Committee on Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystems

Science Coordination Team of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Taskforce

Item 1.
An Overview of South Florida

Item 2.
Federal Objectives for the South Florida Restoration

Item 3.
Initial Report of the Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida

Item 4.
South Florida Ecosystem restoration: Scientific Information Needs

Item 5.
Success in the Making

Item 6.
A Conceptual Plan for the C&SF Project Restudy

Item 7.
C&SF Restudy Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

Item 8.
Defining Restoration

Item 9.
The Role of RECOVER

Item 10.
Integrated Financial Plan

Item 11.
Workshop on South Florida Ecological Sustainability Criteria

Item 12.
Ecologic and Precursor Success Criteria for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration

Item 13.
The Use of Conceptual Landscape Models as Planning Tools for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Program

Item 14.
An Adaptive Assessment Strategy for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Program

Item 15.
Everglades Interim Report

Item 16.
Tree Island Research

Item 17.
Multi-Species Recovery Plan for the Threatened and Endangered Species of South Florida

Item 18.
Assessment of Invasive Plants in Florida

Item 19.
Exotic Animals in South Florida

Item 20.
South Florida Action Plan for Behavioral Sciences

Memorandum 04 November 1999

To: Committee on the Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (CROGEE)

From: Science Coordination Team (SCT) of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and Working Group

Subject: Read-Ahead Material for 2-4 December 1999 Meeting of CROGEE

The material in this briefing book is "read-ahead" for your 2-4 December meeting in Ft. Lauderdale. This material was compiled by the SCT’s liaison team to CROGEE. This read-ahead material will introduce the CROGEE to key background documents and information pertaining to, (a) the overall south Florida Ecosystem Restoration program, and (b) specific tasks and issues to be discussed during the 2-4 December meeting. With only a few exceptions, the read-ahead material consists of select sections extracted from much larger documents. The extracted material is intended to introduce CROGEE to the existence and topic matter of the full reports, and provide the information that may be most relevant to the initial activities of the Committee. A web site (http://www.sfrestore.org/crogee/) containing the full text for all read-ahead material is currently in preparation.

The material in the briefing book is organized under four headings: General Background, The Central & Southern Florida Project Restudy, Science Application, and Specific Science Issues. A brief, annotated listing and the full citations for the read-ahead material are provided here.

1. An Overview of South Florida (Kranzer et al., 1999).

Very brief characterization of human development and demographics in South Florida prepared by the staff of the Florida Governor’s Commission for the Everglades (formerly the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida).

2. Federal Objectives for the South Florida Restoration prepared by the multi-agency Science Sub-Group (Science Sub-Group, 1993; precursor to the current Science Coordination Team).

The first 31 pages of an 87 page report of the Science Sub-Group. These initial pages summarize the major changes that have occurred in the wetland systems, and recommend the principal restoration objectives for south Florida.

3. Initial Report of the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida (Governor’s Commission, 1995).

The Preface, Executive Summary, and Mission Statement sections from the full report summarize the purpose and an initial set of recommendations of the Commission.

4. South Florida Ecosystem Restoration: Scientific Information Needs (Science Subgroup, 1996).

The second report of the Science Sub-Group reviews the major restoration issues at regional and subregional scales, and presents a non-prioritized summation of additional research needed to support the restoration effort. The extracted sections describe the objectives of the report, and explain the scientific approach recommended by the SSG for creating a science plan that will support the South Florida ecosystem restoration program.

5. Success in the Making (Working Group, 1998a).

A report summarizing the activities and objectives of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, the Working Group, and the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida. The extracted material includes the Report Summary, Introduction, and a brief review of the changes which have occurred in South Florida.

6. A Conceptual Plan for the C&SF Project Restudy (Governor’s Commission, 1996).

The Executive Summary and Chapter 1 of a report by the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida, recommended a conceptual plan for addressing the region’s long-term water needs, including restoration of the natural systems. The General Planning Objectives and 40 Preferred Options contained in the Commission report were adopted by the multi-agency Restudy planning team.

7.C&SF Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Restudy, 1999a).

The summary and introduction sections from the main report of the 10 volume Comprehensive Review Study final report. These extracted sections describe the study process and major components of the selected plan, the project authorization and purposes, and the geographical scope of the study.

8. Defining Restoration – 1 (Restudy, 1998).

A "white paper" developed by the Alternative Plan Evaluation Team (AET) of the Restudy, for purposes of describing the prevailing opinion of the team regarding a working definition of ecosystem restoration. The AET was responsible for developing the physical and biological performance measures for evaluating alternative restoration plans for south Florida wetland systems.

9. The Role of RECOVER (Restudy, 1999c).

A document developed by the Restudy team to describe how the “Applied Science Strategy” will be managed during the implementation of the C&SF Project Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

Science Application

10.Integrated Financial Plan (Task Force, 1999).

Prepared as an annual report by the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force in response to a requirement of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996. The extracted sections are the Introduction, and the Integrated Science Plan.

11. Workshop on South Florida Ecological Sustainability Criteria (Gentile, 1996).

Results from a major workshop designed as one of the initial efforts to develop and refine a set of physical and biological “indices” for measuring the success of ecosystem restoration in south Florida. The Background and Executive Summary sections of the report are extracted.

12.Ecologic and Precursor Success Criteria for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (Science Sub-Group, 1997).

