Survey TEAM Final Reports Survey Teams Final Report 1 Contents Preface

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Survey TEAM Final Reports Survey Teams Final Report 1 Contents Preface BISCAYNE BAY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE survey TEAM final reports survey teams final report 1 Contents preface................................................................................................................................. 2 BBPI survey TEAM MEMBERS................................................................................................. 3 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC survey TEAM REPORT.......................................................................... 19 SCIENCE SURVEY TEAM REPORT.............................................................................................. 65 MANAGEMENT SURVEY TEAM REPORT.................................................................................... 231 REGULATION SURVEY TEAM REPORT...................................................................................... 293 MINORITY REPORT ................................................................................................................ 315 Biscayne bay partnership initiative 2 PREFACE Dear Friends, This document is the accompaniment to A Bright, Great Bay, which was developed by the Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative’s Policy Development Team. The reports contained in this volume were prepared by the Initiative’s four survey teams, each of which addressed one of the following themes: social and economic values, science, management, and regula- tion. In addition, one minority report is included in this compilation. The survey teams spent over one year assessing the status of Biscayne Bay and its resources. The team reports reflect the outcome of that assessment. In addition, the reports include recommendations for actions to protect, improve, and enhance the bay’s resources, its social, economic, and natural values, and its ecological health. The number of individuals who contributed their time and expertise to this effort are too many to name. In particular, many thanks are due to the co-chairs of each of the survey teams: their dedication and leadership were important to the success of this project. A list of survey team co-chairs and members are part of each report found in this volume. We would also like to thank Bill Matuzeski, Director, US EPA Chesapeake Bay. As “special advisor” to the Initiative, he offered welcome and valuable advice, perspective, and humor. Finally, we would like to thank the Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative’s Coordination Team. These are the people who kept the project moving forward, and without whom it would have never been possible. Coordination Team members who worked throughout the life of the project are listed in the back pages of the Policy Development Committee’s report. Others deserving of our thanks for getting the project off the ground include: Melissa Bialczak, Jenny May, John O’Brien, and Maya Compton. Biscayne Bay is a beautiful and important resource for our community, our state, and our world. It is our hope that the efforts of the many talents that contributed to the production of these documents will bear fruit in continued and improved health for the bay—a bay that can be enjoyed by all. James F. Murley, Co-Director Edwin Moure, Co-Director Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative Director, FAU/FIU Joint Center for Biscayne Bay Foundation Environmental and Urban Problems survey teams final report 3 BBPI survey TEAM MEMBERS POLICY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC survey TEAM SCIENCE SURVEY TEAM MANAGEMENT SURVEY TEAM REGULATion SURVEY TEAM Biscayne bay partnership initiative 4 POLICY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS CHAIR Harvey Ruvin, County Clerk, Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Federal (FACA/Ex-Officio Non-Voting/Liaison) Linda Canzanelli, Superintendent, Biscayne National Park Dick Frost, former Superintendent, Biscayne National Park Billy D. Causey, Superintendent, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Tom Scott, U.S. Attorney, Office of the U.S. Attorney, Southern District Bradford E. Brown, Director, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service Christopher Boruch,* Deputy District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers James G. May, District Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Larry Bowling, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard - MSO Mike Miles,* Commander, U.S. Coast Guard - MSO Aaron Higer, Senior Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey Thomas A. Watts-Fitzgerald,* Assistant U.S. Attorney, Office of the U.S. Attorney Richard Harvey, Director, South Florida Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 4 Eric Hughes,* U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 4 Thaddeus Hamilton, Director, SE Florida Urban Community Assistance Program, USDA-NRCS State Quinton Hedgepeth,* Commissioner, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Julie Morris, Chairman, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Bob Crawford, Commissioner, Florida Department of Agriculture Ralph Torres,* Senior