Apalachicola Watershed Invasive Exotic Management Plan
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ARSA CISMA PLAN APALACHICOLA REGIONAL STEWARDSHIP ALLIANCE (ARSA) COOPERATIVE INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT AREA (CISMA) BAY, CALHOUN, FRANKLIN, GADSDEN, GULF, JACKSON, LEON, LIBERTY, AND WAKULLA COUNTIES, FLORIDA 0 ARSA CISMA PLAN ARSA CISMA PLAN APALACHICOLA REGIONAL STEWARDSHIP ALLIANCE (ARSA) COOPERATIVE INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT AREA (CISMA) BAY, CALHOUN, FRANKLIN, GADSDEN, GULF, JACKSON, LEON, LIBERTY, AND WAKULLA COUNTIES, FLORIDA Prepared in June 2007 by Lindsey M. Wood, Elizabeth A. Mizell, and Steven J. Herrington Updated in June 2011 by Joshua J. Spies The Nature Conservancy Northwest Florida Program 10394 NW Longleaf DR Bristol, FL 32321-0393 (850) 643-2756 1 ARSA CISMA PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In June of 2003 the Apalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance (ARSA) Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) was founded by stakeholders in the Apalachicola River region. This plan was originally created in June of 2007 by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) with support from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). TNC updated and expanded this document in June of 2011 with support from U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Legacy Resource Management Program. The general objective of this project is to reduce the threats posed to natural communities by non-native invasive species. After habitat loss and degradation, non-native invasive species are the most serious threat to biodiversity in the U.S. These species interfere with ecosystem processes, such as hydrology and fire, and out-compete native flora and fauna for critical habitat. Non-native invasive species do not adhere to political boundaries, making collaboration between conservation cooperators essential for the continued preservation of native plant and animal communities. The effectiveness of efforts to manage current non-native invasive species infestations and stem future establishments in the Apalachicola River region are dependent upon a collaborative strategy adopted by partnering agencies. This plan offers information necessary to implement such a strategy. The first step of this approach is the prevention of new introductions, accompanied by eradication of incipient populations and finally, the management of well-established species. The philosophy behind this approach is to maximize limited financial and personnel resources throughout the region, prioritize highly valued sites, and reduce threats on a landscape scale. ARSA cooperators will utilize this plan to determine strategic actions for the CISMA. Individual land managers are encouraged to use this document as a guide to implement strategies on their own sites. This method will be used as a management tool to protect the native flora and fauna of the Apalachicola River region and serve as a model for other regions. 2 ARSA CISMA PLAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without financial support from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We are grateful to these entities and individuals, particularly Melody Ray-Culp (FWS), Allen Richmond (DOD), and Roy Ogles (DEP) for the opportunity they have given us to promote conservation in our region. We also thank Kristina Serbesoff-King and Mike Renda for their expertise and input throughout the drafting of this document. Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) provided the maps for this document. We are grateful for their support. These maps were updated with data from the FNAI Invasive Plant Database, EDDMapS, and CISMA cooperators. We would also like to thank Jessica Avant, Ricky Hathcock, Karey Lehnert, Jamie Luten, Sarah Braun, Cynthia Brown, Michael Buono, Richard Butgereit, Max Feken, Emily Foster, Amy Jenkins, Michael Jenkins, Wendy Jones, Dean Jue, Elisabeth King, Betty Levin, Gerrod Pogge, Matthew Purdy, and Charles Riddle for their assistance with field data collection and management. The following individuals offered their expertise in selecting the non-native invasive species included in this document: John Dunlap, Wayne Harris, Dean Jue, Drew Leslie, and Tova Spector. We are grateful for their participation. 3 ARSA CISMA PLAN CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 3 CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 PLAN DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................................................... 9 THE ARSA CISMA ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 HISTORY ................................................................................................................................................. 10 MISSION ................................................................................................................................................ 11 PROJECT AREA DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................................. 12 LOCATION ............................................................................................................................................... 12 BIOGEOPHRAPHICAL HISTORY ..................................................................................................................... 14 NON-NATIVE INVASIVE SPECIES .............................................................................................................................. 15 NON-NATIVE INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE U.S. AND FLORIDA ............................................................................... 15 NON-NATIVE INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE APALACHICOLA RIVER REGION ................................................................ 16 COASTAL UPLANDS ................................................................................................................................................................................ 16 ESTUARINE ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 16 FLOODPLAIN WETLANDS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17 MESIC UPLANDS .................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 MESIC AND WET FLATLANDS ................................................................................................................................................................. 18 RIVERINE ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18 XERIC UPLANDS ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 MANAGEMENT APPROACH ................................................................................................................................. 20 ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 20 PRIORITIZATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 RANKING AND SCORING PROTOCOL FOR PLANT SPECIES .................................................................................. 21 CISMA STRATEGIC PLAN TEMPLATE ....................................................................................................................... 23 GOAL 1: CREATE, STRENGTHEN AND SUSTAIN A CISMA .................................................................................. 24 GOAL 2: PREVENTION ............................................................................................................................... 25 GOAL 3: EARLY DETECTION AND RAPID RESPONSE (EDRR) .............................................................................. 27 GOAL 4: CONTROL (PRIORITIZED MANAGEMENT) .......................................................................................... 29 GOAL 5: MONITORING, MAPPING AND APPLIED RESEARCH ............................................................................