Regional Conservation

Floristic Inventories of Conservation Areas in Miami-Dade County, Florida. 2006-2007. Conduct floristic inventories over difference seasons at 46 conservation areas managed by Miami-Dade County’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program. $65,000 cooperative agreement with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Principal Investigator.

Floristic Assessment of the Karst Belt of Puerto Rico. Since 2001. Develop a relational database using Microsoft Access to assist the International Institute for Tropical Forestry in habitat conservation planning, particularly in the northern karst belt. The database contains a full plant inventory for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, synonymy, herbarium specimens, and data on plant localities, habit, substrate, perennation, nativity, and global range. Cooperative agreement with US Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry. $30,000 in grants from the USDA International Institute of Tropical Forestry to date. Principal Investigator.

Long-term Monitoring of Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium microphyllum) in Southern Florida. Since 2002. Analysis of rate of spread of the exotic vine Lygodium microphyllum, its impact on native plant communities, and future effects of the introduction of biocontrol agents. Cooperative agreement with US Department of Agriculture. $100,000 budget for first five years of work. Principal Investigator.

Long-term Monitoring of Vegetation Affected by Brine Deposition in Everglades National Park, Monroe County, Florida. Since 2003. Establishment of long-term monitoring study to determine effects on native vegetation of brine deposition associated with a desalinization plant in the southern part of Everglades National Park. Incorporated rare plant surveys into the project. $20,000 cooperative agreement with Everglades National Park. Principal Investigator.

Rare Plant Monitoring and Restoration on Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park. 2003-2008. Survey and establish long-term monitoring protocols for 30 rare plant species covered in IRC’s book, Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration as part of Everglades National Parks Critical Ecosystems Study Initiative (CESI). Develop recommendations for augmentations and reintroductions of extirpated species. Develop methods to evaluate the effects of changed in hydrology associated with the Everglades Restoration on rare plant populations. $300,000 budget for first five years. Principal Investigator.

Restoration and Management of Privately-owned Pine Rockland Fragments in Miami-Dade County. 2005-2007. Develop and implement restoration programs on 50+ acres of privately-owned pineland forests in Miami-Dade County. $115,000 grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Status Survey of the Federally-threatened Garber’s Spurge (Chamaesyce garberi) in South Florida. 2006-2007. Determine distribution, estimate populations, identify threats, and assess conservation needs. 2006-2007. Principal Investigator.

Surveying and Mapping of Rare Native and Invasive Introduced Plants along Florida Department of Transportation Rights-of-way in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, Florida. Design and conduct innovative project along 700 miles of roadway in collaboration with the University of Florida and Florida Natural Areas Inventory. $172,000 contract with the University of Florida. Principal Investigator.

Distribution and Populations Estimates of Federal Candidate Plant Species in the Florida Keys. 2005-2006. Conducted surveys, estimated population sizes and mapped occurrences of five federal candidates throughout the Florida Keys. $29,000 contract with US Fish & Wildlife Service. Principal Investigator.

Distribution and Population Estimates of Federal Candidate Plant Species on Big Pine Key, Florida. 2005-2006. Conducted intensive study of three pine rockland plants, including determining statistical estimates of populations sizes, mapping distributions in plots, and identifying indicator species. $27,000 contract with US Fish & Wildlife Service. Principal Investigator.

Compilation of Melaleuca quinquenervia Herbarium Label Data. 2005. Visited Florida and National herbaria and collaborated with other herbaria to compile data on this invasive exotic tree. $7,000 contract with the South Florida Water Management District. Principal Investigator.

Ground Truthing of Vegetation Maps of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. 2004-2005. Collected transect data within 300+ randomly selected plots to assess accuracy of vegetation maps prepared by the University of Georgia. Utilized transect data collected during four years of floristic inventory work to develop preliminary assessment of accuracy. $115,000 cooperative agreement with National Park Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Rare Cactus Demography, Miami-Dade County, Florida. 2005. Continue work on new population of rare cactus (Opuntia corallicola) discovered by IRC in 2001. $10,000 contract with US Fish & Wildlife Service. Principal Investigator.

Collection of Herbarium Specimens at Big Cypress National Preserve. 2003-2004. Collection of several hundred herbarium specimens in an attempt to fully voucher this 730,000 acre conservation area. $10,000 contract with National Park Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Inventory of Vascular Plant Species of Big Cypress National Preserve . 2001-2004. Conducted comprehensive quantitative floristic survey of the 730,000 acre Big Cypress National Preserve by establishment and data collection along randomly placed line transects throughout the preserve, surveys of randomly selected 1 square km cells, and data collection in randomly placed rectangular plots. Collected herbarium vouchers for plant species not previously collected in the preserve. $107,000 contract with National Park Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Inventory of Vascular Plant Species of Biscayne National Park . 2001-2004. Conducted comprehensive quantitative floristic survey of the 173,000 acre Biscayne National Park by establishment and data collection along line transects throughout the preserve, and surveys of all 1 square km cells in the park. Collected herbarium vouchers for all plant species in the park when fertile material was available. $42,000 contract with National Park Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Mahogany Mistletoe (Phoradendron rubrum) Surveys, Miami-Dade County, Florida. 2004. Surveyed Biscayne National Park for this critically imperiled epiphytic parasite following the discovery of a new population. $3,000 contract with the National Park Service. Principal Investigator.

