ISSN 1930-1448 Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program Report for the State of Florida KARA R. RADABAUGH, CHRISTINA E. POWELL, AND RYAN P. MOYER, EDITORS Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Technical Report No. 21 • 2017 MyFWC.com Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program Report for the State of Florida KARA R. RADABAUGH, CHRISTINA E. POWELL, AND RYAN P. MOYER, EDITORS Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue Southeast St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 MyFWC.com Technical Report 21 • 2017 Rick Scott Governor of Florida Nick Wiley, Executive Director Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute is a division of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which “[manages] fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people.” The Institute conducts applied research pertinent to managing fishery resources and species of special concern in Florida. Pro- grams focus on obtaining the data and information that managers of fish, wildlife, and ecosystems need to sustain Florida’s natural resources. Topics include managing recreationally and commercially important fish and wildlife species; preserving, managing, and restoring terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats; collecting information related to population status, habitat requirements, life history, and recovery needs of upland and aquatic species; synthesizing ecological, habitat, and socioeconomic information; and developing educational and outreach pro- grams for classroom educators, civic organizations, and the public. The Institute publishes three series: Memoirs of the Hourglass Cruises, Florida Marine Research Publications, and FWRI Technical Reports. FWRI Technical Reports contain information relevant to immediate needs in resource management. Gil McRae, FWRI Director Bland Crowder, Editor and Production This publication is available online and may be downloaded at http://myfwc.com/research/publications/scientific/ technical-reports/. Copies may also be obtained from: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5095 Attn: Librarian We suggest that this document be cited as follows: Radabaugh, Kara R., Christina E. Powell, and Ryan P. Moyer (eds.). 2017. Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program Report for the State of Florida. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Technical Report No. 21. Cover and text papers used in this publication meet the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48–1992(R2009). Cover photograph: Spartina alterniflora and Laguncularia racemosa in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photograph by Ryan P. Moyer Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program Report for the State of Florida KARA R. RADABAUGH, CHRISTINA E. POWELL, AND RYAN P. MOYER, EDITORS Contents Acknowledgments ...........................................................................................................v Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program (CHIMMP) ...................vi Contributors and Their Affiliations .................................................................................vi Executive Summary ........................................................................................................vii Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................1 Coastal wetland ecosystems of Florida ..................................................................................................1 Ecological and economic value of salt marsh and mangrove ecosystems ........................................4 Common threats to Florida’s coastal wetlands ....................................................................................5 Classification of coastal wetlands by remote-sensing techniques ......................................................7 Land cover classification schemes .........................................................................................................9 Land cover mapping data in Florida ....................................................................................................13 Monitoring in coastal wetlands ............................................................................................................17 Long-term monitoring of Florida coastal wetlands: examples of two methodologies ...................20 THE GUANA TOLOMATO MATANZAS NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE .................................20 CRITICAL COASTAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT MONITORING IN TAMPA BAY ................................................23 Monitoring resources ............................................................................................................................26 Region-specific chapters .......................................................................................................................27 Works cited .............................................................................................................................................27 iv Radabaugh, Powell, and Moyer, editors Chapter 2: Northwest Florida ........................................................................................34 Chapter 3: Big Bend and Springs Coast .........................................................................46 Chapter 4: Tampa Bay ....................................................................................................58 Chapter 5: Sarasota Bay .................................................................................................71 Chapter 6: Charlotte Harbor and Estero Bay .................................................................78 Chapter 7: Collier County ..............................................................................................88 Chapter 8: Everglades ....................................................................................................98 Chapter 9: Florida Keys ............................................................................................... 109 Chapter 10: Biscayne Bay ........................................................................................... 116 Chapter 11: Palm Beach and Broward Counties ........................................................ 123 Chapter 12: Indian River Lagoon ................................................................................ 134 Chapter 13: Northeast Florida .................................................................................... 144 Chapter 14: Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................... 155 Appendix A, Acronym List ........................................................................................... 158 Appendix B, Species list .............................................................................................. 160 Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program Report: Florida v Scores of fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) in a Spartina alterniflora salt marsh in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Photograph by Ryan P. Moyer. Acknowledgments This report was funded by a grant from Florida’s State wetland acreages for this report. Amber Whittle and Shan- Wildlife Grants Program in order to support the study of non Whaley completed the technical review of the docu- high-priority coastal habitats in accordance with the State ment. Bland Crowder completed scientific review, copy Wildlife Action Plan. The Coastal Habitat Integrated Map- review, and layout. Several FWC coastal wetlands interns ping and Monitoring Program (CHIMMP) was based on and technicians assisted with CHIMMP vegetation mon- the framework established by the Seagrass Integrated Map- itoring or editing (Amanda Chappel, Ioana Bociu, Allie ping and Monitoring (SIMM) program and reports gener- Wilcox, Barbara Clark, Danielle Pavlik, Joshua Michael, ated by Laura Yarbro, Paul Carlson Jr., and numerous oth- Dana Parkinson, Stuart Penoff, Victoria Manzella, Josh- er contributors from across Florida. The CHIMMP editors ua Breithaupt, Emma Dontis, Taylor Nielsen, and Reba wish to thank Amber Whittle, Kathleen OKeife, Andrea Campbell). Alden, and Caroline Gorga for their support and guidance This report is a collaboration among many authors throughout the course of CHIMMP . We also wish to thank from governmental and independent agencies. The views, the dozens of scientists and managers from across Florida statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations who contributed directly to the writing of this report and expressed herein are those of the authors and do not nec- to the many others who provided comments and contribu- essarily reflect the views of the State of Florida, the Na- tions during the CHIMMP workshops. Christi Santi, a GIS tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. specialist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or Commission (FWC), created regional maps and calculated any of their subagencies. vi Radabaugh, Powell, and Moyer, editors Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program (CHIMMP) The Coastal Habitat Integrated Mapping and Moni- together coastal wetland scientists and managers