® BISCAYNE NATIONAL BISCAYNE National Parks Conservation Association A Resource Assessment

january 2006 ®

Center for State of the Parks

More than a century ago, Congress established Yellowstone as the CONTENTS world’s first national park. That single act was the beginning of a remarkable and ongoing effort to protect this nation’s natural, his- torical, and cultural heritage. Today, Americans are learning that national park designation REPORT SUMMARY 1 alone cannot provide full resource protection. Many parks are com- promised by development of adjacent lands, air and water pollution, invasive and animals, and rapid increases in motorized recre- KEY FINDINGS 6 ation. Park officials often lack adequate information on the status of and trends in conditions of critical resources. The National Parks Conservation Association initiated the State of the Parks® program in 2000 to assess the condition of natural and PRESERVING THE CRYSTAL cultural resources in the parks, and determine how well equipped the CLEAR WATERS 8 is to protect the parks—its stewardship capaci- ty. The goal is to provide information that will help policy-makers, the public, and the National Park Service improve conditions in THE BISCAYNE ASSESSMENT 10 national parks, celebrate successes as models for other parks, and ensure a lasting legacy for future generations. NATURAL RESOURCES 10 For more information about the methodology and research used in preparing this report and to learn more about the Center for State Restoration and Preservation of the Parks®, visit www.npca.org/stateoftheparks or contact: NPCA, Amidst a Legacy of Ecological Center for State of the Parks®, 230 Cherry Street, Fort Collins, CO Change 80521; Phone: 970.493.2545; E-mail: [email protected]. CULTURAL RESOURCES 28 Since 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association has been More Protection Needed, the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhanc- ing our National Park System. NPCA and its 300,000 members and Especially For Submerged hundreds of partners work together to protect the park system and Archaeological Resources preserve our nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage for gen- erations to come. STEWARDSHIP CAPACITY 26 Volunteers and Partners Provide * More than 300,000 members Valuable Services * 8 regional offices * 35,000 activists

A special note of appreciation goes to those whose generous grants APPENDIX: METHODOLOGY 40 and donations made the report possible: Ben and Ruth Hammett, Tracy and Gene Sykes, the Efroymson Fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, and anonymous donors.

COVER PHOTO: TOM STACK region’s important commercialandrecreational ing habitatandnurserygrounds formostofthe forest remainingonFlorida’s eastcoast,provid- in theworld andthelongeststretchofmangrove protects partofthethird-largest coralreefsystem Park System (seemaponpage26).Thepark it oneofthelargestmarineparksinNational and encompassesmuchofBiscayne Bay, making southeastern marginoftheFloridapeninsula Biscayne NationalPark islocatedalongthe REPORT SUMMARY tus aristodemus ponceanus manatus including theWest Indianmanatee( The parkalsoharborsmany endangeredspecies, importance ofconservingthepark’s resources. windsurf, orfish,furtherunderscoringthe travel toBiscayne todive, ,canoe, kayak, fish, shellfish,andcrustaceans. Many visitors ), andSchausswallowtail butterfly( Historic structures andarchaeological ), Americancrocodile( ). Crocodylus acu- Trichechus Heraclides the world. systemin the third-largest Park protects of part Biscayne National

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1 Healthy marine ecosystems are criti- cal to recreational activities such as snor- keling, diving, canoe- ing, and fishing. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/JOHN BROOKS

2 ark yne National P Bisca

resources remain on some of the park’s keys, important fish populations; changes in the quan- while at least 44 lie beneath the park’s tity, quality, timing, and distribution of freshwa- waters, telling of the people who visited or lived ter flows; the direct destruction of benthic vegeta- in the region before the park was established. tion; the alteration or destruction of coastal wet- As with other natural areas in southern lands; saltwater intrusion in the ; , most notably National Park, and water and sediment contamination in areas major water diversion, drainage, and canal proj- directly adjacent to canals and creeks that drain ects throughout the 20th century have altered into the bay. Although the Comprehensive the natural hydrologic flows and ecological Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) currently processes that once characterized the region. under way in should address these has changed from a naturally func- and other issues affecting Biscayne Bay and tioning estuary driven by rain and groundwater Biscayne National Park, the plan competes with flows to an artificial system driven by controlled other priorities for limited funds. releases of freshwater from human-made canals, The park’s cultural resources also suffer as a which has damaged benthic communities and result of funding and staffing shortfalls. One harmed fisheries. curator manages more than 4.5 million archive Water projects, agricultural and urban devel- and museum collection items that belong to opment in south Florida, recreational and com- Biscayne and other south Florida national mercial fishing, and other activities continue to parks. The park lacks a Cultural Landscapes threaten Biscayne National Park’s resources and Management Program, needs several ethno- the health of the park. The park faces a compro- graphic studies, and lacks the staff and resources mised framework; dramatic declines in to document, monitor, and develop preservation strategies for more than 100 archaeological sites BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK AT A GLANCE listed in the Archaeological Sites Management Information System (ASMIS) database. • -Dade County is the only county in the to Biscayne’s base budget has increased by just 2 have two national parks within its borders. Biscayne and percent since 2001, and a base increase of at least Everglades provide important recreational opportunities for $465,000 is needed. Law enforcement staff are local residents and visitors of south Florida. The parks also responsible for dealing with illegal activities boost the region’s economy. In 2003, a conservative estimate of such as drug smuggling, visitor protection, and 490,000 visitors to Biscayne spent an estimated $23.33 million cultural and natural resources protection. and supported 426 jobs in the local economy (estimates gener- Adequately fulfilling all of these duties is impos- ated by the NPS Money Generation Model 2 developed at Michigan State University). sible with the minimal staffing and fund- 3 ing levels. • Biscayne National Park, which encompasses two-thirds of Additionally, the park lacks a Comprehensive Biscayne Bay, faces issues that arise because of its proximity to ark Interpretive Plan, required for all National Park the burgeoning multicultural population of Miami-Dade Service sites. This plan, which addresses desired County. A challenge facing park staff is how to adequately edu- visitor experiences within the park, would guide cate the diverse user community about the values and mission the park in developing short and long range of the Park Service to ensure that visitors enjoy the park in ways interpretation, education, and outreach goals to that complement rather than harm resource protection efforts. yne National P most effectively connect the public to the park. Bisca Initial steps to develop a Comprehensive • Biscayne National Park is home to the longest stretch of man- Interpretive Plan began in 2000, but work on grove forest remaining on Florida’s east coast, at least 16 threat- this document cannot continue until the park ened or endangered wildlife species, and part of the third- finishes its updated General Management Plan, longest chain of coral reefs in the world. Within Biscayne, coral a draft of which should be completed in 2006. reefs and the interlinked reef fisheries are the most threatened ecosystems because of human activities. RATINGS • The coastal waters of Biscayne National Park can be treacher- Current overall conditions of Biscayne’s known ous for large ships, as evidenced by the extensive collection of natural resources rated a score of 58 out of 100, shipwrecks now managed by the park. The wrecks hold valu- which is a “poor” rating. Ratings were assigned able information about the people who traveled to the region through an NPCA evaluation of park research in the last five centuries, provide a popular destination for and monitoring data using NPCA’s Center for snorkelers and divers, and serve as habitat for a variety of State of the Parks comprehensive assessment marine species. methodology (see Appendix). Challenges include dramatic changes to the region’s natural hydrology, effects of adjacent agricultural and urban development, threats to coral reef health, and .

Overall conditions of the park’s known cul- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE tural resources rated 48 out of a possible 100, also indicating “poor” conditions. Funding and staffing shortfalls make it difficult to properly protect resources. Biscayne lacks a cultural land- scapes program, and several ethnographic stud- ies are needed. Note: When interpreting the scores for natural resource conditions, recognize that critical information upon which the ratings are based is not always available. This limits data interpretation to some extent. For Biscayne National Park, 88 percent of the information require- ments associated with the methods were met.

RESOURCE CATEGORY CURRENT

NATURAL RESOURCES

Overall conditions 58 POOR 4 Environmental and Biotic Measures 61 Biotic Impacts and Stressors 58 Air 73 ark Water 50 Soils 86 Ecosystems Measures 47 Species Composition and Condition 56 yne National P Ecosystem Extent and Function 32 Bisca RATINGS SCALE

CRITICAL POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT

CULTURAL RESOURCES

Overall conditions 48 POOR Cultural Landscapes 28 Ethnography (Peoples and Cultures) 37 Historic Structures 55 Archaeology 58 Archival and Museum Collections 49 History 62

RATINGS SCALE

CRITICAL POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT

The findings in this report do not necessarily reflect past or current park management. Many factors that affect resource conditions are a result of both human and natural influences over long periods of time, in many cases before a park was established. The intent of the Center for State of the Parks® is to document the present status of park resources and determine which actions can be taken to protect them into the future.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

• New General Management Plan. and provide for continued recreational Biscayne is in the process of updating its fishing opportunities. General Management Plan (GMP) to • Coral Nursery Program. Biscayne has replace the last plan that was developed established an innovative program in 1983. Work on this update began in focused on restoring damaged reefs with 2000 and the park expects to release a grown in a field nursery rather than draft GMP in 2006. Public input on the using corals from undamaged reefs. Coral plan will be solicited through public meet- 5 fragments rescued from grounding sites ings, open houses, mailings, and the are raised in the protected areas of the

park’s web site (www.nps.gov/bisc/). ark park, and once they are large enough to • Damage Recovery Program. In 1995, survive the rigors of the coral reef environ- Biscayne established the Damage ment, they are transplanted back on the Recovery Program to address seagrass damaged reef. Transponders with unique and coral reef habitats damaged by boats identification numbers are embedded in yne National P

running aground in the park. The goal of the transplants, allowing researchers to Bisca this program is to restore the resources electronically monitor individual coral that have been damaged; limit the physi- fragment growth and survival rates. cal damage to natural resources caused • Ecosystem Restoration. Biscayne is par- by groundings; and develop more effec- ticipating with other agencies on the tive law enforcement, resource manage- Comprehensive Ecosystem Restoration ment, and education strategies to prevent Plan (CERP) projects for the Biscayne Bay future incidents. Coastal Wetlands, RECOVER Southern • Program. Biscayne has Estuaries team and State Water a wealth of submerged archaeological Regulations (such as Initial Reservations resources, and the park is a leader in and Minimum Flows and Levels) to ensure in the Park adequate water volume, timing, and Service. Staff recently authored an under- delivery to the park and other portions of water archaeological site-monitoring pro- Biscayne Bay. Currently, the park receives gram that redefines site documentation inadequate freshwater that is delivered as standards and could improve point source discharges, which damage protection nationwide. fisheries resources and benthic (living at or near the bottom) communities. This • Fisheries Management Plan. In coopera- water is also threatened by redirection to tion with the Florida Fish and Wildlife urban and other water interests. These Conservation Commission, Biscayne is CERP projects are the means by which the developing a Fisheries Management Plan park may protect its existing water and scheduled for completion in early 2006. request additional water for restoration. The plan will guide fisheries management These projects are threatened by a lack of activities for the next ten to 15 years by funding for land acquisition and construc- promoting management actions that will tion associated with restoration and a lead to viable fish populations and habitat more natural distribution of freshwater.

KEY FINDINGS

• Biscayne’s base budget has increased by and sea turtles, which are often near the just 2 percent since 2001 for a fiscal year surface, are also at risk of being hit by 2005 budget of $3.53 million. The park boats. Boaters need to be educated to needs an additional $300,000 to maintain be aware of their surroundings at all times current staffing and service levels. A base and use extreme caution in shallow areas budget increase of at least $465,000 is to avoid damaging underwater resources needed to increase law enforcement and and wildlife. 6 maintenance capabilities so that visitor • Though only short-term, inconclusive facilities, services, and resource protec- trend data are available, coral reef cover

ark tion efforts meet the park’s stated in Biscayne National Park has declined Government Performance and Results from 1984 to 2000, both for terrestrial Act (GPRA) goals. bank-barrier reefs (from 29 percent to 11 • Critical needs at Biscayne include rebuild- percent) and patch reefs (from 26 percent yne National P ing visitor protection capabilities, improv- to 17 percent). Species diversity within

Bisca ing the ability to meet recurrent mainte- coral reefs has declined by 13 to 29 per- nance needs (particularly related to boat cent from 1989 to 1991. repairs), and enhancing the ability to work • Recent studies suggest that up to 27 of 35 with other agencies’ ecosystem restora- fish species examined in Biscayne tion staff on park issues. National Park are overfished; 13 of these • Important unfilled or unfunded posi- species can be legally taken at sizes that tions include a maintenance mechanic, are below their size of sexual maturity. facility management specialist, water Through the Fisheries Management Plan, quality specialist, biologist, environmen- the park is working with other regulatory tal education ranger, small craft opera- agencies to address these issues. tor, and law enforcement rangers. • Coastal wetland communities that form Additional needs include a staff person the western edge of Biscayne National with historic preservation expertise, a Park have been fundamentally changed resource management/interpretive divi- from pristine conditions. Already greatly sion liaison to better inform the public diminished in extent outside of the park of high profile resource related park boundaries by urban and agricultural projects (including ecosystem restora- land uses, the spatial extent and distribu- tion), and an archaeologist. tion of these coastal communities has • Biscayne National Park faces a variety of shifted, most likely because of changes in challenges because of its proximity to salinity caused by drainage activities and Miami and the changes to the landscape perhaps . Scrub caused by urban development. have extended inland and freshwater marshes have declined in size and extent. • Boats running aground on coral reefs or in seagrass beds can severely damage • Tropical hardwood hammocks that occur these ecosystems. Protected manatees on islands within the park harbor many 7 ark NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION/DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE yne National P Bisca

rare and endemic species. Hammocks on Places, is needed to guide development a few islands have suffered previous habi- of a cyclic maintenance plan to ensure tat destruction, and existing habitat still sensitive maintenance practices and loss faces threats, particularly from invasive, mitigation of the district’s ten historic non-native species. structures.

• One curator manages the museum col- • Biscayne needs a complete survey of lections of Biscayne National Park, Big both terrestrial and underwater archaeo- Cypress National Preserve, logical resources; part of this effort could National Park, and Everglades National be accomplished by filling the park’s Park. These collections include more vacant archaeologist position. than 4.5 million items; 93 percent of • Traditional use studies, oral histories, Biscayne’s more than 700,000 items are and in-depth ethnographies are needed uncataloged and inaccessible. To correct to help the park better understand tradi- the deficiencies, at least four positions tionally associated groups of people, need to be filled: an archivist, archives and the park needs a Native American technician, museum technician, and a Graves Protection and Repatriation Act registrar to be shared among the south (NAGPRA) agreement with identified Florida national parks. traditionally associated groups. This will • A historic structures report for Boca Chita become increasingly important as arti- Key, which is recognized as a historic dis- facts are uncovered during continuing trict in the National Register of Historic archaeology projects. PRESERVING THE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATERS

8 ark yne National P Bisca NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/RICHARD COMPTON

Biscayne National Approximately 5,000 years ago, seawater inun- bay, contains some of the best-preserved parts Park is a favorite dated a limestone depression and formed pres- of the bay. recreation destination. ent-day Biscayne Bay, a shallow (average depth Creation of Biscayne National Park was not is less than one meter) subtropical lagoon, a simple process. Agricultural and urban devel- which is the largest estuary on the southeast opment had been increasing in south Florida coast of Florida. Biscayne Bay teams with fish since the turn of the 20th century, and resort and wading birds, and its crystal clear waters and vacation home development followed as reveal the magnificent colors of the benthic more people became aware of the region’s sub- communities beneath. Biscayne National Park, tropical climate and recreational opportuni- which encompasses about two-thirds of the ties. Populations grew and the natural environ- ment was further altered. Between 1910 and center of in attempts to despoil the 1940, artificial islands were built in north area—Congress approved creation of Biscayne Biscayne Bay by dredging the bay bottom, National Monument in 1968. The park grew in while other areas were filled. The number of size in 1974; it grew again in 1980 and was hotels on Miami Beach increased from 60 to redesignated as Biscayne National Park. The 250 between 1930 and 1939. In the 1950s and park now encompasses about 70,000 hectares 1960s, some developers wanted to connect (173,000 acres), 95 percent of which include south Biscayne Bay’s eastern barrier islands marine waters. with a series of causeways, roads, and bridges. Biscayne National Park is a special place that Setting aside lands and waters as part of a has increasingly become a refuge for those seek- Settlers on Elliott Key national park was becoming more and more ing peaceful recreation amidst the burgeoning who opposed cre- ation of a national urgent as natural ecosystems were dramatically growth of Miami, a whose development has 9 park bulldozed a changed. While the idea of a park had many already engulfed northern Biscayne Bay, chang- road that came to be champions, including vacuum cleaner mag- ing its natural physical structure, ocean circula- called “Spite ark nate Herbert W. Hoover, Jr., some local tion, depth and topography, (amount Highway.” Today landowners fought against park establishment. of sediment suspended in the water), and salin- much vegetation has regrown and rangers Despite their opposition and anti-park tac- ity patterns. In fact, it is the park’s proximity to lead hikes down the tics—landowners bulldozed a 125-foot-wide Miami and its urban environment that presents old road during the yne National P swath, now called “Spite Highway,” down the the greatest resource challenge. winter months. Bisca KODAK/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/NEIL MONTANUS THE BISCAYNE ASSESSMENT

10 ark yne National P Bisca NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Biscayne’s coral reefs NATURAL RESOURCES— historic alterations to natural freshwater flows are alive with colorful RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION to Biscayne Bay, but are also associated with fish, coral, and other AMIDST A LEGACY OF ECOLOGICAL ongoing commercial and recreational activi- marine creatures. CHANGE ties both inside and immediately adjacent to the park. Chief among these factors are sub- The assessment rated the overall condition of minimal freshwater flow and poor water qual- natural resources at Biscayne National Park a ity entering the park, overfishing, salinity, res- 58 out of 100, which ranks park resources in idential and agricultural development, and “poor” condition. Prominent factors influenc- boat groundings. ing the ratings are principally associated with HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT OF MIAMI- had been filtered through freshwater marshes. DADE COUNTY—ENVIRONMENTAL There was also considerable groundwater flow ALTERATIONS PRESENT AN ONGOING into Biscayne Bay as the water in inte- RESOURCE PROTECTION CHALLENGE rior marshes drove subsurface flows eastward Sawgrass plains and freshwater marl marshes from the Everglades. once bordered Biscayne Bay on the mainland, Agricultural uses began to dominate the while a series of discontinuous islands and region in the early part of the 20th century, and shoals lay to the east. Increasing human settle- then were gradually replaced by urban uses dur- ment and development of southeast Florida ing the latter half of the century as populations during the last century has substantially altered in the greater Miami region grew at unprece- the natural setting. Increasing salinity has forced dented rates. To promote both agricultural and 11 the sawgrass plains to retreat westward, and in urban uses, massive water diversion and areas that have not been directly altered by drainage projects were undertaken in south development, habitat has shifted to more salt- Florida to alleviate flooding in areas that had ark tolerant systems. once been sloughs and freshwater marshes. Biscayne Bay in conjunction with Barnes These areas were then developed. and Card sounds serve as the principal eastern Major drainage and canal projects that took

outlet of Everglades flow into the Florida shape under the auspices of the Central and yne National P Southern Florida Project for Control Straits. Historically, the bay received signifi- Bisca cant freshwater input from the greater (known as the C&SF project), passed by the U.S. Everglades system. The water that Biscayne Congress in 1948, fundamentally transformed Bay received prior to the mid-20th century the natural hydrology of the region. They was clear and low in particulates because it altered the volume, distribution, and timing of

Massive water diver- sion and drainage projects transformed the natural hydrology of the region. BRETT SEYMOUR/SUBMERGED RESOURCES CENTER freshwater inputs into Biscayne Bay; resulted in Continued alteration of the bay environ- significant changes in benthic and coastal habi- ment came with a price. Bay waters and sedi- tats, as well as changes to the estuarine system ments were contaminated by agricultural runoff toward a marine community structure; and and sewage, and during the 1990s scientists allowed for saltwater intrusion of the Biscayne found a correlation between fish deformities aquifer, the potable water supply for all of and of hydrocarbon pollutants southeast Florida. The C&SF project degraded in the bay. Pollution hotspots were noted water quality; forced an approximate 6-foot around canals or creek inputs into the bay: drop in the water table; and increased turbidity Biscayne Canal, Arch Creek, Little River, Miami of water flowing toward the bay. River, and Black Creek, all in the northern bay Modifications to Biscayne Bay itself, especial- except for Black Creek, which drains directly 12 ly the northern portions of the bay closest to into park waters. Miami, also contributed to problems. ark Modifications included the construction of two CONTEMPORARY ADJACENT LAND artificial inlets; dredging of the bay bottom by USE—RESOURCE STABILITY FURTHER up to 40 feet; the construction of many artificial THREATENED islands and causeways; the construction of the A complex matrix of urban, agricultural, and

yne National P , an 8-foot-deep and 75- natural areas surrounds Biscayne National Park. foot-wide channel that was dredged from north The highly developed urban and industrial Bisca to south to allow ships to pass through the bay; areas of Miami shift to a mixture of agricultural Development next to and the destruction of coastal wetlands border- and suburban developments just south of the the park threatens ing the bay. For example, 80 hectares of man- city, while undeveloped coastal wetlands domi- resources. Establish- grove forest in southern were nate even farther south. ing a buffer between destroyed for developments that later failed. In Populations in south Florida have exploded the park and adja- addition to these modifications, raw sewage was in the last century, especially in Miami-Dade cent development would help mitigate dumped directly into the bay from the 1930s County. In 1900, fewer than 5,000 people lived these threats. until the late 1940s. in the county; the population is projected to reach nearly three million people by 2020. The population of Homestead/Florida City, which borders Biscayne National Park, is expected to top more than 50,000 by 2008, nearly double the population recorded in the 2000 census. Increased population growth further strains the limited freshwater supply; generates more

