® 006 january 2 BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK A Resource Assessment National Parks Conservation Association ® 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 plants 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 National Park Service 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 REPORT SUMMARY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1 ark yne National P Bisca Biscayne National Park is located along the fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. Many visitors Biscayne National southeastern margin of the Florida peninsula travel to Biscayne to dive, snorkel, canoe, kayak, Park protects part of the third-largest and encompasses much of Biscayne Bay, making windsurf, or fish, further underscoring the coral reef system in it one of the largest marine parks in the National importance of conserving the park’s resources. the world. Park System (see map on page 26). The park The park also harbors many endangered species, protects part of the third-largest coral reef system including the West Indian manatee (Trichechus in the world and the longest stretch of mangrove manatus), American crocodile (Crocodylus acu- forest remaining on Florida’s east coast, provid- tus), and Schaus swallowtail butterfly (Heraclides ing habitat and nursery grounds for most of the aristodemus ponceanus). region’s important commercial and recreational Historic structures and archaeological 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 shipwrecks 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 Biscayne aquifer; Florida, most notably Everglades 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 south Florida should address these Biscayne Bay 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 coral reef 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. • Miami-Dade County is the only county in the United States 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 current 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 overfishing. 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-