Ecological & Hydrologic Targets for Western Biscayne National Park
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National rarK service U.S. Department of the Interior iCT" wS«*1 SERVICE South Florida Natural Resources Center _ Everglades National Park ^ RESOURCE EVALUATION REPORT SFNRC Technical Series 2006:1 Ecological & Hydrologic Targets for Western Biscayne National Park silver perch (Bairdiella crysoura) spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) Ecological & Hydrologic Targets for Western Biscayne National Park RESOURCE EVALUATION REPORT SFNRC Technical Series 2006:1 Biscayne National Park Homestead, FL South Florida Natural Resources Center Everglades National Park Homestead, FL National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Cover photograph courtesy of Christine Taylor, Florida International University Inside cover illustrations courtesy of ©Diane Peebles ii South Florida Natural Resources Center Technical Series (2006.1) Ecological and Hydrologic Targets for Western Biscayne National Park iii Ecological and Hydrologic Targets for Western Biscayne National Park RESOURCE EVALUATION REPORT SFNRC Technical Series 2006:1 The purpose of this document is to establish a set of scientifically based ecological and hydrologic targets in the western areas of Biscayne National Park, to use these targets to estimate the current water deliveries that are requiredfor the pro tection offish and wildlife, and to give guidance about the timing and distribution of water inflows needed to sustain the ecological targets. These current water deliveries will provide a baseline fo r Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects to build upon in order to achieve substantial restoration of natural areas. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY pink shrimp, and populations of mojarras, pinfish, eastern oyster, and wigeongrass, the following salinity characteristics are required: National Park Service staff developed descriptive ecological A At no time should measured salinities exceed 30 ppt. This targets based on biological communities and quantitative tar will be particularly critical to achieve in the dry season, gets for salinity and freshwater inflows in Biscayne National from November to June. Park. We selected biological indicators that include those de A From March through August (late dry season - early wet scribed by the interagency RECOVER team to set environ season), average monthly salinities should range between mental targets affected by inflows, primarily as measures of 15-25 ppt in the Western Bay Zone. seasonal salinity patterns in key areas of the park. Using target A In the late wet season (September-October), the Coastal values for salinity, we estimated hydrologic targets (freshwa Mangrove Zone should be oligohaline (0-5 ppt), and the ter inflows and their interaction with precipitation and circu Western Bay Zone should average less than 20 ppt. lation). Other relevant indicators of bay health derived from A Salinity changes should be gradual and reflect changes in previous and current studies in the entire Biscayne Bay area also are discussed in support of defining desired ecological coastal inflows that approximate those of an unregulated, conditions and the salinities needed to sustain them. natural system. The productivity and richness of the estuarine communi Flows that achieve these salinity targets will produce stable ties of Biscayne National Park have significantly diminished, mesohaline conditions over the 10,000 acre nearshore bay as have those throughout Biscayne Bay, as a result of channel area of Biscayne National Park. creation and the diversion of water away from the natural We used the methods described in draft CERP Guidance systems in south Florida. The quantity of freshwater, the Memorandum 4 to determine how much of the existing fresh seasonal timing of inflows, and the distribution along the water deliveries to Biscayne National Park are contributing coast have been significantly altered, profoundly affecting to the desired salinity regime. In the absence of operational the historic estuarine nature of the western half of the bay. hydrodynamic models, several analytical and empirical meth The alteration of the hydrology of south Florida has resulted ods were applied to arrive at a range of estimates of the flows in the near complete loss of estuarine habitats from the bay, necessary to reach target salinities. It was determined that including Biscayne National Park, diminishing the ecological approximately 1.1 million acre-feet/year of freshwater flows and economic value of this portion of the greater Everglades would be required to meet the salinity targets described above ecosystem. in the 10,000 acre area of seagrass habitat. Modeled stages and This report describes the desired conditions of the park flows from SFWMM Alt7r for the years 1965 to 2000 were used in terms of biology, ecology, and available historical record. to quantify existing freshwater deliveries to the Bay. Following The “desired condition” takes into account historical infor draft CERP Guidance Memorandum 4 methodology we pro mation about the ecosystem but is not necessarily equivalent duced a time-series comparison of the target with the existing to a pre-drainage state. The desired condition for the Western flows. While some peak-flow freshwater deliveries exceeded Bay Zone of Biscayne National Park is a range of salinities the targets, the total quantity of current freshwater deliveries that is consistently estuarine for support of a productive and to Biscayne National Park is about 40% of the total desired diverse benthic community based on seagrass. These condi freshwater quantity. The stable estuarine conditions desired in tions also support federally-listed endangered species, such Biscayne National Park are not achieved by current freshwa as the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and West ter inflows because the total volume is too little and because Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), and create productive the timing and distribution are too unnatural. Therefore, the nursery habitat that sustains local and regional (Florida Keys) total volume of current freshwater inflows is required for the fishery resources. protection of fish and wildlife in Biscayne National Park. Im Considering the needs of many native species, including proved timing of managed releases and increased total volume the juvenile stages of crocodiles, gray snapper, seatrout, and would also benefit the estuarine ecosystem in the park. South Florida Natural Resources Center Technical Series (2006:1) Ecological and Hydrologic Targets for Western Biscayne National Park v TABLE OF CONTENTS A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S ................................................................................................................................................................ vi F O R E W O R D .............................................................................................................................................................................................vu IN T R O D U C T IO N ........................................................................................................................................................................................1 Conservation Designations............................... .... ..................................................... 1 Relationship to CERP Processes ................ 1 Area Description........................................................................................................ 3 E C O L O G IC A L T A R G E T S FOR B IS C A Y N E N A T IO N A L P A R K ................................................................................................... 7 Historical Conditions................................................................................................................... 7 Current Conditions.................................................................................................................................................................................8 Indicator Species: Benthic Community, Endangered Species, and Important Fishery Resources........................................ .8 Desired Conditions......................................................................................... .10 Summary of Ecological Targets. 11 H Y D R O L O G IC T A R G E T S FO R B IS C A Y N E N A T IO N A L P A R K ................................................................................................. 12 Salinity................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12 From Salinity to Freshwater Flow Targets............................................... .............................................................. 13 Estimates of Target Flows........................................................................... 13 Summary of Freshwater Flow Targets..................................................... 15 Estimation of Current Flows. ............................................ 16 Estimation of "Beneficial" Flow s.........................................................................................................................................................18 D IS C U S S IO N ............................................................................................................................................................................................20 LITERA TU RE C IT E D ...............................................................................................................................................................................22