COURTESY OF WWW.FLORIDAPHOTO.COM water and air pollution; and decreases ground- water recharge because of impenetrable surfaces such as buildings, roads, and parking lots. Adjacent land use plays an important role in the quantity and quality of waters entering Biscayne Bay. In general, stream flows from urban areas occur more rapidly and over a shorter period of time than flows from vegetat- ed or wetland areas, leading to “flashier” sys- tems with pulsed surface water inputs and reduced groundwater inputs. Overland water

continued on page 14 PROJECTS AIMED AT RESTORING SOUTH FLORIDA’S ECOSYSTEMS

A variety of restoration projects are planned for south Florida and Biscayne National Park. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is the regional pro- ELIZABETH MEYERS gram designed to restore south Florida’s ecosystem while providing flood control and water supply services to an expanding human population. Currently, the projects that will benefit Biscayne Bay are all suffering 13 from decreased funding in conjunction with

increased costs. ark Although not yet approved, the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project (BBCW) is one of 68 planned CERP projects. The BBCW

Project encompasses 5,500 hectares (13,600 yne National P acres), including the park’s entire mainland, and is designed to restore estuarine function Bisca and provide habitat for fish and wildlife in the bay by redistributing water flow. Specific objectives include re-establishing the oyster reef community and productive nursery Although both projects have associated Projects aim to restore habitat for the many fish, shellfish, and crus- pilot projects, only the Lake Belt Reservoir is estuarine function and taceans that rely on the bay, as well as recon- currently authorized in order to determine provide habitat for fish and and wildlife necting the estuarine wetlands to the adja- the feasibility of using the technologies on a in Biscayne Bay. cent freshwater wetlands. The project will larger scale. The Wastewater Reuse pilot divert canal flow through coastal marshes project has been identified as the only and creeks, which should help re-establish source of additional water for the bay, but productive nursery habitat along the shore- the project has not been funded and is not line, re-establish a stable persistent estuar- recommended for funding until 2012. ine zone, and reduce the abrupt freshwater In addition to coastal wetland restoration discharges that are physiologically stressful projects, Biscayne National Park is currently to fish and benthic invertebrates in the bay developing two Programmatic Restoration near canal outlets. Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact While the BBCW Project aims to provide Statement (RP/PEIS) documents to address better storage to attenuate flows to coral reef and seagrass restoration in the Biscayne National Park and Biscayne Bay by park. These plans will aid managers in fulfill- increasing wetland habitat, other CERP proj- ing the park’s purpose of preserving and ects aim to restore the historic quantity of protecting seagrasses and coral reefs by water delivered to the bay. Two of these, the helping staff determine when restoration is Wastewater Reuse and the Lake Belt needed, identifying a range of restoration Reservoir projects, are based upon minimal- methods and techniques, and guiding ly tested and uncertain technologies. selection of the most appropriate methods. BISCAYNE’S FEDERALLY LISTED flows into Biscayne Bay have been virtually eliminated in the northern bay, but are still THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES prevalent in the extant coastal wetlands border- ing the southern bay. Endangered Urban and industrial complexes in the Green (Chelonia mydas) northern bay contaminate freshwater sources (Eretmochelys imbricata) with chemicals and sewage. Agricultural lands, (Trichechus manatus) which comprise about 8 percent of Miami-Dade (Crocodylus acutus) County and border the park and parts of Schaus swallowtail butterfly (Heraclides aristodemus ponceanus) Biscayne Bay, contaminate bay waters with (Pristis pectinata) nutrients and pesticides. The South Miami- 14 cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola) Dade Landfill at Black Point on the bay is a Wood stork (Mycteria americana) known source of contaminants, and litigation is ark Least tern (Sterna antillarum) pending involving contamination from the Beach jacquemontia (Jacquemontia reclinata) South Miami-Dade sewage treatment Johnson’s seagrass (Halophila johnsoni) adjacent to the landfill. Increased adjacent development has long

yne National P Threatened been identified as a threat to Biscayne National (Caretta caretta) Park. Establishing a buffer between the park and Bisca Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) adjacent development would help mitigate Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon corias couperi) these threats, but funds to support land acquisi- (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) tion have never been allocated. (Alligator mississippiensis) Within the past decade, state and local offi- cials have initiated land acquisition programs: Candidate the Florida Save Our Rivers (SOR) Program ( cervicornus) and Miami-Dade County’s Environmentally (Acropora palmata) Endangered Lands (EEL) Program. These pro- Florida semaphore ( corallicola) grams have identified lands adjacent to the park boundary as environmentally important lands to acquire. With the inception of CERP, the funds set aside to purchase these previous- ly identified parcels have been redirected to support the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE project, a CERP project that recommends pur- chasing many of the same areas affecting Biscayne National Park. With the recent ero- sion of CERP funding, this project is now being downsized to fit the reduced budget rather than the restoration project that is needed to meet the protection and preserva- tion goals identified by multiple agencies under the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project and the original SOR and EEL land acquisition projects. All corals in Biscayne are included on state or federal protection lists. PAIGE GILL/ NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 15 ark yne National P Bisca

NATIVE SPECIES—BIODIVERSITY AT per (Schinus terebinthifolius), Australian pine RISK FROM INTRODUCED SPECIES (Casuarina equisetifolia), sisal hemp (Agave Biscayne National Park is renowned for harbor- sisalana) and seaside mahoe (Thespesia populnea). ing many commercially and recreationally The Park Service has partnered with the Florida important fish and shellfish, and for providing Department of Environmental Protection to nursery grounds for many coral reef species. The fight these four highly invasive species; other park is home to at least 325 fish and macro- non-native invaders still persist. invertebrate, 200 bird, about 30 mammal and There have been no quantitative surveys of reptile, and six amphibian species. non-native freshwater fish species in the Biscayne Bay and the coastal wetlands and creeks and canals that enter Biscayne uplands that surround it also provide critical National Park, though there have been a few habitat for more than 172 species of concern— qualitative distribution studies. A group of species that are included on at least one state or six non-native Mayan cichlids (Cichlasoma federal protection list. All coral species are either urophthalamus) was observed in 2001, and state or federally listed. In Biscayne National one individual was caught in a seine by park Park, there are at least 16 federally endangered staff in 2004. The Mayan cichlid has the or threatened species and an additional three potential to disrupt native aquatic communi- species are candidates for listing. ties, particularly through competition and More than 450 plant species live in the park, . Additional surveys are needed to but 130 of them are non-native. Of these, 14 are determine what other non-native fish are listed on the Florida Exotic Pest Council’s list of present in the park and if any pose threats to most invasive species, including: Brazilian pep- native species. wetlands changed freshwater flows from the Everglades into Biscayne Bay and affected water exchanges between freshwater and saline wetlands. As a result, coastal wetlands changed: salt-tolerant species, especially man- groves, have expanded inland, encroaching on NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/P. BISHOP freshwater marshes. Currently, the western movement of saltwater is bounded by the L- 31E levee, the levee. The freshwa- ter wetlands that once existed east of the levee have been replaced by mangrove communi- 16 ties, and the areas west are isolated by the levee and owned by private individuals. In ark addition, private individuals also own the area between the levee and the park. Although it is not possible to know in detail what the pre-disturbance coastal wetlands

yne National P were like, it is evident that the wetlands of today differ greatly from their pre-drainage Bisca state. Freshwater marshes, which by 1940 had been degraded relative to 1928 aerial photo- graphs, are now in even worse condition. The remaining freshwater marsh has retreated Mangroves, which COASTAL WETLANDS—HABITAT inland, and tidal creeks that provided habitat grow along the CHANGES AND BIODIVERSITY LOSSES for various woody species and tall mangrove shoreline, shelter fish AFFECT MANGROVE COMMUNITIES forests have been filled or disturbed and now and other wildlife. Biscayne’s coastal wetland communities repre- support non-native and mangroves, sent one of the few remaining tracts of coastal removing nursery habitat for fish and other wetlands in southeastern Florida. Disturbance organisms. Tidal flows now penetrate the inte- of the region’s natural hydrological cycle has rior much less often and are limited by the altered the park’s wetlands from their natural eastern levee system. The connections between condition, but restoration of some of their nat- the saltwater and freshwater systems are neces- ural structure and function might be possible. sarily bounded by the L-31E levee. The technol- When Biscayne National Monument was ogy exists to allow for positive freshwater and established in 1968, coastal wetlands had nutrient flow into the bay without permitting been extensively altered during attempts to saltwater movement inland. convert them into agricultural lands and to Changes in vegetation have resulted in regulate flooding and mosquito populations. changes in both terrestrial and marine wildlife Before the area was artificially drained, fresh- communities. Before drainage projects disrupt- water marshes dominated by sawgrass ed freshwater flows, coastal wetlands bordering (Cladium jamaicense Cranz) are believed to Biscayne Bay likely served as foraging habitat for have extended nearly to the coast of Biscayne wading birds like roseate spoonbills (Ajaia Bay, separated from it in some places by a nar- ajaia). American alligators (Alligator mississippi- row fringe of mangrove forest. A series of ensis) also might have used the tidal creeks and canals and ditches built through the coastal surrounding marshes of Biscayne Bay before they were altered. Crocodiles and some coastal MANATEES—HUMAN ACTIVITIES THREATEN bird rookeries were much more prevalent. Loss THESE GENTLE MARINE GIANTS of the connection between the freshwater wet- lands and Biscayne Bay has resulted in decreased wading bird habitat, decreased forage The West Indian manatee is one of Biscayne National Park’s most fish habitat for game fish, decreased juvenile endangered species. These docile, bewhiskered marine mam- fish habitat, and a serious disruption of the mals live in the shallow coastal waters of Florida and neighboring ecosystem related to the loss of wetlands and states, and are also found in some freshwater rivers and streams. the need for drainage that results in severe They are herbivorous, feeding regularly on seagrass and other changes in salinity over short time frames. submerged vegetation, and grow to be about nine to ten feet Mangrove-lined shores shelter juvenile and long and weigh about 1,000 pounds. subadult gray snapper, schoolmaster snap- Human activities pose the greatest threats to these animals. 17 per (Lutjanus apodus), and great barracuda Collisions with boat hulls and propellers can injure or kill mana- (Sphyraena barracuda). These animals are sensi- tees; the incidence of propeller scarring is so high that ark tive to the serious changes in salinity that range researchers use the scars to identify individuals. Manatees are from hypersaline to freshwater in a matter of also injured or killed in water control floodgates and by fishing hours, while overall high salinity persists well gear. Habitat destruction is another key threat to the species. into the . Loss of mangroves in some Manatees are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection yne National P northern parts of Biscayne Bay, loss of freshwa- Act (1972), the Endangered Species Act (1973), and the Florida Bisca ter wetlands, and salinity alterations have result- Marine Sanctuary Act (1978). A variety of state, federal, and pri- ed in a loss of habitat for these species. vate agencies and organizations work to protect manatees and Protecting the lands to the west of Biscayne their habitat. Creating sanctuaries and other protected areas, National Park from development and recon- enforcing reduced boat speeds in known areas of manatee use, necting them to the park and the bay would and educating the public about manatees and how to protect benefit the natural communities through them are important conservation efforts. improved habitat while benefiting the human When traveling in manatee habitat, it is critical to: population by preventing development in the • Obey all posted speed limits area listed by Miami-Dade County emergency management as a high zone because of • Use caution when traveling in shallow waters storm surge and flooding potential. • Wear polarized sunglasses to help spot submerged manatees and other wildlife such as sea turtles CORAL REEFS—DIVERSE, COMPLEX ECOSYSTEMS AT RISK Coral reefs are among the most diverse and complex ecosystems in the world. They are often considered the rainforests of the oceans, harboring a wealth of biodiversity and natural chemicals, which may have importance for human health. While coral reefs cover just 0.2 percent of the oceans’ area, they are estimated to provide habitat for 33 percent of all marine fish species and countless other species. They house a complex community of organisms; GAYLEN RATHBURN / US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE support economically important fisheries; attract tourism dollars for the diving, fishing,

tional on reefs come from extensive recreational and commercial fishing and care- less boating activities. A decline in reef health in southeastern NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Florida and the Florida Keys is well document- ed by various studies. Live coral cover in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary decreased by 38 percent from 1996 to 1999, and observations of coral disease increased. Over the past several decades, coverage and species abundance on coral reefs within 18 Biscayne National Park and the south Tract has also declined. Coral cover was ark measured in the early 1980s on transitional bank-barrier and patch reefs in the park at 29 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Nearly two decades later, coral cover was 11 percent

yne National P on transitional bank-barrier reefs and 17 per- cent on patch reefs in the park. From 1989 to Bisca Corals are reattached and boating industries; and protect shorelines 1991, both bank-barrier and patch reefs in to reefs damaged by from erosion. Biscayne National Park also experienced a vessel groundings. The Florida Reef Tract extends from Fowey decline in coral diversity (number of species) Rocks on the northern boundary of Biscayne of between 13 and 29 percent. National Park to Loggerhead Reef on the western Loss of the coral reef ecosystem, or major boundary of Dry Tortugas National Park. Coral components of the coral reef community, will reefs cover about half of Biscayne National Park have a cascading effect on mangrove, seagrass, and are composed of a complex assortment of and hardbottom ecosystems found in the park approximately four thousand patch reefs. because they are all highly interconnected and Of the different ecosystems found in interdependent. Biscayne National Park, reefs are the most Overfishing is the greatest direct threat to threatened by known and unknown human- the coral reefs in Biscayne National Park, and caused pressures, and their functional process- has dramatically altered reef fish populations es are the least understood. Several interacting throughout the Florida Keys. Pressure comes factors have prompted scientists to label this not only from commercial fishing, which is ecologically, economically, and aesthetically allowed in Biscayne National Park according unique system an “ecosystem at risk.” Florida to the park’s enabling legislation, but also reefs are located near the northernmost limit from recreational fishing in south Florida, of reef development and adjacent to a large which has grown exponentially since 1964, and rapidly growing urban center, making this with no limits on the number of boats allowed system especially vulnerable to coral distur- to fish. Overfishing not only affects the size of bances like , sedimentation, harvestable stocks but also can lead to major and pollution commonly associated with shifts in community structure, both of fish coastal development. Southeast Florida has species and reef communities as a whole. considerable industrial and agricultural activi- Overfishing can lead to short-term losses in ties that pollute nearshore waters, and addi- biodiversity—the loss of species with critical roles in the ecosystem—and may also lower Vessels that run aground also damage these the resilience of the reef to other threats. fragile systems. At Biscayne National Park, there Specific ecological services provided by the reef have been five major coral reef groundings ecosystem can also be affected: aesthetic quali- since 1980. About 200 groundings—where ves- ty, shoreline protection, fisheries production, sels are stuck on the reef or in the shallows long and carbonate production. enough to be observed or to require commer- Protection of Biscayne’s coral reef fisheries cial assistance to get off—are reported annual- resources is essential to the long-term health of ly. Ten percent of these documented ground- the reefs and recreational activities such as ings occur on reefs, in addition to an unknown and diving that depend on healthy number of undocumented reef groundings reefs. Several, mostly very small, no-take each year. Each of these smaller groundings zones—areas where harvesting fish is prohibit- damages between five and 150 square meters of 19 ed—have been established in the Florida Keys reef, usually requiring rehabilitative action to National Marine Sanctuary to conserve dwin- stabilize broken coral colonies, salvage coral Prop scars mar sea- ark dling fish stocks, and early results show fragments, and limit further damage. grass beds through- out Florida’s waters, improvements. However, to date, the National Park staff try to reach as many visitors as pos- and damaged sea- Park Service has not set aside any no-take sible to educate them about avoiding reefs and grasses can take reserves within Biscayne National Park. groundings, but with so few staff and so many years to recover. yne National P Bisca HAROLD HUDSON/FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY Indian manatee, listed as an endangered species in 1967, lives in the bay and feeds on aquatic plants such as manatee grass. Although few sea turtles nest within Biscayne National Park com- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE pared with areas north or south of the park, the animals are commonly seen feeding in seagrass meadows, a critical habitat between the reefs and in Biscayne Bay. Seagrass communities of the Biscayne Bay and systems together cover an esti- mated 550,000 hectares of southern coastal 20 Florida and form one of the largest seagrass sys- tems in the world. The major seagrass species in ark Biscayne Bay—turtlegrass (), shoal grass (), and manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme)—together cover 64 percent of the total area of the bay. Widgeon

yne National P When a vessel runs visitors and potential access points, this is a grass (Ruppia maritime) occurs in the mouths of aground in a sea- canals and rivers where salinity is lower, and Bisca challenging task. Developing and maintaining a grass bed, the pro- navigational aids program to warn boaters of Johnson’s seagrass (Halophila johnsoni) is found pellers cut or uproot seagrasses, leaving a shallow waters and other would help in small patches in central Biscayne Bay, its “scar.” decrease the number of groundings. southern limit along the Atlantic Coast in Diseases, increasing levels of greenhouses Florida. Johnson’s seagrass was first recognized gases in the atmosphere, and rising sea surface as a separate species in 1980 and has been fed- also affect coral reef health. erally protected since 1998 under the Endangered Species Act. SEAGRASSES—COMMUNITIES ARE Seagrass habitat in Biscayne Bay is most PREDOMINANTLY HEALTHY YET extensive in the central bay, where 75 percent of FRAGILE the bottom is rooted vascular vegetation, and The seagrass communities of Biscayne Bay serve least extensive outside Biscayne National Park many important functions, including: providing in the northern bay, where human activities habitat and food to commercially and recre- have altered the environment so extensively that ationally important fish and shellfish and threat- normal seagrass communities are not observed ened and endangered species; acting as nutrient north of the Port of Miami. and sediment traps; and stabilizing the bottom Seagrass communities are affected by degrad- substrate. Among myriad other species, seagrass ed water quality, turbidity, salinity changes, communities support pink shrimp (Penaeus duo- water changes, interruption of over- rarum), spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), blue crab land flow of freshwater to the wetland fringe, (Callinectes sapidus), spotted sea trout (Cynoscion unnatural amounts and timing of freshwater nebulosus), red drum (Sciaenops ocellata), snook releases from canals, propeller scarring, and (Centropomus undecimalis), and gray snapper destruction or perturbation of coastal wetlands. (Lutjanus griseus). Boating impacts are the most common and Biscayne Bay is an important refuge for juve- pervasive form of physical damage to seagrasses, nile spiny lobster, and a large portion of the bay especially in the populated areas of northern is designated as a lobster sanctuary. The West Biscayne Bay but also within Biscayne National Park. In Biscayne Bay, the of boat- TROPICAL HARDWOOD HAMMOCKS— ing activities in small areas of the northern and RARE PLANT SPECIES TAKE REFUGE central bays has led to local areas of moderate to IN THESE UNIQUE HABITATS severe prop scarring. Biscayne National Park encompasses 42 islands, When a vessel runs aground in a seagrass bed, which occur as a narrow chain about eight to 14 the propellers normally cut or uproot seagrasses, kilometers east of the mainland shoreline on leaving a "scar." The damage can take 15 years or the eastern side of Biscayne Bay. A few large, ele- more to recover, and in areas of high currents, vated islands provide habitat for upland hard- the seagrass may never grow back. Of the 200 wood forests. documented groundings in the park each year, Elliott Key, at 13 kilometers long and less about 90 percent occur in shallows that are often than a kilometer wide (668 hectares), is the 21 covered by seagrass. Damage in Biscayne Bay is park’s largest island and part of the Florida Keys, concentrated in the northern bay near Miami which extend in a 210-kilometer-long chain where recreational boat traffic is dense, and in south to . Biscayne National Park’s ark the central bay in popular fishing and high traf- other large islands include: fic areas that have complicated and/or shallow (259 hectares), (169 hectares), Totten depth and topography and near cuts providing Key (154 hectares), and Little (80 access between bay and ocean waters. hectares). These islands, which are all part of the yne National P Localized water temperature changes also extensive Florida Keys system, support small, Bisca affect seagrasses. Turtlegrass, like most marine but critically important, hardwood forests that organisms, cannot survive in waters that are together cover about 40.5 hectares and support warmer than about 35 degrees Celsius (95 F). A several rare and endangered species. 50 percent decline in density of turtlegrass was Biscayne National Park’s hardwood ham- measured when summer water temperatures were 3 to 4 degrees above the ambient tempera- ture of 30 degrees Celsius. In the late 1960s, thermal pollution from the Florida Power and Light Turkey Point Power Plant raised water temperatures by as much as 6 degrees Celsius and caused seagrasses around cooling canal out- flows to die. Human activities in the Biscayne Bay water- BRETT SEYMOUR/SUBMERGED RESOURCES CENTER shed and in the bay itself have led to a decline in water quality that has affected seagrass dis- tribution. Through the 1990s and more recent- ly, continued efforts to improve water quality in the Biscayne watershed have been success- ful. Despite urbanization and other develop- ment in north Biscayne Bay, water quality in much of the remainder of the estuary is good.