A companion report to No. 11 above, prepared by the Science Sub-Group of the South Florida Working Group. The extracted Introduction summaries an initial set of recommended success measures for the South Florida ecosystem restoration programs.

13.The Use of Conceptual Ecological Landscape Models as Planning Tools for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Programs. (Ogden & Davis, 1999).

This report presents planning models developed by over 100 south Florida scientists as a basis for planning and assessing the major south Florida ecosystem restoration programs. The conceptual models are at the heart of an “Applied Science Strategy” described in chapter 1 of this report. The full report is provided.

14. An Adaptive Assessment Strategy for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Program (Restudy, 1999b).

A brief document produced by the C&SF Restudy team explaining how a science-based adaptive assessment process will be applied during the implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (Restudy).

Specific Science Issues

15. Interim Report (re-named Consolidated Report for year 2000)

This is an annual report produced by the South Florida Water Management District, as required by the State of Florida’s Everglades Forever Act (1994). The legislation calls for an annual report on the status of nutrient removal and related water quality issues. Select portions of three chapters from the 1999 report are provided.

16.Tree Island Research (Van der Valt et al. 1998).

A brief review of tree island and high water issues, extracted from a recent proposal for an integrated, multi-agency research plan.

17. Multi-Species Recovery Plan for the Threatened and Endangered Species of South Florida (Fish & Wildlife Service, 1998).

The Introduction to the 2 volume multi-species recovery plan.

18.Assessment of Invasive Plants in Florida (Noxious Exotic Weed Task Team, 1999).

Extracted portions of Chapter One of the new plan for managing Florida’s invasive exotic plants.

19. Exotic Animals in South Florida (Working Group, 1998b).

A brief summary and progress report from an ad hoc interagency team created by the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Working Group, for the purpose of evaluating the exotic animal problem in south Florida.

20. South Florida Action Plan for Applied Behavioral Sciences (Working Group, 1999).

The Executive Summary and Action Plan extracted from the full report on a recommended program for addressing human issues in south Florida, derived from a 1998 conference organized by the SFER Working Group and the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida.

Gentile, J.H. (ed.). 1996. Workshop on South Florida ecological sustainability criteria.University Miami, Rosenstiel School Marine and Atmospheric Science. 54 pp.

Governor’s Commission. 1995. Initial Report. October 1. 1995. The Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida. Coral Gables, FL. 189 pp.

Governor’s Commission. 1996. A conceptual plan for the C&SF project restudy. August 28, 1996. [Adobe PDF format] The Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida. Coral Gables, FL. 85 pp.

Kranzer, B., G. Diehl, W. Hinsley, R. Torres, and W. Smith. 1999. An overview of south Florida. November 3, 1999. Governor’s Commission for the Everglades. Coral Gables, FL. 12 pp.

Noxious Exotic Weed Task Team. 1999. Assessment of invasive plants in Florida: Part one of the strategic plan for managing Florida’s invasive exotic plants. Working Group of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.

Ogden, J.C. and S.M. Davis (eds.). 1999. The use of conceptual ecological landscape models as planning tools for the south Florida ecosystem restoration programs. South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, FL. 131 pp.

Restudy. 1998. Defining restoration – I. A Restudy Alternative Evaluation Team white paper. 16 November 1998. C&SF Project Review. 7 pp.

Restudy. 1999a. Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Review Study. Final integrated feasibility report and programmatic environmental impact statement. 10 vols. [Adobe PDF format] Jacksonville, FL.

Restudy. 1999b. An adaptive assessment strategy for the south Florida ecosystem restoration program. [Adobe PDF format] 12 October 1999. C&SF Project Review. 5 pp. & 1 fig.

Restudy. 1999c. The role of RECOVER in the implementation of the Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Plan for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration. C&SF Project Review. 28 September 1999. 8 pp. [Adobe PDF format]

Science Sub-Group. 1993. Federal objectives for the south Florida restoration. South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Working Group.87 pp. plus 9 figures.

Science Subgroup. 1996. South Florida restoration: Scientific information needs. [Some Adobe PDF format] Working Group to the south Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. 487 pp.

Science Sub-Group. 1997. Ecologic and precursor success criteria for the south Florida ecosystem restoration. Working Group of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. Approx. 213 pp.

South Florida Water Management District. 1999. Everglades interim report. [Adobe PDF format] West Palm Beach, FL.

Task Force. 1999. Integrated financial plan. Calendar year 1999.South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. 345 pp. & 2 figs.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1998. Multi-species recovery plan for the threatened and endangered species of south Florida. 2 vols. Southeast Region. Atlanta, GA.

Van der Valk, A., D. Mason, P. Wetzel, F. H. Sklar, D. Gawlik, M. Korvela, S. Newman, C. McVoy, Y. Wu, S. Krupa, and S. Miao. 1998. Proposed plan of work for tree island research. Florida Center for Environmental Studies and South Florida Water Management District. West Palm Beach, FL. 59 pp.

Working Group. 1998a. An integrated plan for south Florida ecosystem restoration and sustainability. Success in the making. Working Group of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. 31 pp.

Working Group. 1998b. Exotic (nonindigenous ) animals of south Florida. Working Group of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. 2 pp.

Working Group. 1999. South Florida action plan for applied behavioral sciences. November 1999. South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Working Group, and Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida.