NPS budget matrix for fiscal year 2001 (FY 1993-2000 included)
(thousands of dollars)
Function/Project name	1993 Actual	1994 Actual	1995 Actual	1996 Actual	1997 Actual	1998 Actual	1999 Enacted	2000 Enacted	2001 Request
AREA MANAGEMENT
Big Cypress National Preserve	1,776	2,355	3,024	3,098	3,164	4,032	4,268	4,749	5,245
Biscayne National Park	1,444	1,541	2,002	1,997	2,115	2,392	2,437	3,056	3,463
Dry Tortugas National Park	440	457	506	480	494	759	768	1,028	1,298
Everglades National Park	8,137	10,858	12,142	12,230	12,665	12,544	12,790	13,172	14,295
Task Force Support	0	0	0	0	800	800	800	800	1,319
Subtotal: NPS	11,797	15,211	17,674	17,805	19,238	20,527	21,063	22,805	25,620
SCIENCE:  RESEARCH
Everglades Research	0	0	0	0	7,200	12,000	12,000	7,908	7,908
LAND ACQUISITION
Big Cypress National Preserve And Everglades National Park  **	9,419	6,000	6,986	0	12,000	33,000	20,000	31,300	3,000
Everglades Transition Lands (Asst. - State)  ***	0	0	8,587	0	0	46,000	60,000	45,000	47,000
Biscayne National Park	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	600	0
Land Acquisition Administration	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1,000	2,000
Subtotal: Land	9,419	6,000	15,573	0	12,000	79,000	80,000	77,900	52,000
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
Modified Water Delivery System to ENP	6,942	0	4,478	4,457	2,800	11,900	14,000	12,000	12,000
TOTALS	28,158	21,211**	37,725	22,262	41,238	123,427	127,063	120,613	97,528

 

* The FY 94 total excludes $5 million originally provided in the 1994 construction account which was transferred to land acquisition in accordance with FY 1994 Emergency Supplemental Appropriation language.

** FY 1998 land acquisition includes $3.0 million provided in Title V of FY 1998 Interior Appropriations.

*** FY 2000 Everglades transition lands includes $35.0 million provided in Title VI of FY 2000 Interior Appropriations. 

 

The National Park Service administers three national parks (Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas), and one national preserve (Big Cypress) in South Florida.  Together, these sites total more than 2,466,804 acres of the most environmentally challenged areas in the National Park System.  In order to provide the leadership and direction required for continued coordination and management of the South Florida ecosystem, the NPS proposes in FY2001:  $25.620 million for area management; $7.908 million to support research associated with the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem; $52 million for land acquisition; and $12 million for continuation of water delivery improvements.  The NPS component of the South Florida Restoration Initiative totals $97,528,000 compared to a FY 2000 enacted level of $120,613,000 resulting in a reduction of $23,085,000.

 

 

 

 

l    Big Cypress National Preserve ($5,245,000)  

 

Costs associated with current area management activities support mandated programs such as the protection, inventorying and monitoring of ten threatened and endangered species (Florida Panther, Cape Sable Sparrow, Florida Manatee, etc.) and a large hydrology program that includes restoration of sheet water flow to the Everglades National Park and the Ten Thousand Islands.  Additional mandated programs include special uses such as oil exploration/production, 3,000 acres of cattle leases, the largest recreation hunting wildlife management area in south Florida, implementation of the largest recreational off-road vehicle program in the 48 states, and 11 Native American (Seminole and Miccosukee) villages on Preserve lands.  The Preserve supports the largest prescribed fire program in the Service; visitor and resources protection of 728,000 acres of predominately backcountry areas; maintenance of 47 employee housing units, two major visitor support facilities, public utility systems, seven primitive campgrounds, and 66 miles of roads and management of 394 known archeological sites.  Public visitation is approximately 1 ½ million.

 

The current natural resources management program includes collection of baseline data in formats that are compatible with interagency regional hydrologic and community/species-based models, non-native plant control, threatened and endangered species, mitigation of visitor impacts, and about five percent are management funds to support direct inventory/monitoring of resources and a geographic information system.

 

The $400,000 increase of funding proposed for area management for Big Cypress in FY 2001 will be used to inventory, monitor, and eradicate invasive, non-native vegetation that is displacing native plant communities in the park.

 

l         Biscayne National Park ($3,463,000)

 

Costs for area management activities involve operations associated with a marine park that is exposed to intense urban pressures.  These include efforts to address impacts to park resources associated with urban sprawl from the metropolitan area of Miami, four solid waste landfills, a nuclear power facility, and the impending conversion of a former Air Force Base to a commercial airport, with attendant issues of industrial runoff, air quality, noise, and adjacent land uses. All of these threats are located along the park's western boundary, and "upstream" with respect to surface- and ground-water flow into the park.

