flowered flax,tiny 82 polygala,Evergladesbully, andFloridabristlefern,theenvironmentalbaselinefor theaction area,theeffectsof theproposedactionandthecumulativeeffects,it is theService’sbiological andconferenceopinionthatprovidingfunding,asproposed,is not likely tojeopardizethe continuedexistenceof thesespeciesor produceadversemodificationto proposedcritical habitat. INCIDENTAL TAKE STATEMENT

Sections9 of theAct andFederalregulationpursuantto section4(d) of theAct prohibit thetake of endangeredandthreatenedspecies,respectively,without a specialexemption.Takeis defined asto harass,harm,pursue,hunt,shoot,wound,kill, trap, captureor collect,or to attemptto engagein anysuchconduct. Harmis furtherdefinedby theServiceto includesignificanthabitat modificationor degradationthat resultsin deathor injury to listedspeciesby significantly impairingessentialbehavioralpatternssuchasbreeding,feeding, or sheltering.Harass isdefined by theServiceasintentionalor negligentactionsthatcreatethelikelihoodof injury to listed speciesto suchanextentasto significantlydisruptnormal behaviorpatterns,which include,but arenot limited to, breeding,feeding,or sheltering.Incidentaltakeis definedastakethatis incidentalto, andnotthepurpose of,thecarryingout anotherwiselawful activity. Underthe termsof section7(b)(4)andsection7(o)(2), takingthatis incidentalto andnot intendedaspart of theagencyactionis notconsideredto beprohibitedtakingundertheAct providedthatsuch takingis in compliancewith thetermsandconditionsof this incidentaltakestatement.

Section7(b)(4)and7(o)(2)of theAct generallydo not applyto listedplantsandcandidate species.However,limited protectionof listedplantsfrom takeis providedto theextentthatthe Act prohibitstheremovalandreductionto possessionof Federallylistedendangeredplants or themaliciousdamageof suchplantson areasunder Federaljurisdiction,or thedestructionof endangeredplantsonnon-federalareasin violation of statelaw or regulations,or in thecourseof anyviolation of a statecriminaltrespasslaw, if this projectis onprivatelandandthelandowner is not theprojectproponent,in additionto landownerpermission,aFDACSpermit for plants maybeneeded.TQdetermineif suchapermit is necessaryor to applyfor this permit,contact:

FloridaDepartmentof AgricultureandConsumerServices FloridaDivision ofForestry Plant Conservation 3125ConnerBoulevard Tallahassee,Florida 32399-1650 Telephone:850-414-8293 Fax: 850-921-6724

AMOUNT OR EXTENT OF TAKE

Florida bonnetedbat

TheServiceanticipatesincidentaltakeof theFloridabonnetedbatwill bedifficult to detectfor thefollowing reasons:(1) patchydistributionwithin suitablehabitats;(2) suitablehabitatmay not beoccupied;(3) noknownlocationsof naturalroostsites;and(4) limited informationon movements,dispersalcapabilities,diet, andpreybase. Roostingandforagingareasappear

83 varied,with thespeciesoccurringin forested,suburban,andurbanareas.Thisspeciesroostsin trees,foliage,andother structures.It mayusetreecavities,palmfronds,other vegetation,rocky crevicesandoutcropson theground,andothernaturalor artificial structures.

Uncertaintyregardingthelocationof naturalandartificial roostsitesmaycontributeto the species’vulnerability. Sincethelocationof keyroostsitesis not known,inadvertentimpactsto andlossesof roostsmaybemorelikely to occur,placingthespeciesatgreaterrisk. Removalof old or live treeswith cavitiesduringactivitiesassociatedwith forestmanagement(e.g.,thinning, pruning),prescribedfire, or exotic speciestreatment mayinadvertentlyremove roostsites,if such sitesarenotknown. Lossof anactiveroostor removalduringcritical life-historystages (e.g.,whenfemalesarepregnant or rearingyoung)canhavesevereramifications,consideringthe species’smallpopulationsize andlow fecundity.

Whereroostsitesoccurin naturalhabitat,adultsandespeciallyyoungmaybevulnerableto fire. Roostsitesmaybedestroyedby fire andbatsmaybeinjured or killed duringprescribedfire or fire-relatedactivities. Harassmentto Floridabonnetedbatsmayoccurduringherbicide application,prescribedfires, mechanicaltreatment,humanactivity, andsmoke,fire, heat,and noisefrom activities. However,it is difficult to estimatehow manybatsmaybedisturbed becauselittle is knownabouttheir naturalor artificial roostsites,nightly andseasonal movements,dispersalcapabilities,anddietary requirements. Therefore,theServiceanticipates onecolonyof Floridabonnetedbatsmaybeinjuredor killed duringprescribedfire and associatedactivities.

Eastern indigo snake

The Service anticipatesincidentaltakeof theeasternindigo snakewill bedifficult to detectfor thefollowing reasons:

(1) Wide-rangingdistribution, (2) Patchydistributionwithin suitable habitat, (3) Apparentlysuitable habitatmay notbeoccupied,and (4) Difficulty in locatingsnakeson-sitethatmayoccurin gopher tortoiseburrowsor holes.

However,theServiceanticipatesincidentaltakeof theeasternindigo snakewith habitat restoration.Theincidentaltakeis expectedto bein theform of harassmentand/ordirect mortality. Dueto thelack of surveys,in conjunctionwith thewide-rangingactivity anduseof a varietyof habitattypesby theindigo snake,it is difficult to determinetheexactnumberof snakes thatwill betaken. However,theServiceanticipatesincidentaltakeof theindigosnake associatedwith exoticsremovalandprescribedburnactivitiesonup to 1,695ac. Thelevel of incidentaltakewill bemonitoredby theacresof habitattreatedfor exoticremovalandprescribed burnactivities.Theincidentaltakeis expectedtobein theform of harassmentanddirectmortality. Bartraiu’s scrub-hairstreak butterfly

We do nothavea currentpopulationestimateof Bartram’shairstreakor assessmentof current habitatconditionsfor eachsite;howeverthesesitesarebelievedto havereceivedonly limited fire management,historically. Butterflies,if present,maybe scarceandlocally distributed.

84 Factorsassociatedwith theburn(e.g., seasonalityof theburn,if siteis burnedin entirety,nature of thefire prescription,etc.)will affecttheextentof injury or mortality. TheBartram’s hairstreakoccursthroughouttheyearwith variableannualpeaksin abundance,sothereis no “preferred” windowfor treatments.However,prescribedfireswill restoreandincreasethe distributionof pineland crotonin treatmentareas,perhapsalsoincreasingthedistributionof the butterfly. Dueto thewide arrayof factorsassociatedwith limited butterfly distribution,habitat conditions,andtiming of prescribedfire, butterfliesmaybetakenduringburnsconducted throughoutselectsiteswithin therelict pinerocklandfragmentsof centralMiami-DadeCounty. The Serviceanticipatesincidentaltakeof theBartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly associatedwith exoticsremovalandprescribedburnactivitiesonup to 1,695ac. Theincidentaltakeis expected to bein theform of harassmentanddirectmortality.

Florida leafwing butterfly

Breedingpopulationshavenotbeendocumentedon mainlandFloridaoutsideof theEverglades in severaldecades.Therefore,we do notbelieveanyFloridaleafwingbutterflies currentlyoccur within theprojectarea.However,restorationeffortswithin theseconservationareasmayallow theFloridaleafwingbutterflyto ultimatelyre-colonizeconservationlandsoutsideof the Everglades. Prescribedfireswill restoreandincreasethedistributionof pinelandcrotonin treatmentsareas,perhaps alsoincreasingthedistributionof thebutterfly. Dueto thewide array of factorsassociatedwith limited butterfly distribution,habitatconditions,andtiming of prescribedfire, butterfliesmaybetakenduringburnsconductedthroughoutselectsiteswithin the relict pinerocklandfragmentsof centralMiami-DadeCounty. The Service anticipatesincidental takeof theFloridaleafwingbutterfly associatedwith exoticsremovalandprescribedburn activitieson up to 1,695ac. Theincidentaltakeis expectedto bein theform of harassmentand directmortality.

EFFECT OF THE TAKE

In theaccompanyingbiologicalopinion,theServicedeterminedthis level of anticipatedtakeis not likely to resultinjeopardyto thespecies.Critical habitathasbeenproposedfor the Bartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly andFlorida leafwing butterfly,but theseprojectswill not resultin destructionor adversemodificationof criticalhabitat.

REASONABLE AND PRUDENT MEASURES

The Service believesthefollowing reasonableandprudentmeasuresarenecessaryand appropriateto minimizeimpactsof incidentaltakeof theFloridabonnetedbat,easternindigo snake,Bartram’sscrub-hairstreakbutterfly,andFloridaleafwingbutterfly:

1. In pinerocklands, retainpinelandcroton. 2. Retaincavitytrees,old trees,andsnags,whereverpossible. 3. Conductprescribedburnsin smallburn unitsusinga mosaicpattern overtime. Since manypinerocklandhabitatsarefragmentedandisolatedfrom oneanother,partialI smallerburnswill providesomeon-siterefugiafor imperiledspeciesandfacilitate recolonization.

85 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

To beexemptfrom theprohibitionsof section9 of theAct, FWCandFDACSmustcomplywith thefollowing thatoutlinerequiredreporting/monitoringrequirements.Thesetermsand conditionsarenondiscretionary.

1. Notify theServiceif anylistedspeciesis injuredor killed duringroutineproject activities. ContacttheEndangeredSpeciesProgramSupervisorat theSFESOat772-562-3909to providethis notification. 2. Uponlocatinga dead,injured,or sick listedspecies,initial notificationmustbemade tothe nearestServiceLaw EnforcementOffice (FishandWildlife Service;9549KogerBoulevard., Suite111;St.Petersburg,Florida 33702;727-570-5398).Secondarynotificationshouldbe made totheFWC; SouthRegion,3900DraneField Road,Lakeland,Florida,33811-1299;1- 800-282-8002.Careshouldbetakenin handlingsick orinjuredspecimensto ensure effectivetreatmentandcareor in thehandlingof deadspecimensto preservebiological material inthebestpossiblestatefor lateranalysisasto thecauseof death.In conjunction with the careof sick or injuredspecimensor preservationof biologicalmaterialsfrom a dead animal,thefinder hastheresponsibilityto carryout instructionsprovidedby Law Enforcementto ensurethat evidenceintrinsicto thespecimenis not unnecessarilydisturbed. If not specificallyinstructedby Servicelaw enforcementto submitdeadspecimens,all dead specimensand snakeshedsshouldbeofferedto theFloridaMuseumof NaturalHistory, Gainesville,Florida. Themuseumshouldbecontactedwith regardto detailsfor preservation andtransport. 3. Notify everyvehicleandequipmentoperatorto avoidadverseimpactsto all coveredspecies, if possible.All on-sitepersonnelwill beeducatedto recognizecoveredspeciesandwhere such speciesoccuron theburnunit to theextentpracticable.Informationwill bemade availableon listed,proposed,andcandidatespecieshabitatsandreproductiveseasons.if any coveredspeciesis encountered,it will beavoidedto theextent practicable.Coveredanimal specieswill beallowedto leavetheimmediateareaof disturbanceon theirownbefore vehicleor equipmentuseis resumed. 4. Useamosaicpatternandleaverefugiaof pinelandcrotonwhentreating pinerocklandswith knownFlorida leafwingbutterfly andBartram’s scrub-hairstreakbutterflypopulations. 5. Mark andavoidanyknownor suspectedFloridabonnetedbatroosts. In areaswhereFlorida bonnetedbatsoccur, retainold trees andsnagswith hollows or cavities, If deador old trees mustberemoved,examine themfirst to makesuretheyarenotbeingusedby roostingbats beforeremoval. 6. Protectold treesandsnagswith hollowsor cavitiesfrom fire. Rakeand/orclear vegetation aroundthebaseof knownor suspectedroostsitesto removefuel loadbeforeconducting prescribedburns(Usesimilar guidanceasprovidedfor protectionof red-cockaded woodpecker(RCW) cavitytreesin theRCW RecoveryPlan).

CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS

Section7(a)(1)of theAct directsFederalagenciesto utilize their authoritiesto furtherthe purposesof theAct by carryingout conservationprogramsfor thebenefitof endangeredand threatenedspecies.Conservationrecommendationsarediscretionaryagencyactivitiesto further 86 minimize or avoidadverseeffectsof aproposedactionon listedspeciesor critical habitat,to helpimplementrecoveryplans,or to developinformation.

1. Surveyfor coveredspecies andfor theirnests,dens,hostplants,or coverthatcouldbe affectedby treatment when projectsareproposedwithin theirranges. 2. Documentthelocationof anycoveredspeciesandnest/roost/den/coversitesandprovide informationto theService. 3. Considerimportantseasonalvulnerabilitiesfor all coveredspeciesoccurringin thearea tobe burnedandlimit burnactivityduringthosetimes. 4. Seekopportunitiesfor collaborativeresearch.This mayincludepre-andpost-firesurveysfor coveredspeciesfollowedby continuedmonitoringatpre-determinedtime intervalspostfire. Findingsmayaidin developingadaptivemanagementprograms. 5. Useprescribedfire atappropriate,but varying,intensitiesandintervalsto encourage vegetativediversityandhabitat heterogeneity.Adjust firefrequency,intensity,andspatial extent inindividuallandscapesby using vegetationheight,openings,treecover,andother structuralfeaturesto aidin determiningburningobjectives(adaptivemanagement). 6. Incorporategrowingseasonburninginto theplanningprocess.However,fires conducted duringthenon-growingseasonarebetterthan noneat all. 7. Usefiring patternsto provideescaperoutesfor wildlife (i.e.,avoidring fires andfast-moving headfires).Ideally,the rateof spreadof thefire shouldbeno morethan10ft perminute. 8. Wheneverpossible,do not burn or treatanentirepopulationof a coveredplant at eachsite. Allow for 30-50percentof the(each)populationto gounaffectedby fire or treatment. 9. In knownor suspectedoccupiedareas,conductprescribedburnscarefully,especially during theFloridabonnetedbatbreedingseason(Jan-Mar;June-Oct).Where prescribedfire is to be usednearknownactiveroosts,consideravoidingif therearehighfuel loads,to reducethe risk of losingroostsduringintensefires. 10.Adjust mowingheighthigherto provide protectionfor coveredspecies. 11.Considertiming mechanicaltreatmentsto avoid sensitiveperiodsin thelife historyof listed, proposed,andcandidatespecies. 12.Surveyandmarkpinelandcroton. 13.Continueto conduct recoveryactionsthroughoutpine rocklands inMiami-DadeCounty.

For theServiceto bekeptinformedof actionsminimizing or avoidingadverseeffectsor benefitinglistedspeciesor their habitats, werequestnotificationof theimplementationof any conservationrecommendations.

REINITIATION NOTICE

This concludestheconferencefor provisionof funds. You mayasktheServiceto confirm the conferenceopinionasabiologicalopinionissuedthroughformal consultationif thecandidate speciesarelisted. Therequestmustbein writing, If theServicereviewstheproposedactionand finds there havebeenno significantchangesin theactionasplannedor in theinformationused duringtheconference,theServicewill confirm theconferenceopinionasthebiological opinion on theprojectand nofurthersection7 consultationwill benecessary.After listing of the

87 candidatespeciesasendangeredI threatenedandanysubsequentadoptionof this conference opinion,theFederalagencyshallrequestreinitiationof consultationasoutlinedbelow. This concludesformal consultationontheactionoutlinedin therequest.As providedin 50CFR §402.16,reinitiationof formal consultationis required wherediscretionaryFederalagency involvementor controlovertheactionhasbeenretained(or is authorizedby law) andif: (1) the amountor extentof incidentaltake,to bemonitoredby therestorationof upto 200acof exotic habitat,is exceeded;(2) newinformationrevealseffectsof the agencyactionthatmayaffect listedspeciesor critical habitat inamanneror to anextentnot consideredin thisopinion;(3) the actionis subsequentlymodifiedin amanner thatcausesaneffectto thelistedspeciesor critical habitatnot consideredin this opinion;or (4) a new speciesis listedor critical habitatdesignated that maybeaffectedby theaction. In instanceswherethe amount orextentof incidentaltakeis exceeded,anyoperations causingsuchtakemustceasependingreinitiation.

If youhaveanyquestions,pleasecontactMarilyn Knightat772-469-4297.

cc: electroniconly Service,Jacksonville,Florida (Annie Dziergowski) Service,Tallahassee,Florida (JerryZiewitz) FV/C, Tallahassee,Florida(StaseyWhichel) FFSIFDACS,Tallahassee,Florida(MichaelJenkins) Miami-DadeCounty,Miami, Florida(JoeMaguire) JohnsonEngineering,Inc.,PembrokePines,Florida(SarahWebber)

88 LITERATURE CITED

General

Florida FishandWildlife ConservationCommission.2012. Florida’sWildlife Legacyli~itiative: Florida’sStateWildlife Action Plan.Tallahassee,Florida, USA.

Gann, GeorgeD., K.A. Bradley,andS.W. Woodmansee.2002. Rareplantsof SouthFlorida: Their history,conservation,andrestoration. TheInstitutefor RegionalConservation. Miami, Florida.