Executive Assistant, Florida Department of Agriculture Ralph Cantral, Executive Director, Florida Coastal Management Program, Florida Department of Community Affairs Steven Seibert, Secretary, Florida Department of Community Affairs David B. Struhs, Secretary, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Robert G. Brooks, M.D., Secretary, Florida Department of Health Olga Connor,* Director, Office of Public Health Information, Florida Department of Health survey teams final report 5 Jose Abreu, District Secretary, Florida Department of Transportation, District 6 Melissa Meeker,* Director of District Management, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, SE District Cathleen C. Vogel,* Miami-Dade County Commissioner Brent Waddell, Martin County Commissioner Robert Parks, Chair, Miami River Commission Natacha S. Millan, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jeb Bush, Governor, Office of the Governor J. Allison DeFoor, II,* Environmental Policy Coordinator, Office of the Governor Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, State Attorney, Office of the State Attorney Gary Winston,* Assistant State Attorney, Office of the State Attorney Carolyn Dekle,* Executive Director, South Florida Regional Planning Council Frank Finch, Executive Director, South Florida Water Management District Roman Gastesi, Jr.,* Director, Miami-Dade Service Center, South Florida Water Management District County/City Johnny Winton, City Commissioner, City of Miami Luis R. Garcia, Jr., Commissioner, City of Miami Beach Alex Penelas, Executive Office of the Mayor, Miami-Dade County Merrett R. Steirheim, County Manager, Miami-Dade County Jimmy L. Morales, County Commissioner, Miami-Dade County Commission John Renfrow, Director, Miami-Dade County, Department of Environmental Resources Management Roger Cuevas, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County School District Phil Schonberger, Commissioner, North Bay Village Pedro G. Hernandez,* Senior Assistant to the County Manager, Office of the County Manager Juan Kuryla,* Assistant to the Director, Port of Miami Charles Towsley, Director, Port of Miami University Richard Candia, Director of Government Relations, Florida International University Ronald Jones,* Director, Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University Modesto Maidique, President, Florida International University Jon J. Alexiou,* President, Wolfson Campus, Miami-Dade Community College Biscayne bay partnership initiative 6 Alexandria Holloway,* Dean of Academic Affairs, Wolfson Campus, Miami-Dade Community College Eduardo J. Padron, President, Miami-Dade Community College Edward T. Foote, President, University of Miami Otis B. Brown,* Dean, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami Non-governmental Organizations Carol Rist, Representative, 1000 Friends of Florida Arsenio Milian, President, Citizens for a Better South Florida Ted Forsgren, Executive Director, Coastal Conservation Association, Florida Chapter Chris Knight,* Chapter Representative, Coastal Conservation Association, Florida Chapter Juanita Greene,* Representative, Izaak Walton League Lloyd Miller, Founder, Mangrove Chapter, Izaak Walton League Rod Jude, Representative, Sierra Club Karsten Rist, President, Tropical Audubon Society Brenda Marshall, Senior Project Manager, Trust for Public Land - Miami Office Gregory Bush, President, Urban Environment League Private Sector/Industry Aldo Suarez, Representative, BB Wingnet Shrimpers of Florida Bouncer Smith, Representative, Biscayne Bay Guides Association Lisa Maxwell, Executive Officer, Builders Association of South Florida Henry Rodstein,* President, HR Mortgage and Realty Co. Jim Walsh, Vice President, Environment, Health & Safety, Carnival Cruise Lines Keith Revell,* Representative, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce William Talbert, III, President and CEO, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Ada Bill,* External Affairs Manager, Florida Power & Light Manny Rodriguez, Regional Manager, Florida Power & Light MaryAnn Blom, Senior Vice President, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Walter Revell, Vice Chairman, Environment Group, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Frank Herhold, Executive Director, Marine Industries Association of South Florida Phil Everingham, President, Miami Marine Council *Denotes Representative or Alternate survey teams final report 7 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC survey TEAM MEMBERS CO-CHAIRS Bill Mauk, President and Chief Executive Officer, Penultimate Group International Arsenio Milian, President, Citizens for a Better South Florida Federal (FACA/Ex-Officio Non-Voting/Liaison) Jim Adams, Cultural Resources Specialist, Biscayne National Park James Baker, Representative,
Recommended publications
  • Restoring Southern Florida's Native Plant Heritage
    A publication of The Institute for Regional Conservation’s Restoring South Florida’s Native Plant Heritage program Copyright 2002 The Institute for Regional Conservation ISBN Number 0-9704997-0-5 Published by The Institute for Regional Conservation 22601 S.W. 152 Avenue Miami, Florida 33170 www.regionalconservation.org [email protected] Printed by River City Publishing a division of Titan Business Services 6277 Powers Avenue Jacksonville, Florida 32217 Cover photos by George D. Gann: Top: mahogany mistletoe (Phoradendron rubrum), a tropical species that grows only on Key Largo, and one of South Florida’s rarest species. Mahogany poachers and habitat loss in the 1970s brought this species to near extinction in South Florida. Bottom: fuzzywuzzy airplant (Tillandsia pruinosa), a tropical epiphyte that grows in several conservation areas in and around the Big Cypress Swamp. This and other rare epiphytes are threatened by poaching, hydrological change, and exotic pest plant invasions. Funding for Rare Plants of South Florida was provided by The Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Steve Arrowsmith Fund. Major funding for the Floristic Inventory of South Florida, the research program upon which this manual is based, was provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Steve Arrowsmith Fund. Nemastylis floridana Small Celestial Lily South Florida Status: Critically imperiled. One occurrence in five conservation areas (Dupuis Reserve, J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area, Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area, & Pal-Mar). Taxonomy: Monocotyledon; Iridaceae. Habit: Perennial terrestrial herb. Distribution: Endemic to Florida. Wunderlin (1998) reports it as occasional in Florida from Flagler County south to Broward County.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Flora of South Florida
    . PlQt!JRe?\ATE Report T-558 Endemic Taxa,-inthe Flora of South Florida*' NATIONAL Y Everglades National Park, South Florida Research Center, P.O. Box 279, Homestead, Florida 33030 I, ,. ,. ,#< Endemic Taxa in the Flora of South Florida " - Report T-558 George N. Avery and Lloyd L. Loope . U.S. National Park Service ' South Florida Research Center Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida 33030 July 1980 . Avery, George N. and Lloyd L. Loope. 1980. ~ndemicTaxa in the Flora of South Florida. South Florida Research Center Report T-558. 39 pp. Endemic Taxa in the Flora of South Florida TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION . 1 LITERATURE ON SOUTH FLORIDA ENDEMICS . METHODS . rr , ANNOTATED LIST OF THE ENDEMIC SOUTH FLORIDA FLORA . DISCUSSION. I . \ '& ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................ LITERATURE CITED . 18 Table 1. Habitat and conservation status of endemic plant taxa of.SoutH Florida . .. 6. Table 2. Number of endemics found in selected vegetation categories . APPENDIX I - Annotated ,version of Robertson's (1955) list of South Florida endemics, showing .diff erences from our list . : Endemic Taxa in the Flora of South Florida George N. Avery and kloyd L. Loope , INTRODUCTION The island-like tropical area of South Florida possesses a very remarkable flora by North American standards, with a high percentage of species having tropical affinities and with fairly high local endemism. Hundreds of plant species known from the United States are found only in Florida south of Lake Okeechobee. Many of these species occur on various Caribbean islands and elsewhere in the Neotropics. This report treats those taxa endemic to South Florida, occurring in peninsular Florida southbf Lake Okeechobee and/or on the Florida Keys, and found nowhere else.
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution and Abundance of Flora in Limestone Rockland Pine Forests of Southeastern Florida
    Report T-547 Distribution and Abundance of Flora in Limestone Rockland Pine Forests of Southeastern Florida • Everglades National Park, South Florida Research Center, P.O. Box 279, Homestead, Florida 33030 Distribution and Abundance of Flora in Limestone Rockland Pine Forests of Southeastern Florida Report T-547 Lloyd L. Loope David W. Black Sally Black George N. Avery u.S. National Park Service South Florida Research Center Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida 33030 Loope, Lloyd L., David W. Black, Sally Black, and George N. Avery. 1979. Distribution and Abundance of Flora in Limestone Rockland Pine Forests of Southeastern Florida. South Florida Research Center Report T-547. 37 pp. Distribution and Abundance of Flora in Limestone Rockland Pine Forests of Southeastern Florida. Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION. • 1 PAST WORK 2 METHODS 2 RESULTS •• 5 DISCUSSION 5 Characterization of geographical affinities of flora of pine forests of southeastern Florida. • • • • • • 5 Taxa confined to pineland habitats 8 Relative species richness of study sites 8 Relative size of pines • • • • • • • • • 8 What species a~e "rare," "threatened," or "endangered"? 8 Fire impacts: need for further study 9 Urgency for preservation of pine lands outside ENP 10 LITERATURE CITED. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 11 i List of Tables Page 1. Density, frequency and presence data • • • . • • • • • • • 13 2. Summary of constancy, mean frequency, and mean density for species with .05 frequency or greater • • • • • • 27 3. Species numbers for each macroplot • 31 4. Numbers of pines present in plots • • • 32 5. Species considered ENDANGERED or THREATENED in 1974 Smithsonian report • • . • • • • • • • • . • • • • • 33 6. Species considered ENDANGERED, THREATENED, or RARE by Florida Committee • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • 35 7.