Since controls on direct discharge and sewage Hardwood hammocks outfalls were implemented in the latter half of provide habitats for the 20th century, the seagrass community the rare semaphore within Biscayne National Park is in generally prickly pear cactus. good condition. Much of the hard- wood hammock habi- tat of Elliott Key was destroyed to grow pineapples, which were favorite treats in northern markets. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA

22 ark yne National P Bisca

mocks of Biscayne’s islands represent an ecosys- tem type that is found only in south Florida. In fact, the park’s forests, because they grow on , represent a distinctive subset of this forested ecosystem that is found in an even

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE more limited area. Biscayne National Park and nearby Key Largo contain the principal remain- ing areas of this forest type that are secure from the rampant development that has transformed south Florida. Very little if any of the coastal tropical forests have escaped human disturbance and all have been susceptible to alteration. Since the late 19th century and continuing until establishment of Biscayne National Monument in 1968, humans have altered the forest habitats on the islands, particularly Elliott The park’s hardwood mocks provide essential habitat for the bucca- Key. A pineapple plantation was already estab- hammocks provide neer palm (Pseudophoenix sargentii) and the lished by 1886 and much of the hammock was habitat for the semaphore prickly pear cactus, both rare cut and burned for pineapple and lime farms by Schaus swallowtail the turn of the 20th century. By 1920, farming butterfly, federally plant species; the Schaus swallowtail, a feder- listed as endangered. ally listed butterfly; and the federally listed and collecting for ornamental plantings drove threatened eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon the rare buccaneer palm to near extirpation on corais couperi). Elliott Key. Within the United States, the tropical ham- Elliott Key and were slated for resi-

dential and highway developments in 1960 fish habitats and detrimentally affected fishery when they still were privately owned. In 1968, resources. Canals and oceanic passes have park opponents used a bulldozer to widen an altered the salinity of the area, resulting in loss of existing road down the middle of Elliott Key to the brackish habitats that estuarine fishes such as 125 feet, removing 49 hectares of hardwood the red drum require. This species used to be hammock, including a buccaneer palm grove, in abundant in areas now within the boundaries of the process. Though the park’s hardwood ham- the park, but they became rare by the 1950s mocks are protected today, they are still threat- because of habitat changes. Attempts to restock ened by invasive, non-native species. them in the park failed. Red (Epinephelus morio), gray snap- MARINE FISHES—HABITAT per, and other species also depend on habitats DEGRADATION AND OVERFISHING found within Biscayne National Park. During 23 THREATEN POPULATIONS their early life stages, they depend on the Fishing is a widespread and economically mangrove and seagrass environments within ark important activity in south Florida. Many the eastern bay in the park, and far fewer juve- people visit the state’s coastal national parks niles occur outside of Biscayne Bay. In fact, to fish or to dive or snorkel to see fish and Florida and Biscayne bays appear to be the pri- other marine species. In addition to recre- mary nursery habitats for gray snapper in yne National P ational fishing, commercial fishing is also south Florida. Bisca allowed in Biscayne National Park. In addition to habitat changes, overfishing Commercial fishers capitalize on the variety affects red grouper, gray snapper, and other of valuable species that inhabit park waters. important fish species. In 2003, the National In fact, the park and surrounding parts of Marine Fisheries Service declared red grouper Biscayne Bay contain important nursery and several other species to be overfished. A grounds for a number of recreationally and study in 2001 that used data for 35 reef fish commercially important fish species. Habitat species from three families (Serranidae, degradation and overfishing threaten fish Lutjanidae, and Haemulidae) collected in populations and could damage both recre- Biscayne National Park showed that popula- ational and commercial fishing industries in tions of these species were under heavy fishing the park and the rest of the bay. pressure. As evidence, the average length of The most recent comprehensive assessment legal-sized fish was usually at or near the min- of the fishery resources of Biscayne National imum legal catch size. More important was the Park, completed in 2001, was based on data finding that suggests 27 of the 35 species were obtained from three principal sources: 1) sur- overfished with respect to size and maturity; veys of recreational anglers, 2) reef-fish visual 13 of these species can be legally taken at sizes census conducted by the National Oceanic and that are below their size of sexual maturity, Atmospheric Administration and the University indicating that individuals may be harvested of Miami, and 3) rollerframe trawl surveys con- before they can replenish populations. Survey ducted by the . A total of data also indicated that, at least for some 325 fish and macroinvertebrate species were species, a high proportion of the recreational found to occur in Biscayne National Park after catch was under the legal catch size. compilation of these data sources. Many experts agree that the only way to Biscayne National Park has been directly and achieve successful recovery of some overfished indirectly subjected to significant physical alter- species is to set aside no-take zones where har- ations, which have greatly affected the quality of vesting fish is prohibited. Biscayne National Habitat changes and overfishing affect gray snapper and other species. FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

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Park does not currently contain any no-take found a significant relationship between the zones. Managing fish populations on an ecosys- prevalence of fish deformities and the historical tem-wide scale is also critical, as many species concentrations of hydrocarbon pollutants migrate between the park and waters outside occurring in the sediments of Biscayne Bay. park boundaries. These pollutants come from a variety of sources, Pollution presents another potential problem including automobile exhaust, power plant for Biscayne National Park’s fish. Within the bay emissions, and agricultural runoff. Some of the portion of the park, surveys have documented a deformities may be caused by injuries from fish- number of fish with external abnormalities such ing gear, but research has not been done to as stunted or missing fin rays, scale abnormali- identify the specific causes. ties, depressions in the dorsal profile, and jaw deformities. Abnormalities were particularly evi- SHRIMP TRAWLING—BYCATCH AND dent in gray snappers. Anomalous growth pat- HABITAT DAMAGE RESULT terns were also seen in shrimp and crabs caught Commercial shrimping is allowed in Biscayne in and around canal discharges. Researchers National Park, but this activity affects non-target SPINY LOBSTERS: ECOLOGICALLY, ECONOMICALLY, AND RECREATIONALLY IMPORTANT SPECIES

The spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is a species of special concern in south Florida because of its economic importance. Since 1986, spiny lobster has consistently ranked as the first or second most valuable commercial fishery in Florida, alternating with pink shrimp. The annual dockside value of the commercial lobster 25 fishery in Florida now fluctuates between ark

$20 and $30 million, which does not include PAIGE GILL/FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY ancillary economic benefits (i.e.,“multiplier effects”) such as the value of the large recre- ational fishery for lobster. Each year, more than 150,000 people purchase yne National P permits to recreationally fish for lobster in Bisca south Florida, accounting for about 20 per- cent of the total recorded catch. Ecologically, spiny lobster is an impor- tant component of the south Florida National Park. Surveys of juvenile lobster in Spiny lobsters are marine ecosystem for several reasons. It is a the park indicate that they are most abun- threatened by altered salinity, nursery habi- locally abundant, large benthic predator of dant in eastern and central Biscayne Bay tat change, commer- a variety of gastropods, bivalves, crus- where their nursery habitat—hard-bottom cial shrimping activi- taceans, echinoderms, and small fishes. and seagrass with ample stands of bushy, red ties, hurricanes, and Juvenile lobsters provide food for some macroalgae—is most abundant. Adult lob- climate change. important fishery species and a variety of sters are found primarily on the oceanside large predators such as sharks and rays. portion of Biscayne National Park, to the east Lobsters are thus an integral component of of the fringing keys. the trophic structure in south Florida, both Diminished water quality (i.e., eutrophica- as predators and prey. tion and chemical contaminants), altered The Caribbean spiny lobster is a tropical, salinity, and nursery habitat change are the marine species that tolerates neither estuar- gravest threats to the persistence of lobsters ine conditions nor cold waters. Within the in Biscayne National Park. Other threats continental United States, these animals per- include: commercial shrimping activities, sist in large numbers only off the south coast hurricanes, and climate change. Salinity of Florida, although small, inconsistent pop- changes that occur as a result of the region’s ulations occur on rocky reefs within the Gulf altered hydrology can make existing juvenile Stream’s influence off the coasts of Georgia, habitats unusable and are a stressor to larg- , and North Carolina. By far er lobsters. Salinities that fall outside pre- the largest adult populations of spiny lobster ferred ranges may also promote the PaV1 and the only nursery areas for the species virus, a deadly disease that is already wide- occur in south Florida, including Biscayne spread in south Florida.

BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK

26 ark yne National P Bisca Roller frame trawlers damage hardbottom fish habitat in the park, and lobsters

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE and federally listed threatened and endangered species such as sea turtles can get caught in shrimp trawls.

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species and causes habitat damage. A 1969 vive but that mortality rates for other species report on the effects of inshore commercial fish- such as , spotted seatrout, and ing activities within Biscayne National hogfish were probably much higher. In addition Monument concluded that the loss of fish as to fish, lobsters and sea turtles can get caught in bycatch of the shrimp fishery was very low, and shrimp trawls. it was recommended that the bait shrimp fish- Biscayne Bay’s live bait shrimp fleet also has ery be allowed to continue. Bycatch is the term been shown to damage hardbottom fish habi- used to describe non-target species that are cap- tat. The same 1985 assessment referenced above tured in addition to target species. estimated that the commercial bait shrimp fleet Findings from a 1985 assessment of the sweeps about 20 percent of Biscayne Bay’s bot- Biscayne Bay bait shrimp fishery disagree with tom four times annually. Studies published in the 1969 report. The more recent study generat- 1997 detected no significant damage to seagrass ed a list of juvenile gamefishes captured and dis- habitats but documented obvious damage to carded as bycatch of the shrimp fishery that soft corals and . A 1982 study found included 27 recreationally important fishes. that 80 percent of corals, 50 percent of sponges, Gray snapper was listed among the five species and 38 percent of gorgonians were crushed, of fishes that dominated the bait shrimp uprooted, turned over, or otherwise damaged by bycatch. The researchers stated that juvenile fish the passage of shrimp roller trawls in the south- mortality because of capture and handling was ern portion of Biscayne Bay. This damage was generally unknown but suggested that “a high still evident at least 11 months after the passage percentage” of gray snapper were likely to sur- of the trawl.