Mapping and Floristic Analysis of All Remaining Upland Forests in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Developed delineation methodology to distinguish relatively undisturbed natural community fragments from disturbed areas in more than 200 upland sites, and mapped the boundaries of each fragment with a Trimble GPS unit. Collected floristic data at each site and developed a Floristic Quality Analysis. $150,000 cooperative agreement with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Status Survey of the Federal Candidate Cape Sable Thoroughwort (Chromolaena frustrata), Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, Florida. 2003-2004. Conducted surveys and mapped populations of this candidate herb in Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys. $10,000 contract with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Status Surveys of Two Rare Coastal Endemics in Southwestern Florida. 2003-2004. Conducted field surveys and herbarium research on two rare species in southwestern Florida (Harrisia aboriginum; Helianthus debilis ssp. vestitis) as recommended in IRC’s book, Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration). $20,000 contract with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Projects Completed in 2003

Collection of Vegetation Data for Wildlife Study, Southwestern Florida. 2003. Collaborated on study relating wildlife habitats to vegetation assemblages including invasive exotics at Prairie Pines Preserve. $5,500 contract with Lee County. Principal Investigator.

Fragrant Prickly-Apple (Harrisia fragrans) Annual Monitoring and Mapping, Savannas State Reserve, St. Lucie County, Florida. 1999-2003. Conducted demographic monitoring of a population of the endangered cactus Harrisia fragrans in St. Lucie County and analyzed demographic trends. $43,000 grant from Florida Division of Forestry. Lead Principal Investigator.

Ground Truthing of Hyperspectral Mapping along the Kissimmee River Basin in Central Florida. 2002-2003. Assisted with vascular plant identification and ground truthing of vegetation maps along the Kissimmee River drainage. $12,000 in contracts with SAIC, Inc. Principal Investigator.

Rare Plant Workshops, South Florida. 2003. Conducted six day workshops drawing nearly 100 participants from 26 public and private conservation agencies throughout South Florida. Workshops included review of the book Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration, identification of rare plants, management discussions, and conservation planning. $12,500 grant from Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation. Principal Investigator

Status Survey and Population monitoring of Opuntia corallicola in the Upper Florida Keys, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, Florida. 2002-2003. Conduct demographic monitoring of a population of the imperiled cactus Opuntia corallicola on an island in Biscayne National Park and analyze population projection. Conduct status survey of Opuntia corallicola on islands in Biscayne Bay from Palo Alto Key to Sands Key. $19,000 cooperative agreement with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Establishment of South Florida Rare Plant Conservation Program. 2000-2002. Continued work on Floristic Inventory of South Florida, launched IRC website (www.regionalconservation.org) and Floristic Inventory of South Florida Database Online, and contributed to writing of Rare Plants of South Florida (see below). $17,500 grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $20,000 grant from Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation. Principal Investigator.

Vegetation Analysis of Preserves Owned by the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Sanibel Island, Florida. 2002. Conducted qualitative assessment of the cover of plant species in recently managed natural areas on Sanibel Island and analyzed impacts of management activities. $3,500 contract with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. Principal Investigator.

Writing and Publication of Book, Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration. 1999-2002. Wrote and published a 1056 page book covering South Florida’s 355 regionally extinct and critically imperiled plant species. Covers the history of each species in the region and management recommendations. A chapter is also included providing data on rare plants in each of over 200 preserves in the region, with recommendations for rare plant management in each preserve. Received positive reviews from peers and in the journal Ecological Restoration. Primarily funded with internal funds. Principal Investigator and Author.

Aerial Monitoring of Exotic Plant Species, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Collier Counties, Florida. 2001. Conducted aerial surveys of the 1.5 million acre Everglades National Park, the 730,000 acre Big Cypress National Preserve, and the 173,000 acre Biscayne National Park in a low flying aircraft for exotic pest plants, collecting data with Trimble GPS units. $54,000 contract with National Park Service. Principal Investigator.

Floristic Inventory and Rare Species Survey of Properties Owned by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the Florida Keys, Monroe County, Florida. 2000-2001. Surveyed 22 conservation areas throughout the Florida Keys to prepare a plant list for each property and collect GPS coordinates for rare plant species encountered during the surveys. $18,500 in contracts with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Lead Principal Investigator.

Protection and Conservation of Endangered Havana Clustervine (Jacquemontia havanensis) in Southern Florida, Monroe County , Florida . 2001. Performed status survey for the rare vine Jacquemontia havanensis in the Florida Keys including conducting surveys on Key Largo, Big Pine Key, Boca Chica Key, and Bahia Honda Key. Used Trimble GPS units to collect positions of all known plants with a sub-meter accuracy. $2,500 contract with Florida Park Service. Principal Investigator.