    [Show full text]
  • A Cultural Historical Study of Land Use in Dade County, Florida James R
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 4-4-1995 A Cultural Historical Study of Land Use in Dade County, Florida James R. Riach Florida International University, Department of Environmental Studies, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI07091101 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Riach, James R., "A Cultural Historical Study of Land Use in Dade County, Florida" (1995). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida A CULTURAL HISTORICAL STUDY OF LAND USE IN DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY by James Robert Riach 1995 To: Dean Arthur W. Herriott College of Arts and Sciences This thesis, written by James Robert Riach, and entitled A CULTURAL HISTORICAL STUDY OF LAND USE IN DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to your judgement. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. Bradley C. Bennett Alex Stepidk ennis W. Wiedman William T. Vickers, Major Professor Date of Defense: April 4, 1995 The thesis of James Robert Riach is approved.
    [Show full text]
  • Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Phase 1 Introduction Biscayne Bay Is Part of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
    Restoring Freshwater Flows to Biscayne Bay: Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Phase 1 Introduction Biscayne Bay is part of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Historically, freshwater would flow from the Everglades over and through the Miami Rock Ridge and out through Biscayne Bay. Unintended consequences of drainage and development have cut off freshwater flow from the Everglades to Biscayne Bay. As a direct consequence of these changes, the Bay receives very lile freshwater during the dry season, and too much freshwater during the wet season, when water is diverted away from farm fields to the Bay to allow opmal condions for growing crops. Such abrupt changes in the salinity regimes seriously impact this otherwise thriving estuarine habitat crucial to coastal and wading bird colonies roosng along Biscayne Bay and Biscayne Naonal Park. The Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW) Project is a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoraon Plan (CERP). The main goal of BBCW is to increase historic natural freshwater flows to Biscayne Bay and Biscayne Naonal Park in Miami‐Dade County, through the restoraon and rehydraon of freshwater and dal wetlands. BBCW will increase freshwater deliveries to Biscayne Bay during the dry season, limit freshwater releases during the wet season and recreate the overland flow that historically fed the estuarine waters of Biscayne Bay and Biscayne Naonal Park. Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands, Phase 1 Photo by Mac Stone Because of the large amount of new land required for part of the project, the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project has broken into two phases. BBCW Phase 1 was authorized by Congress in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Transmitting Supplemental Information and Requesting Initiation of Formal Consultation Regarding
    SUBJECT: Supplementary Information for U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) for Turkey Point Units 6 and 7 As you requested at the meeting between FWS and NRC staff in August 2015, additional information addressing four separate issues for effects on terrestrial and aquatic listed species has been prepared. Issue 1: FWS Requests Information about the Miami Tiger Beetle (Cicindela floridana) Status: The Miami tiger beetle is currently a Proposed Endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. It was not listed under the Act as of August 2015 when NRC staff and FWS met to discuss Turkey Point Endangered Species Act issues. However, it had been the subject of an emergency petition for listing submitted to the FWS by the Center for Biological Diversity and other co-petitioners on December 11, 2014 (Center for Biological Diversity et al. 2014). The FWS published a proposed rule to list the Miami tiger beetle on December 22, 2015 (80 FR 79533). The proposed rule does not include proposed critical habitat, but it does indicate that the designation of critical habitat may be beneficial and that the FWS is continuing to evaluate possible critical habitat for future designation. The public comment acceptance period closed on February 22, 2016; the FWS has not yet taken a final action on the proposal. Species Description: The Miami tiger beetle is a small, elongate beetle less than 0.4 in in length that has an oval shape and bulging eyes (80 FR 79537). Adults are active diurnal predators that most commonly feed on small arthropods, especially ants. The species was initially documented from collections made in 1934 in a restricted range on the northern end of the Miami Rock Ridge in a region known as the Northern Biscayne Pinelands (80 FR 79537).