ELIZABETH MEYERS

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Park visitors explore CULTURAL RESOURCES— own Cultural Resource Management Guideline , MORE PROTECTION NEEDED, and other policies related to cultural and histor- which was once a pri- ESPECIALLY FOR SUBMERGED ical resources. vate vacation retreat ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES The park is home to prehistoric mounds, owned by the 18th century shipwrecks, and historic structures Honeywell family. Biscayne scored an overall 48 out of 100 for cul- that represent early resort development of the tural resource conditions, including archaeolo- 1930s. Funding and staffing shortfalls make it gy, cultural landscapes, history, historic struc- difficult to care for these and other cultural tures, archive and museum collections, and resources in the manner they deserve. ethnography (peoples and cultures). This score indicates that the park’s cultural resources are in CULTURAL LANDSCAPES–PARK LACKS “poor” condition. The scores for cultural LANDSCAPE PROGRAM resources are based on the results of indicator Cultural landscapes illustrate how people lived questions that reflect the National Park Service’s on the land and used its resources. Evidence of the Biscayne area’s earliest inhabitants has been guesthouse, seawall, and bulkhead. Today Boca mostly destroyed by development on the main- Chita is accessible to a broader population. The land, but some can still be found in the keys park’s concessioner offers trips to the island, and waters of the park. A midden (or shell and visitors with boats can visit on their own to mound) on an offshore key indicates the area camp or just enjoy the beautiful ocean views. was intensively settled by 1000 A.D., and a The Parson Jones site, located on Porgy and major village from approximately Totten keys, was the former home of Israel 2,000 years ago is located five miles north of the Lafayette “Parson” Jones and his family during park. Biscayne’s most obvious cultural land- the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jones is a scapes date to the 19th and 20th centuries and prominent figure in Florida’s African-American contain structures that are recognizable to visi- history for several reasons: his family became tors. These landscapes illustrate 1930s resort life one of the largest producers in Florida 29 of the wealthy and agricultural settlement on from before until World War II; he the keys. was instrumental in establishing the Mount ark Cultural landscapes are the least developed Zion Baptist Church in Miami; and in 1925 he area of the park’s cultural resource program. sold part of his property for an impressive Biscayne is likely to have significant historic and $250,000—quite a profit over the $300 he had cultural landscapes, but no formal survey has paid for in 1897. Ruins, the remains yne National P taken place, and the park lacks a cultural land-

of a key lime plantation, and other evidence of Bisca scape program and onsite expertise. the Jones settlement remain on Porgy and A lack of funding prevents Biscayne from Totten keys. developing a cultural landscapes program, and there is no indication that funding will become ETHNOGRAPHY (PEOPLES AND available in the near future. In spite of this CULTURES)—PROGRESS BEING MADE, shortfall, the park recognizes the significance BUT ADDITIONAL STUDIES NEEDED and potential of two sites—Boca Chita Key and Before Biscayne became a national park, many the Israel Lafayette “Parson” Jones property— different groups of people used the area’s and manages them as significant landscapes. resources. Now that the Park Service manages the These sites are carefully assessed prior to main- area, staff have a responsibility to foster relation- tenance work and crews removing invasive ships with people who were traditionally associ- Boca Chita Key hous- plants are careful not to disturb species that like- ated with the area and protect the resources that es structures that were ly are parts of the historic landscapes. are important to them. Sixteen associated tribes built in the late 1930s. Boca Chita Key was formerly the vacation home of the Honeywells, owners of the Minneapolis Honeywell Heat Regulator

Company. From 1937 to 1939, Mark and Olive ELIZABETH MEYERS Honeywell spent time on the island and com- missioned the construction of a number of structures. As prominent members of society, they hosted elaborate parties on the island for their wealthy friends—one event featured ele- phant rides. Honeywell’s wife died in 1939, and he sold the island in 1942. Still remaining from Honeywell and previous owners are a light- house, pavilion, chapel, engine house, garage, HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN BEACH have been identified so far, including the AND MIAMI ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE , Miccosukee, Independent Miccosukee, and the Seminole of Oklahoma. Biscayne staff COULD BECOME PARTS OF THE maintain relationships with these groups and NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM consult with them on a regular basis, but the depth of these relationships is constrained by funding and time limitations. Beach Park, located just outside the boundary of Biscayne staff recognize the significance of Biscayne National Park, could soon become part of the National ethnographic resources, and these resources are Park System. Established in 1945, the beach was the only official- considered during park planning processes. In ly recognized place in south Florida where addition, the Park Service’s regional cultural 30 could go to enjoy the ocean. All other beaches were for whites anthropologist assists the park with ethno- only. Virginia Key Beach Park became a popular gathering place graphic management and helped complete an ark where people met to relax, socialize, and celebrate religious cer- ethnographic overview and assessment in emonies such as weddings and baptisms. 2003. This report outlines how American The city of Miami closed the beach in 1982, but many people Indian tribes, African Americans, Cuban hope the beach and surrounding ecologically important areas will Americans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians are asso-

yne National P become part of the National Park System. Former Rep. Carrie ciated with the park. Meek (D-FL) introduced legislation in 2002 authorizing a study of Although the park makes an effort to include Bisca Virginia Key Beach for possible inclusion in the National Park all associated groups in planning processes, System. The Park Service Southeast Regional Office planning additional ethnography work is needed. team initiated a Special Resource Study of the 33-hectare park in Because of funding and staffing constraints, the 2005. The public can provide input on the study by visiting park has not completed a traditional use study, http://parkplanning.nps.gov/. ethnographic oral and life histories, ethno- Miami Circle, potentially the most important archaeological graphic landscape studies, cultural affiliation discovery in the southeastern United States, is a recently uncov- and lineal descent studies, or ethno-histories. ered site in downtown Miami that was added to the National Biscayne also needs a Native American Register of Historic Places in 2002. The Miami Circle Special Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAG- Resource Study, initiated in 2003, will determine the national sig- PRA) agreement with associated tribes. This will nificance, suitability, and feasibility of including the site in the become increasingly important as the park con- National Park System as part of Biscayne National Park. tinues archaeology work and new artifacts are recovered. Some of the artifacts undoubtedly will need to be repatriated to the appropriate tribe, and agreements and processes should be put in place for their return.

ARCHIVE AND MUSEUM VIRGINIA KEY BEACH PARK TRUST COLLECTIONS—PROVIDING ADEQUATE CARE FOR IMPRESSIVE COLLECTIONS A STRUGGLE Funding and staffing constraints make archive and museum collection management a chal- lenge at Biscayne and the other south Florida parks. A single curator manages the museum col- lections of Biscayne National Park, Big Cypress

National Preserve, Dry Tortugas National Park, artifacts are found underwater, they often and , which include require costly specialized conservation tech- more 4.5 million items. Some are archaeological niques once they are removed from the marine objects that have been removed from the marine environment. The lack of a dedicated funding environment such as an 18th century cutlass, source for the appropriate conservation of pewter plates and cups, and artillery. Additional these artifacts has severely limited the park’s staff are needed to manage these and other ability to protect objects that are threatened. objects from the parks’ impressive collections: For example, in 1992 an archivist, archives technician, museum tech- caused some objects from shipwrecks to wash nician, and a registrar. These staff would provide ashore. These items were never treated and increased preservation, enhanced emergency now one of them, a pewter spoon, is a total ARCHAEO- preparedness, and improved accountability, and loss. Other losses as a result of the hurricane 31 would also catalog collections and increase were never quantified, and there is no plan in

LOGICAL ark accessibility of collection items. place for protecting resources in the event of Currently, the park is only meeting 38 per- another catastrophic event. ARTIFACTS cent of the Park Service’s museum management Storage is also an issue at Biscayne. The park standards, and 93 percent of Biscayne’s more has less than 2,000 square feet of storage FOUND than 700,000 items are uncataloged and inac- space, but at least 13,000 square feet of space yne National P cessible. Archival items such as maps, drawings, are needed. Items from Biscayne and the other Bisca UNDERWATER and slides comprise much of this backlog. If south Florida parks are stored at two main staffing and funding levels do not increase, it storage sites within Everglades National Park, OFTEN will likely take 30 years or more to address the the Beard Center, which meets 56 percent of existing backlog, assuming it does not worsen. Park Service storage standards, and the REQUIRE The archives and museum collections of the Robertson Building, which meets about 60 south Florida parks continue to grow, further percent of Park Service standards. The COSTLY underscoring the need for additional staff. From Southeast Archeological Center in Tallahassee, fiscal year 2002 to fiscal year 2004, the total col- Florida, provides additional storage space. SPECIALIZED lections of these parks increased 66 percent— about 1 million items are added to the collec- HISTORIC STRUCTURES—BUDGET CONSERVA- tions each year. Funding to support collections CONSTRAINTS LIMIT WORK management has not kept pace with this Biscayne’s historic structures include those built TION TECH- growth, and in fact, the collections manage- by Mark Honeywell on Boca Chita Key during ment budget for the south Florida parks is sig- the late 1930s. These ten structures are on the NIQUES nificantly lower on a per-item level than the park’s official List of Classified Structures, and Park Service’s southeast regional average. In fis- of these, one is reported to be in poor condi- cal year 2004, the south Florida parks had about tion, three are in fair condition, and six are in $0.024 to spend on accession, cataloging, stor- good condition. But these condition assess- age, preservation, and access for each museum ments were conducted in 1998, and current evi- collection item. In contrast, according to the dence demonstrates that all ten structures are Park Service’s southeast region, average costs in deteriorating and in need of repair. One struc- 1999 for cataloging alone varied from $0.26 to ture collapsed in 1999. New condition assess- $2.97 per item. These figures do not include the ments are scheduled for 2006. costs of recording new items, storage, equip- Boca Chita Key Historic District was recently ment, archival supplies, or providing access. listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Because most of Biscayne’s archaeological The structures represent the architectural style of