Miami-DadeCountyDepartmentof EnvironmentalResourceManagement.1995. Restoration planfor DadeCounty’s pinerocklandforestsfollowing HurricaneAndrew. DadeCounty Departmentof EnvironmentalResourceManagement.Miami, Florida.

Mojica, Raymond,M. Knight; ID. Clark, andB. Donahue.2005.ReproduciblePanoramic Photo-pointGuidelines.EnvironmentallyEndangeredLandPrograms.BrevardCounty, Florida. 26pp.

U.S.Fish andWildlife Service. 1996. Guidelinesfor conductingandreportingbotanical inventoriesfor federallylisted,proposed,andcandidateplants. Sacramento,California. 2pp.

U.S.FishandWildlife Service. 1999. PineRocklands intheMulti-speciesrecoveryplanfor SouthFlorida. Atlanta,Georgia.2,172pp.

U.S.Fish andWildlife Service.2009. Small’sMilkpea (Galactiasmallii) 5-YearReview: SummaryandEvaluation.SouthFloridaEcologicalServicesField Office. Vero Beach, Florida.

Florida bonnetedbat

Arwood, R. 2012. Emailto PaulaHalupa. Inside-OutPhotography,Inc. EvergladesCity, Florida. March5, 2012.

Arwood, R. 20l3a. Email to PaulaHalupa. Inside-OutPhotography,Inc. EvergladesCity, Florida. April 13,2013.

Arwood, R. 2013b. Emailto PaulaHalupa. Inside-OutPhotography,Inc. EvergladesCity, Florida. June6,2013.

89 Belwood,J.J. 1981. Wagner’smastiffbat,Eu;nopsglaucinusfioridanus (Molossidae)in southwesternFlorida. Journalof Mammalogy62(2) :411-413.

Beiwood,J.J. 1992. FloridamastiffbatEumopsglaucinusfioridanus. Pages216-223in S.R. Humphrey(ed.),Rareandendangeredbiotaof Florida. Vol. I. Mammals.University Pressof Florida. Gainesville,Florida.

FloridaFishandWildlife Conservation Commission.2005. Florida’sWildlife LegacyInitiative. Florida’sComprehensiveWildlife ConservationStrategy. Tallahassee,Florida.

FloridaFishandWildlife Conservation Commission.2011.Supplementalinformationfor the Floridabonneted(mastiff)batbiologicalstatusreviewreport.March31,2011.Florida FishandWildlife ConservationCommission.Tallahassee,Florida.FloridaNaturalAreas Inventory. 2010. FNAI ElementTrackingSummary.Tallahassee,Florida. [Accessed:

January6, 2010.http://www.fnai.org/PDF/Element_tracking_summary_200912.pdf]

Hipes,D., D.R.Jackson,K. NeSmith,D. Printiss,andK. Brandt. 2001. Field guideto therare animalsof Florida. FloridaNaturalAreasInventory. Tallahassee,Florida.

Humphrey,S.R. 1975.Nurseryroostsandcommunitydiversityof nearcticbats. Journalof Mammalogy56(2):32l-346.

Marks,G.E.andC.S.Marks. 2008. Email to PaulaHalupa. FloridaBatConservancy.Bay Pines,Florida.May 27,2008.

Marks,G.E.andC.S.Marks. 2008a. Statusof theFloridabonnetedbat(Eunzopsfloridanus). Finalreport. Submittedby theFloridaBat Conservancyundergrantagreementnumber 401815G192.FloridaBat Conservancy. BayPines,Florida.

Marks,G.E.andC.S.Marks. 2008b. Statusof theFloridabonnetedbat(Eumopsfloriclanus). Supplementalreport. Submittedby theFloridaBat Conservancyunder grantagreement number401815G192. FloridaBat Conservancy.Bay Pines,Florida.

Marks,G.E.and C.S.Marks. 2008c. Bat conservationandlandmanagementKissimmeeRiver WMA. FloridaBat Conservancy. BayPines,Florida.

Marks,G.E.andC.S.Marks.2012.Statusof theFloridabonnetedbat (Eumopsfloridanus). Submittedby GeorgeE. MarksandCynthiaS.Marksof theFloridaBat Conservancyfor theU.S.FishandWildlife Serviceunder grant agreementnumber40181AG121.May 4, 2012.FloridaBat Conservancy.BayPines,Florida.

NatureServe.2009. NatureServeExplorer:An onlineencyclopediaof life [webapplication]. Version7.1. NatureServe,Arlington, Virginia. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed:July 27,2009).

90 Robson,M. 1989. Statussurveyof theFloridamastiff bat. Finalperformancereport. Florida GameandFreshWaterFishCommission. NongameWildlife Section. Tallahassee, Florida.

Robson,M.S.,F.J.Mazzotti,andT. Parrott. 1989. Recentevidenceof themastiff batin southernFlorida. FloridaField Naturalist17(4):81-82.

Snow,S.201la. Emailto PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida. December13,2011.

Snow,5. 201lb. Email to PaulaHalupa. EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida. December30,2011.

Snow,S.2012a.Email to PaulaHalupa. EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida.January 3,2012.

Snow,S.2012b.Email (with recorded calls)to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark. Homestead,Florida. March30,2012.

Snow,S.2012c.Email (with map)to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead, Florida.March30,2012.

Snow,S.2012d.Email (with data) toPaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead, Florida.April 12,2012.

Snow,S.2012e.Email (with summary)to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark. Homestead, Florida.May 9, 2012.

Timm, R. andJ. Arroyo-Cabrales.2008. Eu;nopsfloridanus.lit IUCN 2010. IUCN RedList of ThreatenedSpecies.Version2010.1..Downloadedon 23 March 2010.