    [Show full text]
  • History of Miami
    History Of Miami This article is about the city in Florida. For other uses, est City”, for its year-round good air quality, vast green see Miami (disambiguation). spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide Miami (/maɪˈæmi/; Spanish pronunciation: [maiˈami] recycling programs.*[15] According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world's fifth-richest city in terms of purchasing power.*[16] Miami is nicknamed the “Capital of Latin America”,*[1] is the second largest U.S. city with a Spanish-speaking majority, and the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.*[17] Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies.*[18]*[19] The Civic Center is a major center for hospitals, research institutes, medical centers, and biotechnology industries. For more than two decades, the Port of Miami, known as the“Cruise Capital of the World,”has been the number one cruise passenger port in the world. It accommodates some of the world's largest cruise ships and operations, and is the busiest port in both passenger traffic and cruise lines.*[20]*[21] 1 History Main article: History of Miami See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Miami, Florida and Timeline of Miami, Florida history The Freedom Tower of 1925 is Miami's historical landmark. The Miami area was inhabited for thousands of years *[6]) is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeast- ern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County.
    [Show full text]
  • Matheson Hammock History
    Matheson Hammock History In 1930, William J. Matheson and his son Hugh donated approximately 85 acres of tropical hardwood hammock forest off old cutler road to Dade County, to be used and maintained perpetually as a botanical garden. This 85 acre tract referred to as the “Matheson Botanical Hammock” was the original extent of Matheson Hammock Park, which was also the first public park to be established in Dade County. Shortly afterwards, in 1934-35, Dade County purchased an additional 420 acres of mangroves and hammock lands adjacent to Matheson Hammock Park, thus increasing its size to over 500 acres, with a mile of frontage on Biscayne Bay1. Matheson Hammock opened in 1930 originally administered by the county's first director of public parks, A. D. Barnes, and designed by the landscape architect William Lyman Phillip; today it is owned and managed by Miami-Dade County. Matheson wanted the land to be used as a park "to preserve the wild and natural beauty." It grew with further donations by the Matheson heirs, purchases by county commissioner Charles Crandon, and other donations to its current 630 acres. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crews were assigned to Matheson Hammock in 1936 and began to develop the Bayfront park area. Coral stone buildings rose and the picnic area had a coral stone shelter. Without the use of the inexpensive and skilled labor force under the state and federal assistance programs, it would have been impossible to build the miles of carefully hewn coral stone walls and native stone buildings. The quality of the CCC's work was verified in 1945 when a hurricane resulted in 12-foot waves rolling over Matheson Hammock, causing immense damage to equipment and furnishings, and depositing layers of mud and trash in the park, but the basic CCC structures stood firm and the park recovered.2 A Hardwood Hammock limestone ridge parallels the east of Southern Florida and separates it from the vast everglades and Big Cypress Swamp to the west.
    [Show full text]
  • Pine Rockland Description: Pine Rockland Is Characterized by an Open Canopy of South Florida Slash Pine (Pinus Elliottii Var
    National Key Deer Refuge (Monroe County) Photo by Gary Knight Pine Rockland Description: Pine rockland is characterized by an open canopy of South Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) with a patchy understory of tropical and temperate shrubs and palms and a rich herbaceous layer of mostly perennial species including numerous species endemic to South Florida. Outcrops of weathered oolitic limestone, known locally as pinnacle rock, are common, and solution holes may be present. This subtropical, pyrogenic flatland can be mesic or xeric depending on landscape position and associated natural communities. There are differences in species composition between the pine rocklands found in the Florida Keys and the mainland (see Community Variations below). Pine rockland has an open canopy of South Florida slash pine, generally with multiple age classes. The diverse, open shrub/subcanopy layer is composed of more than 100 species of palms and hardwoods (Gann et al. 2009), most derived from the tropical flora FNAI - Guide to the Natural Communities of Florida: 2010 Edition Pine Rockland – 1 of the West Indies (Snyder et al. 1990). Many of these species vary in height depending on fire frequency, getting taller with time since fire. These include saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), silver palm (Coccothrinax argentata), brittle thatch palm (Thrinax morrisii), wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), myrsine (Rapanea punctata), poisonwood (Metopium toxiferum), locustberry (Byrsonima lucida), varnishleaf (Dodonaea viscosa), tetrazygia (Tetrazygia bicolor), rough velvetseed (Guettarda scabra), marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides), mangrove berry (Psidium longipes), willow bustic (Sideroxylon salicifolium), winged sumac (Rhus copallinum). Short-statured shrubs include running oak (Quercus elliottii), white indigoberry (Randia aculeata), Christmas berry (Crossopetalum ilicifolium), redgal (Morinda royoc), and snowberry (Chiococca alba).
    [Show full text]
  • An Old-Growth Definition for Tropical and Subtropical Forests in Florida
    United States Department of An Old-Growth Definition for Agriculture Forest Service Tropical and Subtropical Forests in Florida Southern Kenneth W. Outcalt Research Station General Technical Report SRS-13 A Section of the Old-Growth Definition Series ___________ The Author: ___________ Kenneth W. Outcalt, Research Plant Ecologist, Southern Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Athens, GA 30602-2044. Preface Old growth is widely acknowledged today as an essential part of managed forests, particularly on public lands. However, this concept is relatively new, evolving since the 1970's when a grassroots movement in the Pacific Northwest began in earnest to define old growth. In response to changes in public attitude, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, began reevaluating its policy regarding old-growth forests in the 1980's. Indeed, the ecological significance of old growth and its contribution to biodiversity were apparent. It was also evident that definitions were needed to adequately assess and manage the old-growth resource. However, definitions of old growth varied widely among scientists. To address this discrepancy and other old-growth issues, the National Old-Growth Task Group was formed in 1988. At the recommendation of this committee, old growth was officially recognized as a distinct resource by the Forest Service, greatly enhancing its status in forest management planning. The committee devised “The Generic Definition and Description of Old-Growth Forests” to serve as a basis for further work and to ensure uniformity among Forest Service Stations and Regions. Emphasis was placed on the quantification of old-growth attributes. At the urging of the Chief of the Forest Service, all Forest Service Stations and Regions began developing old-growth definitions for specific forest types.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidelines for Rockland Hammock Creation in Dade County
    DRAFT REVIEW COPY Prepared for Native Plant Day George D. Gann 20 March 2004 The Institute for Regional Conservation Miami, Florida Final copy to be published in the www.regionalconservation.org Tillandsia and on the web at www.regionalconservation.org GUIDELINES FOR PLANTING A ROCKLAND HAMMOCK IN SOUTH FLORIDA Why plant a rockland hammock? Planting a rockland hammock is relatively simple and inexpensive, and can be accomplished in a wide variety of situations. Rockland hammocks provide wonderful habitats for native plants and wildlife, are aesthetically pleasing, contribute to the conservation of energy resources, mitigate the effects of global climate change, and reduce long-term maintenance costs in urban and suburban landscapes. Background. Rockland hammocks are broad-leaved forests found on limestone substrate with an accumulation of organic material on the surface. They are closed, dome-shaped forests typically dominated by evergreen trees and shrubs of West Indian origin. Rockland hammocks are similar throughout their range, although the flora and vegetation varies according to type of limestone, hydrological conditions, local climate, and other ecological factors. Rockland hammocks are multi-layered, diverse forests, with several to many species found in the canopy and subcanopy. The understory is dominated by seedlings and saplings of canopy and subcanopy trees. Rockland hammocks hold a great allure, harboring populations of rare orchids and ferns, colorful snails, and a diversity of native wildlife. In South Florida, rockland hammocks were historically found in areas of elevated limestone that were protected from frequent fire: along the Miami Rock Ridge from the mouth of the Miami River south and west to Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park; throughout the Florida Keys from Elliott Key to Key West; and in the Pinecrest region of the Big Cypress Swamp.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion
    TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations/Acronyms ...................................................................................................................................... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... v CONSULTATION HISTORY ..................................................................................................................................... vii BIOLOGICAL OPINION AND CONFERENCE OPINION ............................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 1 2. PROPOSED ACTION ....................................................................................................................................... 4 3. INFORMATION COMMON TO MULTIPLE SPECIES AND CRITICAL HABITAT ANALYSES ................................. 21 4. BARTRAM’S SCRUB-HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY ............................................................................................. 30 5. FLORIDA LEAFWING BUTTERFLY ................................................................................................................. 49 6. CRITICAL HABITAT for BARTRAM’S SCRUB-HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY and FLORIDA LEAFWING BUTTERFLY . 53 7. MIAMI TIGER BEETLE .................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]