August Geiger, known for his Mission, Italian sea; and structures on such as the Renaissance, and Art Deco designs in the Miami original caretaker’s house for the Cocolobo area in the 1930s. To guide management, pro- Club, a secluded retreat for the wealthy and tection, and maintenance of structures on Boca influential. The Fowey Lighthouse, which was Chita Key, a historic structure report is impera- built during the mid-1870s and is listed in the tive. But there is no funding to complete this National Register of Historic Places, is owned by report, and even if funds were available, region- the U.S. Coast Guard and is not under the man- al staff do not have time to work on such a agement of the Park Service. The Parson Jones report until at least 2008. property, which includes building foundations Threats to the park’s historic structures and landscape and agricultural remains, is cur- include visitor damage and corrosion caused by rently being documented, and a historic context 32 the marine environment. Boca Chita is the most study for the site is being developed. popular land-based visitor destination in Budget constraints limit the amount of ark Biscayne, but the park does not have enough work that can be done on historic structures. staff to monitor resources and visitor activities. Biscayne’s maintenance staff has been cut by A fire built by a visitor on New Year’s Eve of 25 percent, the park lacks preventive mainte- 2004 damaged the stairway of Boca Chita’s his- nance programs for its structures, and there are

yne National P toric chapel. Hurricanes and other natural disas- no staff with historic preservation expertise. ters also threaten the park’s historic structures. Maintenance staff would be interested in Bisca In 1992, Hurricane Andrew damaged much of learning historic preservation skills, but Boca Chita Key—windows were broken, vegeta- mandatory daily tasks prevent staff from par- tion was torn away, and much of the south wall ticipating in training opportunities. of the Boca Chita Bridge was destroyed. In addition to those structures on Boca Chita ARCHAEOLOGY—SITE SURVEYS Key, the park contains other historic resources NEEDED that should be managed with an appropriate In a park that is 95 percent water, it is no surprise level of protection: cisterns built and used by that many of Biscayne’s premier archaeological early 19th century settlers; remnants of Spite sites are shipwrecks. In fact, with the number of Highway, a 125-foot-wide strip bulldozed down ships that have sunk in its waters, the offshore the center of Elliot Key in 1967 by national park reefs of Biscayne are referred to as “ship traps.” opponents; Stiltsville, a community of people Of the park’s 71 identified submerged archaeo- who lived in structures on stilts built over the logical resources, 44 are shipwrecks. Every year more remains of ships that fell victim to the reef Evidence suggests that all ten historic tract are discovered. These vast submerged cul- structures on Boca tural resource sites are scattered throughout the Chita Key are deteri- park and date back to the 18th century. orating and in need The HMS Fowey, a British warship that sank of repair. in the offshore reefs in 1748, is perhaps the park’s best known wreck. Only the starboard side of the ship has been located, suggesting the wreck is more widely dispersed than originally thought. Closed to the public, the site was exposed by Hurricane Andrew, leaving it open to deterioration by waves, weathering, pest infestation, and looters. Management of the ELIZABETH MEYERS shipwreck is complex because of international implications. People disagree about whether the site should be excavated further. Biscayne staff need to work with other stakeholders to devise a management plan, but current funding and staffing levels cannot accommodate this work. Another shipwreck believed to be in the park NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/TERRY HELMERS is that of the Nuestra Senora del Popolo, a Spanish galleon that set sail in 1733. The Spanish reportedly sank in the upper keys in 1827, but has not been located. A full survey of park waters is the first step to protecting these 33 irreplaceable and potentially internationally sig- nificant resources. ark In addition to shipwrecks, archaeological resources at Biscayne National Park include ter- restrial sites such as American Indian shell mid- dens and mounds and historic remains on sev- yne National P eral keys. But because Biscayne is primarily a The park has 50 archaeological sites that Biscayne National Bisca marine park, most archaeological work has have been identified as significant, though the Park’s waters conceal dozens of shipwrecks focused on marine resources. Only an estimated limited number of park staff cannot visit each that provide habitat 1.25 acres of land have been surveyed for one annually. The park needs funds to fill a for marine life and archaeological sites. vacant archaeologist position, hire additional are popular with Biscayne has three listings in the National law enforcement rangers to protect resources, snorkelers and divers. Register of Historic Places. With 40 archaeologi- and conduct surveys to document resources. cal sites, the Offshore Reefs Archaeological The park also needs more boats and additional District is the park’s most extensive listing. The funding for boat maintenance and fuel in order Sweeting Homestead Site, which includes the to increase site monitoring and patrolling. remains of one of the first pioneer homesteads Because Biscayne has only limited staff and built on the park’s keys in the late 19th century, money to protect archaeological resources, the and the Boca Chita National Historic District are park employs a variety of tactics. Archaeological also listed in the register. Other archaeological site locations are not disclosed to the public, resources, including the Annie Higgs Homestead and rangers educate visitors about the impor- Site and American Indian mounds and middens tance of leaving artifacts where they are found on various keys, may be nominated to the and the consequences of illegal collecting. National Register of Historic Places in the future. Though these tactics are useful, the real need is Protecting archaeological resources can be an for additional law enforcement staff to investi- expensive task, and when those resources are gate and prosecute collectors. underwater the costs increase. At current fund- Illegal relic hunting is a threat to Biscayne’s ing and staffing levels, Biscayne National Park is archaeological resources, but an even larger unable to provide the level of protection need- threat stems from recreational and commercial ed to ensure archaeological resources are not fishing techniques. Fishing spears and lobster damaged, looted, or otherwise lost. Seventeen traps are the most significant threats. Most dam- of 24 monitored shipwrecks in 2004 had visible age is inadvertent—fishers are not aware that human caused modifications. there are archaeological sites nearby that their PARK STRIVES TO REACH DIVERSE POPULATION

Biscayne National Park, located only five miles from The challenge associated with reaching the park’s Miami, is the nation’s closest national park to a major diverse group of visitors is further complicated by the urban area. It is also one of the largest marine-based fact that most park visitors are out on the water. Only parks in the National Park System and the world. about 10 percent of park users visit Biscayne’s only Over the past century, south Florida and particularly, staffed visitor center, in part, because it does not have a the Miami-Dade urban area, have experienced rapid public marina or boat-launching site. The park has a vis- population growth. More than 5 million people, includ- itor contact station and public dock on Elliott Key, but ing a diverse immigrant population, now inhabit the the contact station is closed because of funding and 34 area. In fact, Miami-Dade County is one of very few coun- staffing shortfalls. ties where more than half of the residents are foreign- Developing and implementing a strategy to reach the

ark born. Just 42 percent of the county’s population speaks other 90 percent of park visitors is difficult because of the only English at home, while half the population speaks limited number of park vessels and rising fuel and main- Spanish at home. Even though nearly half of the park’s tenance costs. Finding ways to overcome these limita- interpretive staff is bilingual, this extremely diverse tions is critical to park operations.

yne National P demographic mix can present language barriers and cul- Biscayne intermittently employs both paid staff and tural challenges to park managers. Economic hardships volunteers to provide information at three of the five Bisca also exist. About 21 percent of households in Miami- local marinas and on park islands. The park has also part- Dade County live below the poverty level. nered with public and private groups to produce free These demographics reinforce Biscayne’s need to educational materials that are distributed at local mari- reach out to non-traditional park users through nas, marine supply stores, and at community outreach enhanced environmental education and community out- and special events. Initial contacts have been made with reach programs. Park visitors and neighbors who under- the U.S. Coast Guard to join on the Sea Partners stand park resources and appreciate them for more than Campaign, the Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental their basic recreational value are more likely to properly Protection outreach and education program, and the care for them. To help meet these goals, the park offers U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the agency that teaches most on- and off-site education and outreach programs. area boating safety classes. Limited Park Service staff However, the park is currently only marginally able prevents full integration of National Park Service mes- to meet its Government Performance Results Act sages into these already established programs. (GPRA) goals as they relate to visitor understanding, and is unable to meet the public demand for its pro- grams. Biscayne needs funds to hire a resource man- agement/interpretive division liaison to better inform the public of high profile resource related park projects ELIZABETH MEYERS (including CERP), and to develop an outreach strategy that has 21st century relevancy to the multiethnic Miami- Dade population.

Only about 10 percent of Biscayne’s visitors use the park’s visitor center, which features educational exhibits, videos, and ranger walks and talks. Staff must try to reach the rest of the park’s visitors through other means such as off-site educational programs and boat patrols. equipment is damaging. To alleviate some unin- tentional damage, the park could regulate tech- niques and methods. In spite of funding, staffing, and resource protection challenges, Biscayne’s archaeology program is strong. Staff recently authored an underwater archaeological site-monitoring pro- gram that redefines site documentation stan- dards. This revolutionary new approach to underwater site stewardship could improve shipwreck protection nationwide. The park is RALPH MUNROE/HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA also working to establish a Maritime Heritage 35 that will include five or six shipwreck sites, with information about each wreck’s location ark and history. The park hopes to connect its trail to other regional shipwreck . Excellent partnerships also benefit park resources. The Submerged Resources Center in yne National P Santa Fe, New Mexico, has completed underwa- Biscayne National Park and the south Florida Pioneers settled on Bisca ter surveys at the park, and the center con- region as a whole. the keys and made their living by farm- tributed funding for a public television docu- Biscayne lacks an administrative history, ing, fishing, and sal- mentary on the best management practices for though staff previously initiated a video and a vaging shipwrecks. submerged archaeological sites that featured book in an attempt to capture oral histories Biscayne. The center also worked with park staff before the sources passed away. An archives to develop training in underwater resource her- management report was completed for Biscayne itage protection. in December 2003. This report, coupled with additional record management procedures at HISTORY—ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY the park, will prepare the park well for a future NEEDED administrative history. Many of Biscayne’s Biscayne National Park is part of a region with administrative documents were lost during a diverse history that includes settlement by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and some were prehistoric peoples, Spanish exploration and inadvertently disposed of during clean-up shipwrecks, homesteads and pioneer settle- efforts. Internal education is needed so that park ment, and resort development of the 1930s. staff know how to properly care for, file, and Although Biscayne does not have a staff histo- store administrative documents. rian, the park recently received funds to con- There are many opportunities at Biscayne for duct a historic resource study of the Israel additional cultural history research. Topics in Lafayette “Parson” Jones site. This study is crit- need of further study include settlement within ical in providing a link between the local the park’s boundaries, fishing history, archaeo- African-American community and resources logical context, Fowey’s lighthouse, agricultural in the park. Additionally, the Park Service history, Cuban and smuggling, Southeast Regional Office has recently com- and shipwrecks. To encourage graduate students pleted a historic resource study entitled, Cold and other historians to conduct work in the War in South Florida. This document is a com- park, staff should complete a systematic review prehensive review of activities in of historic research needs. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

36 ark yne National P Bisca

Volunteers remove STEWARDSHIP CAPACITY— with employee benefits. These increases, cou- tons of trash from PARTNERS AND VOLUNTEERS pled with static base funding, have created a the park each year, PROVIDE VALUABLE SERVICES deficit of $300,000 for fiscal year 2006. These making Biscayne’s lands and waters funds are needed to fill critical vacant posi- safer for wildlife and Stewardship capacity is a discussion of how tions, enabling the park to maintain core park visitors. well equipped the Park Service is to protect the staffing and visitor services levels, and fund parks. The most significant factor affecting a essential operating needs. park’s ability to protect its resources is the The park also needs an additional base funding a park receives from Congress. increase of at least $465,000 to restore law Biscayne’s base budget has increased by just 2 enforcement and maintenance capabilities to percent since 2001, for a fiscal year 2005 total adequately maintain visitor facilities and servic- of $3.53 million. Additionally, Biscayne has es and to ensure resource protection actions nec- been forced to absorb some cost of living essary to successfully meet stated Government increases and the increased costs associated Performance and Results Act (GPRA) goals. Critical unfilled or unfunded positions ter job of this by hiring a resource manage- include a maintenance mechanic, facility man- ment/interpretive division liaison, but funds agement specialist, water quality specialist, are not available for this position. biologist, environmental education ranger, Recognizing the National Park Service ini- small craft operator, and law enforcement tiative to expand the use of volunteers and rangers. Additional needs include a staff per- partners in accomplishing goals, Biscayne son with historic preservation expertise, a recently hired a community affairs and part- resource management/interpretive division nerships liaison who focuses on expanding the liaison to better inform the public of high pro- park’s relationships with its many partners and file resource related issues and park projects, the surrounding community. and an archaeologist. Faced with significant funding and Biscayne has been given approval to partici- staffing shortfalls, the park increasingly relies 37 pate in the Park Service’s network of Learning on partners and volunteers to bridge the gap Centers, which supports science in the parks between what is needed and what the park ark for the purpose of better understanding can afford. Partners such as the South Florida resources, but funding shortages prevent the National Park Trust, modeled after the park from establishing its own learning center. , provide financial