Timm, R.M. andH.H Genoways.2004. TheFloridabonnetedbat,Eumopsfloridanus (Chiroptera:Molossidae):distribution,morphometrics,systematics,andecology. Journal of Mammalogy85(5):852-865.

Trokey,S. 2008a.Email to PaulaHalupa. U.S.FishandWildlife Service. Ding Darling NationalWildlife Refuge. Sanibel,Florida. October18,2008.

Trokey,S. 2008b. Email to PaulaHalupa. U.S.FishandWildlife Service. Ding Darling NationalWildlife Refuge. Sanibel,Florida. February5, 2008.

Trokey,S. 2010a.Telephone conversationwith Paula Halupa.U.S.FishandWildlife Service. Ding Darling NationalWildlife Refuge.Sanibel,Florida. March 15,2010.

91 Trokey,S. 2010b. Email to PaulaHalupa. U.S.FishandWildlife Service.Ding Darling NationalWildlife Refuge. Sanibel,Florida. March 16,2010.

Easternindigo snake

Babis,W.A. 1949.Noteson thefood of theindigosnake.Copeia1949(2):147.

Bolt, M.R. 2006. Presentationto theU.S.FishandWildlife ServiceonMay 24,2006. The DynamacCorporation,KennedySpaceCenter,Florida.

Breininger,D.R.,M.L. Legare,andR.B.Smith. 2004. Edgeeffectsandpopulationviability of easternindigo snakesin Florida. Pgs.299-311in: H.R. Akcakaya,M. Burgman, 0. Kindvall, P. Sjorgren-Gulve,J. Hatfield,andM. McCarthy,editors. Species ConservationandManagement:CaseStudies.Oxford UniversityPress,New York, NewYork.

Carson,H.L. 1945.Delayedfertilization in acaptiveindigo snakewith noteof feedingand shedding.Copeia1945(4): 222-224.

Conant,R. andJ.TCollins. 1998. A Field Guideto ReptilesandAmphibiansEasternand CentralNorthAmerica. Third Edition,Expanded.HoughtonMifflin Company; NewYork, New York.

Cox, J.A. andR.S.Kautz. 2000. Habitatconservationneedsof rareandimperiledwildlife in Florida. FloridaFish andWildlife ConservationCommission;Tallahassee,Florida. Dalrymple,G.H.,TM. Steiner,R.J.Nodell,andF.S.Bernardino,Jr. 1991. Seasonalactivity of the snakesof Long PineKey,EvergladesNationalPark. Copeia1991(2):294-302.

Diemer,J.E.andD.W. Speake.1983. Thedistributionof theeasternindigosnake,Drytha;-chon corais couperi, in Georgia. Journalof Herpetologyl7(3):256-264.

Enge,KM., M.S. Robson,andK.L. Krysko. 2004. Reptilesurveysof six Miami-DadeCounty parks. FloridaScientist67(3):194-204.

Keegan;H.L. 1944.Indigo snakesfeedinguponpoisonoussnakes.Copeia1944(1):59.

Kochman,H.I. 1978. Easternindigo snake,Drymarchoncorais couperi.Pages68-69in R.W.McDiarmid,ed. Rareandendangeredbiotaof Florida. UniversityPresses of Florida;Gainesville,Florida.

Landers,J.L.andD.W. Spealce.1980. Managementneedsof sandhillreptilesin southern Georgia.Proceedingsof the annualconferenceof theSoutheasternAssociationof Fish andWildlife Agencies34: 515-529.

Lawler,H.E. 1977.the statusof Drymarchoncoralscouperi(Holbrook),the easternindigo snake,in thesoutheasternUSA. HerpetologicalReview8(3):76-79. 92 Layne,J.N. andT.M. Steiner. 1996. Easternindigosnake(Drymarchoncoraiscouperi): summaryof researchconductedonArchboldBiological Station. Reportpreparedunder Order43910-6-0134to theU.S.FishandWildlife Service;Jackson,Mississippi.

Lazell, Jr.J.D. 1989.Wildlife of theFloridaKeys: anaturalhistory. IslandPress; Washington,D.C.

Moler, P.E. 1985a. Distributionof the easternindigo snake,Drymarchoncoraiscouperi, in Florida. HerpetologicalReview 16(2):37-38.

Moler, P.E. 1985b. Homerangeandseasonalactivity of theeasternindigo snake,Drymarchon coraiscouperi,in northernFlorida. FinalPerformanceReport,StudyE-1-06,rn-A-S. FloridaGameandFreshwaterFishCommission;Tallahassee,Florida.

Moler, P.E. 1992. Rareandendangeredbiotaof Florida. Volumeifi. Amphibiansandreptiles. Universitypressesof Florida;Gainesville,Florida.

Moler, P.E. 1998. Personalcommunication.Biologist. CommentsdatedJanuary9, 2006,to theU.S. FishandWildlife Serviceon thetechnical/agencydraftMulti-SpeciesRecovery Planfor SouthFlorida. FloridaFishandWildlife ConservationCommission; Tallahassee,Florida.

Shaw, C.E.1959. Longevityof snakesin theUnitedStatesasof January1, 1959. Copeia1959(4):336-337.

Smith,C.R. 1987. Ecologyof juvenile andgravideasternindigo snakesin northFlorida. M.S. thesis,AuburnUniversity;Auburn,Alabama.

Smith, R.L. 2003. Personalcommunication.Biologist. Presentationto theU.S.Fishand Wildlife ServiceonFebruary24,2003. DynamacCorporation;KennedySpaceCenter, Florida.

Speake,D.W., D. McGlincy,andC. Smith. 1987. Captivebreedingandexperimental reintroductionof theeasternindigo snake.Pages84-90in R.R.Odom, K.A. Riddleberger,andJ.C.Oziereds. Proceedingsof the3rdSoutheasternNongame andEndangeredwildlife symposium, GeorgiaDepartmentof NaturalResources,Game andFishDivision.

Steiner,T.M., O.L. Bass, Jr.,andJ.A. Kushlan.1983. Statusof theeasternindigo snake in SouthernFloridaNationalParksandvicinity. SouthFloridaResearchCenter ReportSFRC-83-0l,EvergladesNationalPark; Homestead,Florida.

U.S.Fish andWildlife Service(Service). 1999.SouthFloridamulti-speciesrecoveryplan. Fish andWildlife Service;Atlanta,Georgia.

93 U.S.FishandWildlife Service (Service).2004. Standardprotectionmeasuresfor theeastern indigosnake.SouthFloridaEcologicalServicesOffice; Vero Beach,Florida.

U.S.FishandWildlife Service (Service).2008.EasternIndigo Snake,5-Year Review.Fishand Wildlife Service,Atlanta,Georgia.

Zeigler, M. 2006. Personalcommunication.Citrusgroveoperationsmanager.Meetingwith theU.S.FishandWildlife ServiceonAugust1,2006. AgriculturalResource Management;Vero Beach,Florida.

Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak butterfly

Anderson,C. 2012. Email to PaulaHalupa(commentsonBartram’shairstreakspecies assessment).U.S.FishandWildlife Service,FloridaKeysNationalWildlife Refuge Complex.Big PineKey, Florida.February16,2012.

Baggett,H.D. 1982.Order Lepidoptera.In R. Franz(ed.),Invertebrates.In P. C. Pritchard(ed.) RareandEndangeredBiota of Florida.Volume6. Invertebrates,pages78-81.University Press,Gainesville, Florida.

Emmel,T.C. R.A. Worth andK. Schwarz.1995.Therelationshipsbetweenhostplantand habitatfor thedistributionof threepotentiallyendangeredsouthFloridabutterflyspecies. Reportto theNationalBiological Survey.

Hennessey,M.K., andD.H. Habeck.1991.Effectsof mosquitoadulticidingonpopulationsof non-target,terrestrialarthropodsin theFloridaKeys.UnitedStatesDepartmentof Agriculture - AgriculturalResearchService.Miami, Florida.

Land,A. 2012. Email to PaulaHalupa(commentsonBartram’shairstreakspecies assessment). NationalPark Service, EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida.January26,2012.

Minno, M. 2009.Email to PaulaHalupa.Eco-Cognizant,Inc. Gainesville, Florida.February16, 2009.

Minno, M.C., andT.C. Emmel.1993.Butterfliesof theFloridaKeys.ScientificPublishers, Inc., Gainesville,Florida.

Minno, M., andM. Minno. 2009.A planto conserverarebutterfliesin theFloridaKeys. Submittedto: EdselM. Fussel,Director,FloridaKeysMosquitoControlDistrict. Eco Cognizant,Inc. Gainesville, Florida.

Opler,P.A.,andG.O.Krizek. 1984.Butterflieseastof theGreat Plains.TheJohnHopkins UniversityPress,Baltimore,Maryland.

94 Salvato,M.H. 1999.Factorsinfluencingthedecliningpopulationsof threebutterfly speciesin SouthFloridaandthelower FloridaKeys.M.S. Thesis.Universityof Florida, Gainesville,Florida.

Salvato,M.H., andM.K. Hennessey.2004.Notesonthe statusandfire-relatedecologyof Strynion acis bartrarni. Journalof theLepidopterists’Society58(4):223-227.

Salvato,M.H., andH.L. Salvato.2008.Noteson thefeedingecologyof Stryinonads bartrami andAnaeatroglodytafloridalis. FloridaScientist.71: 323-329.

Salvato,M.H., andH.L. Salvato.2010.Noteson thestatusof Anaeatroglodytaflorida/is onBig PineKey.Newsof theLepidopterists’Society.52: 139-140.

Schwartz,A. 1987.Thebutterfliesof theLower FloridaKeys.Milwaukee PublicMuseum, Contributionsin Biology andGeology73:1-34.

Smith,D.S.,L.D. Miller, andJ.Y. Miller. 1994.TheButterfliesof theWestIndiesandSouth Florida.OxfordUniversityPress,New York.

Worth, R.A., K.A. Schwarz,andT.C. Emmel.1996.Noteson thebiologyof Strymonacis bartrami andAnaeatroglodytafloridalis in southFlorida.HolarcticLepidoptera3(2): 62-65.

Florida leafwing butterfly

Baggett,H.D. 1982.OrderLepidoptera.In R. Franz(ed.), Invertebrates.In P.C.Pritchard(ed.) RareandEndangeredBiota of Florida.Vol. 6. Invertebrates,78-81.UniversityPress, Gainesville,Florida.

Hennessey,M.K., andD.H. Habeck.1991.Effectsof mosquitoadulticidingonpopulationsof non-target,terrestrialarthropodsin theFloridaKeys.UnitedStatesDepartmentof Agriculture - AgriculturalResearchService.Miami, Florida.

Land,A. 2012.Email to Mark Salvato.NationalParkService.EvergladesNationalPark. Homestead,Florida.August8,2012.

Minno, M. 2009.Email to PaulaHalupa.Eco-Cognizant,Inc.Gainesville,Florida.February16, 2009.

Minno, M.C., andT.C. Emmel.1993.Butterfliesof theFloridaKeys.ScientificPublishers, Inc., Gainesville,Florida.

Opler,P.A.,andG.O.Krizek. 1984.Butterflieseastof theGreat Plains.TheJohnHopkins UniversityPress,Baltimore, Maryland.

95 Salvato,M.H. 1999.Factorsinfluencingthedeclining populationsof threebutterflyspeciesin SouthFloridaandthelowerFloridaKeys.M.S. Thesis.Universityof Florida, Gainesville,Florida.

Salvato,M.H. 2008.Commentson species assessment.U.S.FishandWildlife Service, South Florida EcologicalServicesOffice.VeroBeach,Florida.March 13-16,2008.

