RECENT EVENTS
September 14th - Village of Palmetto Bay - Palmetto Bay Park This event was held at the Palmetto Bay Park in the Village of Palmetto Bay. Led by IRC's Field Supervisor, Melany Flint and our Field Technician, Jonathan Moreno. Volunteers installed native plants to enhance the biodiversity within the pine rocklands and as well as remove pesky invasives.
January 2024 - Village of Palmetto Bay - Coral Reef Park IRC has been working on exciting new projects in the Village of Palmetto Bay, Miami- Dade County at Coral Reef Park. Our crews have been working hard to remove invasive plant species and overgrow native hardwoods to restore the pine rockland habitat in the park. You can see the beautiful work happening from the before and after where the crews removed Sewervine (Paederia cruddasiana) and exposed the remnant high value patches of Saw palmettos. This park was loaded with lots of biodiversity and IRC’s crew has been doing a fantastic job repairing the ecosystem function of its pine rockland habitat. Recently, our crew found the endangered species man-in-the-ground (Ipomoea microdactyla) hanging on to life in the restoration area that was in a lower quality area of the park!
November 11th, 2023-Hattie Bauer Hammock Preserve IRC joined the Miami-Dade County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program for their “Science and Peace Day” environmental educational forum at the Hattie Bauer Hammock Preserve. At this event, IRC along with other local organizations provided attendees the opportunity to interact with them to learn more about each organization, their volunteer opportunities, and how they can get more involved in conservation.
November 5, 2022 – Calderon Pineland Preserve As part of the Pine Rockland Working Group conference, a collaborative volunteer event was held a Calderon Pineland Preserve. More than 100 volunteers joined Miami-Dade's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program at the Preserve, planting more than 1,500 rare plants that support butterfly species and other pollinators.
November 4, 2022 – Florida City Pineland Preserve As part of the Pine Rockland Working Group conference, a field trip was held at Florida City Pineland Preserve, where Alex Seasholtz and Tim Joyner from Miami-Dade County’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program led groups (students from Advanced Achievers Academy) around the preserve showing the ongoing restoration efforts.
September 30th, 2023- Florida City Pineland Preserve In partnership with the Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, IRC assisted in hosting a Black Forest Tree Planting event, along with the NAACP South Dade Branch, North American Butterfly Association, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's Connect to Protect Network program and MIT's Poetic Justice Project, who dedicated a Black Forest Monument at the event. IRC provided guidance and assistance in the installment of 150 native plants, in dedication to the 100,000 Black lives lost to Covid-19.
April 8th, 2023- Florida City Pineland Preserve In collaboration with Miami-Dade Environmentally Endangered Lands program, IRC helped to host the Florida City Pineland Volunteer Day with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's Connect to Protect Network, NAACP Miami-Dade Branch and Citizens for a Better South Florida. Over 75 volunteers participated in the plantings of more than 700 native species, effectively transforming what were once very degraded areas of the Florida City Pineland Preserve.
The Pine Rockland Initiative
What is the Pine Rockland Initiative?
The Pine Rockland Initiative was founded in 2005 with an emphasis on providing support to private owners of pine rocklands, especially for invasive plant control, with primary funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Over the years it has grown and evolved to become a multi-faceted program with many funders and collaborators including the FWS Coastal and Partners for Fish and Wildlife Programs, US DOD, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami-Dade County, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, The Nature Conservancy, Miami Beach Garden Club, NABA, private donors, and many more. The goal of the program is to restore and manage pine rockland fragments on public and private lands throughout the range of pine rocklands, including providing the thought leadership needed to move beyond "business as usual" and save this unique part of our natural heritage. One way to do this it through "expanding the footprint" of pine rocklands, including the restoration of fire-excluded pine rockland patches, as well as the restoration of pine rocklands that have been destroyed.
What is a Pine Rockland?
Pine Rocklands comprise a globally imperiled ecosystem that exists only in southern Florida and parts of the Bahamas. In South Florida, they are home to many rare plant and animal species, including 11 federally listed animals and 16 federally listed plants. Dozens of state-listed plants and regionally rare plants designated by IRC are also present. A typical pine rockland is characterized by limestone outcroppings, sometimes covered with sand, a canopy of South Florida Slash Pine, and diverse understory and groundcover layers including temperate, tropical, and endemic plants. In South Florida, intact pine rocklands have all but disappeared outside of Everglades National Park (ENP) in Miami-Dade County and parts of National Key Deer Refuge in the Florida Keys. Outside of ENP in Miami-Dade County, small patches, representing perhaps 2% of the original extent of pine rocklands within Miami-Dade County's urban corridor, are all that remain. Threats to remnant pine rockland patches include destruction, invasive plants and animals, fire suppression, and dumping.
For more information on the history of pine rocklands and guidelines for planting a pine rockland in Miami-Dade County click here.
How can I help?
We want YOU to be a part of the Pine Rockland Initiative! If you are interested in volunteering at one of our public restoration events or interested in attending one of our workshops or training events, sign up for our monthly newsletters to get up to date information. If you know of a school group, garden club, or volunteer group that you think would be a good fit with this program, let us know! If you know of a business that would like to support our program financially by becoming a sponsor, contact us for our sponsorship information.
Email pri@regionalconservation.org or call 305-247-6547 and either Alex or Michelle will provide more information or how to get involved!Want to keep up to date on our activities?
SOME PRI ACTIVITIES
On-Site Restoration Consulting
Rare Species Surveys
Vegetation Monitoring
Invasive Plant Removal
Native Hardwood Reduction
Development of New Restoration Techniques
Long Term Monitoring
Public Speaking and Outreach
PRI REFERENCES
Pine Rockland Planting Guide
Pine Rockland Restoration Vison, Targets, Goals, and Objectives
SER Restoration Standards
SER Restoration Standards Tools
Watch Chief Conservation Strategist, George Gann, present The Pine Rockland Initiative: Biodiversity, Restoration, and Thinking Big to Save a Globally Imperiled Ecosystem
Our Multi-Organization Resource Directory is Coming Soon
PINE ROCKLAND NATIVES
Poisonwood, Florida Poisontree
Metopium toxiferum
Atala (Eumaeus atala) eggs on Coontie (Zamia integrifolia)
Zamia integrifolia
Havana skullcap Scutellaria havanensis
Black Racer
Coluber constrictor
About IRC
Since 1984, IRC has been dedicated to the protection, restoration, and long-term management of biodiversity. As a South Florida-based nonprofit, we aim to prevent regional extinctions of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems. For more than a quarter of a century, we have worked to preserve South Florida's natural heritage through partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. We believe in the value of our regional ecosystems and remain committed to their conservation. Please join us in this endeavor!