Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Annual Report January –December 2009 We Dedicate this Annual Report to Dr. Kenneth Rice Dr. Rice grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and earned his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University while making his living fixing cars at Western Auto. Although it was his mechanical ability that first got him noticed by Florida Cooperative Fish and Wlidlife Resaerch Unit Leader Franklin Percival, it was intellect that convinced Percival and Alan Woodward of the Florida Fish an and Wildlife Conservation Commission to support him as a master’s student. Dr. Rice flourished at the Florida Coop Unit and continued on to earn his doctorate degree with Percival, as well as Woodward and Jim Nichols of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center as committee members. After a brief post-doc at the Georgia Coop Unit, Dr. Rice landed a research wildlife biologist position with the U.S. Geological Survey in south Florida studying alligators in the Everglades. While developing his highly successful research program, Rice mentored a cadre of graduate students and young biologists, many of whom had been or later beame students of the Florida Coop Unit. Currently, Dr. Rice is Director at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Southeast Ecological Science Center in Gainesville, FL, where he continues his strong association with the Florida Coop Unit by advising students and collaborating on projects with both state and federal biologists of many disciplines. 2 COOPERATING AGENCIES: FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE The Foundation for the Gator Nation 3 Table of Contents Introduction: .................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Mission Statement ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Coordinating Committee Members ............................................................................................................................... 7 Cooperators .................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Students and Personnel ................................................................................................................................................ 10 2009 Project Descriptions ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Strategic Habitat Conservation for the Florida Scrub-Jay at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ....................... 14 Wildlife Usage at Development on Spoil Islands In Lake Tohopekaliga, FL ............................................................. 15 Demographic, Movement, and Habitat of the Endangered Snail Kite in Response to Operational Plans in Water Conservation ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 Assessing the Effects of Coastline Alteration on Sea Turtle Nesting & Faunal Assemblages .................................... 18 Development of a Sea Turtle Education Program for Gulf County, Florida ............................................................... 20 Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Assessment of Wildlife Populations................................................ 21 Southeastern Adaptive Management Group (SEAMG) ............................................................................................... 22 American Alligator Distribution, Size, and Hole Occupancy & American Crocodile YR2 ........................................ 23 Experimental Evaluation of a Habitat Enhancement Project for Fish and Wildlife at Gant Lake, FL ........................ 24 Monitoring of Wading Bird Reproduction In WCAS 1,2,3 of the Everglades ............................................................ 25 Wading Bird Colony Location, Size, Timing and Wood Stork Nesting Success ........................................................ 27 Wading Bird Colony Location, Size, Timing and Roseate Spoonbill Nesting Success .............................................. 28 Historic Pond Restoration in the Florida Panther Nat’l Wildlife Refuge .................................................................... 29 Directing Succession Through Adaptive Management in National Wildlife Refuges: Reed Canary Grass Control and Trainsition to Wetland Forests and Meadows ............................................................................................................. 32 Rapid Delineation of Provenance for Florida Sea Oats Used for Beach & Dune Stabilization ................................... 33 Determination of Population diversity in the Florida Endangered Orchid Cytopodium punctatum ............................ 34 Techniques for Field Establishment & Reintroduction of Calopogon tuberosus ........................................................ 35 Seed Ecology, Habitat Characterization, and Reintroduction Methods of Rare and Endangered Florida Orchidaceae—Bletia purpurea and Eulophia alta ........................................................................................... 36 Conservation of S. Florida’s Orchids – Developing Reintroduction Methods for Eight Native Species Including the State Endangered Ghost Orchid ................................................................................................................................... 38 Factors Affecting Population Density and Harvest of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) on Babcock/Webb Wildlife Management Area, Charlotte County, Florida ................................................................ 40 Evaluating Decomposition Dynamics, Community Composition, and Ridge-Top Senescence in the Ridge-Slough Mosaic in Response to Climate Change and Water Management .............................................................................. 41 Regional Distribution of Soil Nutrients: Hierarchical Soil Nutrient Mapping ........................................................... 42 Science Fellowship for Assessment of Coastal Habitats ............................................................................................. 43 Ecology and Conservation of Snowy Plovers In The Florida Panhandle .................................................................... 44 Structured Decision Making, Ecological Thresholds and The Establishment of Management Trigger Points ........... 46 An Assessment of Gulf Sturgeon Population Status in the Gulf of Mexico ................................................................ 47 Spectral and Response Assessment of Turtle-Friendly Lighting Study ...................................................................... 49 Supplement to “Directing Succession Through Adaptive Management in National Wildlife Refuges:Reed Canary Grass Control and Trainsition to Wetland Forests and Meadows” .............................................................................. 50 Monitoring of Wading Bird Reproduction in WCAS 1,2, and 3 of the Everglades – UAV ....................................... 50 Effects of Climate change on Barrier Island Habitat and Nesting Sea Turtles ........................................................... 51 Upper St. John’s River Basin: Habitat use and Reproduction of Snail Kites ............................................................. 53 A Land of Flowers on a Latitude of Deserts: Aiding Conservation and Management of Florida’s Biodiversity by using Predictions from “Down-Scaled” AOGCM Climate Scenario in Combination with Ecological Modeling ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Completed Projects ..................................................................................................................................................... 56 2009 Publications ....................................................................................................................................................... 70 2009 Presentations ...................................................................................................................................................... 71 2009 Technical Reports .............................................................................................................................................. 72 4 FLORIDA COOPERATIVE FISH AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH UNIT INTRODUCTION The Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit was established in 1979 as one of the first combined units. The purpose of the Florida Unit is to provide for active cooperation in the advancement, organization, and conduct of scholarly research and training in the field of fish and wildlife sciences, principally through graduate education and research at the University of Florida. The Florida Unit has the mission to study wetland ecosystems within the state. Florida is a low relief, sub-tropical peninsula that is ecologically fragile. Though abundant, Florida’s water resources are under increasing pressure from a burgeoning human population. Domestic, recreational,