Salvato,M.H., andM.K. Hennessey.2003. Notesonthehistoric rangeandnaturalhistoryof Anaeatroglodytafloridalis. Journalof theLepidopterists’Society57(3):243-249.

Salvato,M.H., andH.L. Salvato.2010a.Noteson thestatus andecologyof Anacatroglodyta .floridalis in EvergladesNationalPark.Journalof theLepidopterists’Society.64:91-97. Salvato,M.H., andH.L. Salvato.2010b.Noteson thestatusof Anaeatroglodytafloridalis on Big PineKey.Newsof theLepidopterists’Society.52: 139-140.

Salvato,M.H., andH.L. Salvato.2OlOc.Parasiticmite larvae(Acari) on adultStrymonacis bartrami(Lycaenidae). Newsof theLepidopterists’Society.52:71.

Worth, R.A.,K.A. Schwarz,andT.C. Emmel.1996.Noteson thebiologyof Strymonacis bartrami andAnaeatroglodytaflorkialis in southFlorida. HolarcticLepidoptera3(2): 62-65.

Crenulate lead-plant

Fisher,J.B. 2000.Demographyof pinerocklandendangeredplant taxain Miami-DadeCounty. Final reportfor contract# 4743to theFloridaPlant ConservationProgram,Florida Departmentof Agriculture andConsumer Services,Gainesville,Florida.

FloridaDepartmentof Transportation.1997.Technicalmemorandum:endangeredand threatenedspecies assessmentfor StateRoad90/TamiamiTrail! S.W.8 Streetfrom S.R. 826/PalmettoExpresswayto S.W.27 Avenue,Miami-DadeCounty,Florida. Florida Departmentof TransportationDistrict Six; Miami, Florida

Koptur, 5. 2006. The conservationof specializedandgeneralizedpollinationsystemsin

subtropicalecosystems:a casestudy. Pages340-361 in N.M. WaserandJ. Ollerton,eds. Plant-PollinatorInteractionsfrom Specializationto Generalization.TheUniversityof ChicagoPress,Chicago,filinois.

Maschinski,J.,S.J.Wright, K.S.Wendelberger,J.Possley,andJ.Fisher. 2005. Conservationof SouthFloridaEndangeredandThreatenedFlora:2004-2005ProgramatFairchild Tropical BotanicGarden.Final ReportContract #009064.FloridaDepartmentof AgricultureandConsumerServices,Division of PlantIndustry,Gainesville,Florida.

96 Maschinski,J.,S.J.Wright, I. Possley,D. Powell,andV. Pence.2012. ConservationofSouth FloridaEndangeredandThreatenedFlora: 2011-2012 ProgramatFairchildTropical Garden.Final ReportContract#017162.FloridaDepartmentof Agricultureand ConsumerServices,Division of PlantIndustry,Gainesville,Florida.

Miami-DadeCountyDepartmentof EnvironmentalResourceManagement.1993. Endangered plantsof DadeCounty’spinerocklands.TechnicalReport93-5. Unpublishedreport preparedfor theU.S.FishandWildlife Service,Jacksonville, Florida.

Roncal,J.,J.B.Fisher,M.Q.N. Fellows,K.S. Wendelberger,J.Maschinski,andM.W. Fidelibus. 2006. Propagationprotocolfor theendangeredcrenulateleadplant,Amorpha het-bacea var.crenulata. NativePlantsJournal7(l):89-93.

U.S.FishandWildlife Service(Service). 1999. SouthFloridamulti-species recoveryplan. Fish andWildlife Service;Atlanta,Georgia.

U.S.Fish andWildlife Service.2006. Crenulatelead-plant(Amoipha crenulata). 5-year review: summaryandevaluation.U.S.FishandWildlife Service,SouthFlorida EcologicalServicesOffice,Vero Beach,Florida.

Blodgett’s silverbush

Bradley,K.A. 2007.Email to PaulaHalupa.TheInstitutefor RegionalConservation.Miami, Florida. March6, 2007.

Bradley,K.A., andG.D. Gann. 1999. Statussummariesof 12rockiandplanttaxain southern Florida. TheInstitutefor RegionalConservation.Reportsubmittedto theU.S.Fish and Wildlife Service,Vero Beach,Florida.

Hodges,S.R.,andK.A. Bradley.2006.Distributionandpopulationsizeof five candidateplant taxain theFloridaKeys:Argythamniablodgettii,Chamaecristalineatavar. keyensis, Indigoferamucronatavar.keyensis,Linum arenicola,andSideroxylon reclinatumsubsp. austrofloridense.TheInstitutefor Regional Conservation.Final ReportContractNumber 401815G011,submittedto U.S.FishandWildlife Service,Vero Beach,Florida.

Sadie,J.2007.Email to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida.November 29,2007.

Sadie,J. 2008a.Email to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida. December15,2008.

Sadie,3. 2008b.Email to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida.February 2, 2008.

97 Sadie,J.2010.Email to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida.January 28,2010.

Sadie,J.2011.Email to PaulaHalupa.EvergladesNationalPark.Homestead,Florida.January 3 1,2011.

Small,J.K. 1933. Manualof thesoutheasternflora. Universityof North CarolinaPress,Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

U.S.FishandWildlife Service. 2012. Speciesassessmentandlisting priority assignmentform. Argythamnia blodgettii. U.S.FishandWildlife Service, SouthFloridaEcological ServicesOffice, Vero Beach,Florida.

Florida brickell-bush

Bradley,K.A., andG.D. Gann.1999.Statussummariesof 12rocklandplanttaxain southern Florida.TheInstitutefor RegionalConservation.Reportsubmittedto theU.S.Fishand Wildlife Service,Vero Beach,Florida.