Such centers focus on providing a bridge assistance and other services to Biscayne. In yne National P between the scientific and research communi- fiscal year 2005, the trust allocated $39,000 Bisca ty and the general public. Biscayne would like to support environmental education, $46,000 to work more on communicating resource to allow Biscayne to expand its volunteer and information to the public, and could do a bet- outreach programs, and $37,860 to advance

Volunteers clean a sea turtle nesting beach. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MARINE PARK WITH INTERNATIONAL BORDER FACES SIGNIFICANT LAW ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGES

Biscayne National Park is the closest national the rangers from adequately performing their park to a major urban area; it is primarily a jobs. The number of registered boats in marine park, which brings additional chal- Miami-Dade County has increased dramati- lenges; and it shares 35 miles of its border with cally in the last 30 years, further underscoring international waters, which leads to illegal the need for Biscayne to maintain adequate immigration and smuggling issues. These con- numbers of patrol vessels and rangers to con- ditions, combined with visitation levels that duct patrols. 38 have increased about 56 percent since 1993, South Florida is a major gateway for smug- create challenges for Biscayne’s limited num- gling drugs, illegal aliens, Cuban refugees,

ark ber of law enforcement staff. and illegal products into the United States, Biscayne’s law enforcement division con- and the park’s location and open boundaries sists of eight full-time law enforcement staff to make it a popular place to engage in these patrol and protect the largest marine park in activities. Smugglers often leave illegal immi-

yne National P the Park System. Five of these positions are grants on park islands, and federal agencies full-time front line rangers and three are man- such as the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Bisca agers/law enforcement specialists who per- Customs Department often call upon park staff form front line law enforcement duties as a to investigate suspicious vessels traveling secondary responsibility. These minimal through the park. Park staff recently discov- staffing levels require that rangers patrol solo, ered a boat containing 400 illegal immigrants potentially exposing them to dangerous situa- and a sailboat transporting 188 Haitians. tions. According to a 2003 rating by the In addition to these law enforcement and Fraternal Order of Police, Biscayne is the visitor protection duties, park staff are also sixth-most dangerous park for law enforce- charged with protecting Biscayne’s natural ment rangers. and cultural resources. Random boat checks A Visitor Management-Resource Protection indicate that poaching is widespread, and Assessment Program (VRAP) report indicates underwater archaeological resources need that the park needs base funding for ten more enhanced protection from looting. full-time employees. In addition, funding must Biscayne’s overburdened law enforcement include supplies, vehicles/vessels, fuel, and staff has low morale and is experiencing equipment. According to senior park staff, the increased turnover. Partnerships with the U.S. law enforcement division has not received a Coast Guard and U.S. Customs Department, base funding increase in the past 20 years. the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation The law enforcement division has six patrol Commission, and other state and regional law vessels, many of which are reaching ten years enforcement agencies provide some addition- in service and are unreliable and potentially al law enforcement support, but this is limited unsafe. Four law enforcement rangers live in because of the vastness of the park, the lack of the park and rely on these vessels to respond controlled entry, and the inability to visibly to calls 24 hours a day. The park’s limited num- mark park borders. Increases in the park’s base ber of maintenance/marine mechanic staff is budget are the primary to Biscayne’s unable to maintain the vessels adequately. law enforcement woes. Consequently, vessels break down, preventing work on the park’s Maritime History Program. Although the park fully appreciates and uses WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP: these non-appropriated funds, they are potentially non-recurring and non-sustain- able funds that staff must spend time and • Participate in park planning efforts: The public is invited resources applying for annually. to provide input on all park plans and studies. The park is Other partner and community groups col- currently writing a Fisheries Management Plan, updating its laborating with Biscayne to achieve the objec- General Management Plan, and developing a Restoration tives stated in the park’s enabling legislation Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement include the Trust for Public Land, Biscayne Bay (RP/PEIS) to address coral reef restoration activities in the Regional Restoration Team, Florida Fish and park. Special Resource Studies of Virginia Key Beach and Wildlife Commission, the Coral Reef Task Miami Circle are also under way. Copies of the park’s plan- 39 Local Action Teams, University of Miami ning documents and information on public involvement and other local and regional colleges and uni- opportunities can be found at www.nps.gov/bisc. ark versities, the U.S. Coast Guard, County Marine • Support or become a member of groups helping to Patrol law enforcement, and the Southeast protect the park: South Florida National Parks Trust, Florida Public Area Managers group, (www.nationalparks.org/southflorida), Trust for Public Land Community Partners, Citizens for a Better (www.tpl.org), NPCA (www.npca.org/support_npca/), and yne National P South Florida, and local elected and appointed other regional organizations. Bisca county representatives. In 2004, Biscayne, Everglades National • Volunteer in the parks. Many parks are looking for dedi- Park, and the local community sponsored a cated people who can lend a helping hand. To learn about workshop entitled Gateway Communities: Key opportunities at Biscayne National Park, contact the park at To Success. This workshop generated great sup- 305.230.1144. port for a greenway connecting Biscayne and • Become an NPCA activist and learn about legislative Everglades National Parks via the expansion of initiatives and protection projects affecting parks. a previously existing countywide bike path. When you join our activist network, you will receive Park Future proposed joint projects include the Lines, a biweekly electronic newsletter with the latest park development of a Blueway Paddling Trail news and ways you can help. Join by visiting through Biscayne National Park, which would www.npca.org/takeaction. connect to an existing statewide blueway, allowing recreationalists to circumnavigate the entire state of Florida. In addition to these and other partner inventories, map shipwreck sites, conduct fish groups, Biscayne relies on a growing pool of counts, and assist with non-native plant volunteers. In fiscal year 2004, volunteers removal and habitat restoration. Another 350 donated about 11,000 hours of service to volunteers assist during special events such as Biscayne. This represents a 10 percent increase the National Parks America Tour and the from 2003. A group of about 50 individuals International Coastal Cleanup. Literally, tons provides a variety of services on a regular of litter and marine debris were removed basis. Volunteers staff the visitor center at from parklands through these large-scale least 75 percent of the time, conduct tours cleanups. The park would like to develop and on-site programs, act as visitor contacts at additional volunteer programs, but consistent main access points to the park, represent the funding is needed to support a full-time vol- park at special events, conduct research and unteer coordinator. APPENDIX: METHODOLOGY

40 To determine the condition of known natural and cultural resources at Biscayne National Park and other national parks, the National Parks ark Conservation Association developed a resource assessment and ratings process. It examines cur- rent resource conditions and evaluates the park staff’s capacity to fully care for the resources. The NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/TODD KELLISON yne National P assessment methodology can be found online

Bisca at NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks® web site (www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/). Researchers gather available information from a variety of research, monitoring, and back- ground sources in a number of critical cate- gories. The natural resources rating reflects assessment of more than 120 discrete elements associated with environmental quality, biotic health, and ecosystem integrity. Environmental quality and biotic health measures address air, water, soils, and climatic change conditions as well as their influences and human-related influ- ences on plants and animals. Ecosystems meas- ures address the extent, species composition, includes discussion of funding and staffing lev- and interrelationships of organisms with each els, park planning documents, resource educa- other and the physical environment for indica- tion, and external support. tor, representative, or all terrestrial and freshwa- For this report, researchers collected data and ter communities. prepared a paper that summarized the results. The scores for cultural resources are deter- The draft underwent peer review and was also mined based on the results of indicator ques- reviewed for technical accuracy by staff at tions that reflect the National Park Service’s Biscayne National Park. own Cultural Resource Management NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks repre- Guideline and other Park Service resource sents the first time that such assessments management policies. have been undertaken for units of the Stewardship capacity refers to the Park National Park System. Comments on the Service’s ability to protect park resources, and methods are welcome. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For more information about the NPCA thanks the staff at Biscayne National Park who reviewed the factual Center for State of the Parks® accuracy of information used in this report. We also thank peer reviewers and this and other program reports, contact: for their valuable comments and suggestions.

National Parks Conservation Association Center for State of the Parks® STATE OF THE PARKS® ADVISORY COUNCIL 230 Cherry Street, Suite 100 Dr. Pamela Matson, Chair Fort Collins, CO 80521 Stanford University, Ecological Society of America Phone: 970.493.2545 E-mail: [email protected] Dr. Francisco Dallmeier Or visit us at www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/ Smithsonian Institution

Copyright 2005 Dr. National Parks Conservation Association National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence

Primary researchers: NatureServe, Darcy Gamble, Michael Finley and Kari MacLauchlin Turner Foundation Writer: Elizabeth Meyers Bruce Judd Editor: Linda Rancourt Architectural Resources Group Design/Layout: Paul Caputo Karl Komatsu Other reports available: Komatsu Architecture Adams National Historical Park (MA) Andersonville National Historic Site (GA) Dr. Thomas Lovejoy National Park (TX) H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment Big Thicket National Preserve (TX) Robert Melnick Bryce Canyon National Park (UT) University of Oregon Canyonlands National Park (UT) Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Dr. Kenton Miller (DC/MD/WV) World Resources Institute, World Commission on Protected Areas Death Valley National Park (CA) Dr. Douglas Muchoney Denali National Park and Preserve (AK) U.S. Geological Survey Fort Laramie National Historic Site (WY) Fort Necessity National Battlefield (PA) Dr. Douglas Schwartz Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (DC) The School of American Research Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN/NC) Laura Skaggs Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (PA) National Trust for Historic Preservation Joshua National Park (CA) Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (MT) Dr. Lee Talbot Longfellow National Historic Site (MA) George Mason University Mojave National Preserve (CA) W. Richard West (WA) Smithsonian Institution/National Museum of the American Indian Point Reyes National Seashore (CA) Rocky Mountain National Park (CO) (VA) Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site (NH) Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (MT-Alberta) (UT)

Please visit www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/ to view these reports and to learn more about the Center for State of the Parks®. National Parks Conservation Association Protecting Parks for Future Generations®

1300 19th Street, N.W., Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 p/ 202.223.6722 f/ 202.659.0650 www.npca.org

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