Biological Monitoring of Exotic Plants, 10 Southernmost Counties of Florida. 1997-2000. Conducted aerial surveys for exotic plant species from a low-flying aircraft for all of South Florida from Lake Okeechobee south. Designed and initiated a long term monitoring study to analyze the rate of spread of the exotic vine Lygodium microphyllum and its impact on native plant communities. Developed the Exotic Plants of South Florida database on CD-ROM. $120,000 contract with the South Florida Water Management District. Lead Principal Investigator.

Demography of Federally-listed Endangered Plant Taxa in Pine Rocklands, Miami-Dade County. 2000. Mapped positions of federally endangered Amorpha crenulata at a sub-meter accuracy using Trimble GPS units and collected life history data on individual plants. Mapped population boundaries of the federally endangered Polygala smallii and Galactia smallii. Provided database of locations of 6 federally endangered plant taxa. $15,000 contract with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Lead Principal Investigator.

Floristic Assessment of the Parrot Jungle and Gardens, Village of Pinecrest, Florida. 2000. Performed assessment of the natural communities of the Parrot Jungle and Gardens to assist the Village of Pinecrest with a acquisition grant proposal to the Florida Communities Trust. $2,000 contract with Village of Pinecrest. Principal Investigator.

Rare Plant Data Review and Compilation . 1999. Reviewed rare plant occurrence data compiled by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, editing and correcting errors, and provided updated occurrence data for rare plant species in South Florida. $4,000 contract with Florida Natural Areas Inventory. Principal Investigator.

Status Summaries of 12 Rockland Plant Taxa in Southern Florida. 1999. Researched and developed status summaries for 12 endemic plant species known only from rockland habitats in South Florida as required by the federal Endangered Species Act. All 12 species were subsequently added as federal candidates for listing. $7,500 contract with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Projects Completed in 1998

Development of Exotic Plant Table for South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan. 1998. Developed table of habitats occupied by all exotic plants within the area covered by the South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan. $3,000 contract with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Exotic Plants of South Florida Database Table. 1998. Developed table of habitats occupied by all exotic plants within the 10 county area of South Florida. $5,500 contract with Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Aquatic Plant Management. Lead Principal Investigator.

Exotic Plants of South Florida Database CD-ROM. 1998. Developed a relational database distributed on CD- ROM of exotic plant locations by preserve, county, and habitats within the 10 county area of South Florida. $11,000 contract with Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Aquatic Plant Management. Lead Principal Investigator.

Management Plan for Yamato Scrub Natural Area, Boca Raton, Florida. 1998. Co-authored state-required management plan for the 217 acre Yamato Scrub Natural Area. Performed extensive surveys of the property, compiling floristic and faunistic inventories, and developed management recommendations for each plant community on the property, each rare plant species, and each exotic plant species. $5,000 contract with The Nature Conservancy. Author.

Participation in Development of South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan. 1996-1998. Wrote accounts for five plant species for the Multi-Species Recovery Plan. Wrote habitat accounts for the pine rockland and rockland hammock plant communities. Participated as members of the South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Team. Pro bono work with US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rare Plants of Florida Scrub in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties, Florida. 1997-1998. Performed surveys and compiled plant lists for scrub sites in three counties along the Florida East coast; conducted surveys for endangered plant species in the region, including a taxon that was newly discovered by IRC staff, Dicerandra immaculata var. savannarum. Mapped the endangered cactus Harrisia fragrans at the Savannas State Reserve at sub-meter accuracy using Trimble GPS units. $48,000 cooperative agreement with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

Projects Completed in 1997

Management Plans for Juno Dunes and Juno Dunes Oceanfront Natural Areas, Palm Beach County, Florida. 1997. Co-authored state-required management plans for two county-owned conservation areas. Performed extensive surveys of the properties, compiled floristic inventories, and developed management recommendations for each plant community on each property, each rare plant species, and each exotic plant species. $10,000 in contracts with The Nature Conservancy. Author.

Projects Completed in 1996

Life History Analysis of a Federally-listed Herb. 1996. Organized demographic data collected on the federally-listed Polygala smallii into a Paradox database. $2,000 contract with Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management.

Management Plans for Delray Oaks and Frenchman’s Forest Natural Areas, Palm Beach County, Florida. 1996. Co-authored state-required management plans for two county-owned conservation areas. Performed extensive surveys of the properties, compiled floristic and faunistic inventories, and developed management recommendations for each plant community on each property, each rare plant species, and each exotic plant species. $6,000 in contracts with The Nature Conservancy. Author.

Rare Plant Data Research and Review. Reviewed existing data on rare plant species tracked by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory and compiled missing and new data. $3,000 contract with the Florida Natural Areas Inventory. Lead Principal Investigator.

Rare Plant Surveys at the United States Naval Observatory Property, Miami-Dade County, Florida. 1996. Conducted rare plant surveys in endangered pine rockland habitat at this federal property being considered for transfer. $2,000 contract with Florida Natural Areas Inventory. Lead Principal Investigator.

Projects Completed in 1995

Surveys for the Federally-listed Polygala smallii in Southeastern Florida. 1995. Following IRC’s discovery of new populations of this herb in Palm Beach and Martin counties, surveys were conducted throughout southeastern Florida and an endangered species status survey written. $4,900 contract with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lead Principal Investigator.

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