Bradley,K.A. 2007.Email to PaulaHalupa. TheInstitutefor RegionalConservation.Miami, Florida.March6, 2007.

Chafin,L.G. 2000.Field guideto therareplantsof Florida.FloridaNaturalAreasInventory. Tallahassee,Florida.

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Maschinski,J. andD. Walters. 2007. Demographyof Linum carterivar.carterigrowingin disturbedandundisturbedsites. In: Maschinski,J.,S.J.Wright, K.S. Wendelberger,J. Possley,D. Walters,J.Roncal,J.Stolt, C. Walters,andJ.Fisher. 2007.Conservationof southFlorida endangeredandthreatenedflora: 2006-2007 programatFairchildTropical Garden.Final reportcontract#011299.FloridaDepartmentof AgricultureandConsumer Services,Division of PlantIndustry,Gainesville,Florida.July2007. 109 Maschinski,J. andD. Walters. 2008. Growthto maturityof Linum carterivar.carteriattwo sites. In: Maschinski,J., S.J.Wright, J. Possley,J.Goodman,J.Roncal,V. Pence,D. Walters,S.Lewis,andN. Spencer.2008. Conservationof southFloridaendangeredand threatenedflora: 2007-2008programatFairchildTropicalGarden.Finalreportcontract #012863.FloridaDepartmentof AgricultureandConsumerServices,Division of Plant Industry,Gainesville,Florida. July2008.

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115 Figure 1. Pinerocklandhabitat.

EvergladesNationalPark ‘V

II 4’,’

Legend

CurrentPineRockland HistoricalPineRockland Figure2. Mapof Miami-DadeCountyPineRocklandPreserves.NavyWells Pineland Preservesare#s 2 and 15. DeeringEstatePreserveis #3. CampOwaissaBauerPreserve is #26. RichmondPinelandsis # 1. Nixon SmileyPinelandis #4. — Seebelowfor KEY

14 1 0 434

~24

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- 35433,~

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18 4 122 2O4-~9 1214

30

4 Data510 NOAhUS Nay, Oh C[UCC ~2flISV~,nnV

~ öO ~ ( KEY for Figure2 Map of Miami-DadeCountyPineRocklandPreserves:

OWNE ACRE # R NAME LOCATION S RICHMOND PINELANDS(ZOO, SW 184 ST& 1 PE LPT,MARTINEZ) 125 AVE 554 SW 356 ST& 2 PE NAVYWELLS 192 AVE 250 CHARLESDEERING SW 168 ST& 72 3 PE ESTATE AVE 137 NIXONSMILEY PINELAND& EEL SW 128 ST&

4 E ADDITION SW 130 AVE 112 BOYSTOWN SW 120 ST&

5 E PINELAND SW 142 AVE 80 CAMPOWAISSA SW 264 ST& 6 PE BAUER 170 AVE 64 QUAILROOST SW 200 ST& 7 E PINELAND SW147AVE 49 SW 224 ST&

8 E GOULDSPINELAND SW 120 AVE 42 SUNNYPALMS SW 368 ST&

9 E PINELAND SW 202 AVE 40 1 ROCKDALE SW 144 ST&

0 E PINELAND SW 92 AVE 29 1 TAMIAMI PINELAND SW 134 ST&

1 E COMPLEXADDITION SW122AVE 26 1 SEMINOLE WAYSIDE SW 300 ST& US 2 P & EELADDITION 1 26 1 FLORIDACITY SW3445T&

3 E PINELAND SW 185 AVE 24 1 SW4OST&72 4 PE AD BARNES AVE 22 1 NAVY WELLS SW 360 ST&

S E PINELAND#39 SW212AVE 20 1 PALMDRIVE SW 344 ST&

6 E PINELAND SW 212 AVE 20 1 SW184ST& 7 E EACHUSPINELAND SW 142 AVE 17 1 WESTBISCAYNE SW 288 ST&

8 E PINELAND SW 190 AVE 15 1 FUCHSHAMMOCK SW 304 ST&

9 E ADDITION SW 202 AVE 15

2 E NORTHROP 5W2965T& 12

118 0 SW 207 Ave 2 NEDGLENN SW188ST&

1 E PINELAND SW87 AVE 11 2 SW2885T&

2 E INGRAM PINELAND SW 167 AVE 10 2 SW146ST&

3 E LUDLAMPINELAND SW67AVE 10 2 SW74ST&SW 4 E TRINITYPINELAND 74 AVE 10 2 SW18OST&

S E WILKINS-PIERSON SW 163 AVE 10 2 OWAISSABAUER SW 264 ST&

6 E ADDITION SW 177 AVE 9 2 SILVERPALM SW232ST&

7 E GROVES SW139AVE 9 2 SW128ST& 8 PE PINE SHORE 112 AVE 8 2 5W1765T&79 9 PE BILLSADOWSKI AVE 7 3 SW336ST&

0 E ROCK PIT#39 SW 192 AVE 7 3 SW112ST&97 i P RONEHMAN AVE 7 3 ANDREWDODGE SW248ST&

2 E PINELAND SW 127 AVE S 3 BLACKCREEK SW216ST$SW

3 E FOREST 112 AVE S 3 SW4OST&79 4 PE TROPICAL AVE 5 3 SW2O8ST& 5 P MEDSOUTHPARK 129 AVE 4 3 R. HARDY SW 112 ST& 6 PE MATHESON OLDCUTLER 4 3 SW186ST&88 7 P WHISPERINGPINES CT 3

119 Figure3. SeminoleWaysidePark,Miami-DadeCounty, Florida.

SeminoleWayside - Units Ha Pineland

IZI EctIcDominated Nakielflees Ib.wgentrd 100 0 100 Feet Unit8

I DIII 013107 MrDedecotnty 3.1

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Unit7 4.1

Unit 4 1.9 Unit 3 3.2

Units 1.4 Unit 2 0.7 Unit I 3.1

—I.