 

Other area management activities are associated with the protection of 173,000 acres of marine resources, which include the largest living coral reef system in the National Park Service, eight known terrestrial and 40 known submerged cultural sites, and approximately 20 historic structures and two national historic districts within a boundary that has unlimited access points.  Costs also involve the maintenance of three developed islands and one mainland site that include six harbors/docking facilities, two campgrounds, six picnic areas, approximately ten miles of trail, six residences, an environmental education camp and a major visitor center.  Visitation in 1999 was approximately 450,000.

 

Current natural resources management efforts are directed towards coral reef and seagrass protection, water quality monitoring, documentation and mitigation of impacts due to visitor and commercial uses, controlling exotic vegetation, and monitoring at least eight threatened and endangered species. Special efforts are applied to prevent and restore extensive damage to seagrass beds and coral reefs from boat groundings.

 

The $348,000 increase of funding proposed for area management for Biscayne in FY 2001 will address the park’s greatest needs in coral reef protection, i.e., fisheries management and coral reef restoration.

 

l         Dry Tortugas National Park ($1,298,000) 

 

Costs are for operations of the 65,000-acre marine and historical national park 70 miles west of Key West.  Over the past 14 years visitation at Dry Tortugas has quadrupled, rising from 18,000 visitors in 1984 to 84,109 visitors in 1999.  This increased popularity is putting stress on park facilities and is threatening park resources, visitor safety, and the quality of the visitor experience. This raises concerns over visitor impacts on the remote, wilderness qualities of the site.  A General Management Plan Amendment and a visitor use and commercial services planning process is underway to identify the types and levels of visitor activities and services that are consistent with protecting park resources and quality visitor experiences. Current funding will continue a preservation and maintenance program for Fort Jefferson.

 

Efforts will continue this year to document and recommend management strategies for submerged cultural resources.  These efforts are supported by park staff, with overall technical direction provided by the NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Unit. 

 

The $258,000 increase of funding for area management for Dry Tortugas in FY2001 will allow the park to comply with anticipated new management zoning requirements, including carrying capacity indicators and standards.  Funding will also be used to support resource education and protection efforts which would provide a link to long-term protection of the coral reef.

 

 

 

l    Everglades National Park ($14,295,000)

 

Costs for area management reflect continuing demands on operations, natural resources management, planning, maintenance and ecosystem restoration.  The park continues to attract significant national and international attention, as a symbol of the effort to save the Everglades, and of the balance being sought in striving to secure South Florida's future.  With over 1.5 million acres of fragile wilderness immediately adjacent to some 6 million people, the park has special challenges.  Over one and one-half million visitors come each year.  The Park has extensive outreach programs to the local community and sustains a large backcountry/wilderness operation.

The park operates major visitor use areas at Flamingo, Shark Valley, Everglades City, and Chekika, and oversees 3 concessions operations.  Aging infrastructure requires extensive short-term maintenance, as well as long-term upgrade.  The park has 82 miles of surfaced roads, 160 miles of trails, three campgrounds, 48 backcountry campsites, and three fee collection stations.  The park has an unprecedented three international treaty designations and is unique in the world.  It is home to over 1,000 species of plants, 400 species of birds, and 2 rare orchids, and is a refuge for 14 threatened and endangered species.

 

Everglades National Park remains the most ecologically threatened park in the nation.  Florida Bay is continuing to experience dramatic changes, including striking alterations between hypo- and hyper-salinity, increased turbidity, dramatic seagrass die-offs and persistent and increasing spreads of algae blooms.  Exotic plants have and are continuing to replace native plant communities in Everglades National Park and adjacent natural areas.

 

Shark Slough and eastern Florida Bay have the most extensive network of monitoring networks (hydrological, meteorological, and biological), but even these sites must be tied into a broader program to provide the level of information needed for an understanding of the relation between biotic and abiotic factors in restoration.  Current funds primarily cover megafauna and key restoration areas such as Shark Slough, the C-111 basin, and eastern Florida Bay.

 

The $800,000 increase of funding for area management for Everglades in FY2001 will be used to establish an ecosystem restoration implementation program; the funding will enable the park to incorporate the results of ongoing monitoring and research, and provide overall program oversight.

                                                                             

l   South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Support ($1,319,000)

 

This activity also provides $1,319,000 to support operations of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force which is responsible for coordinating and integrating the activities of the participating Federal, State, and Tribal agencies.  The Water Resources Development Act of 1996 directs the task force and working group to implement procedures to facilitate public participation in the advisory process; to maintain records and make the proceedings of meetings available for public inspection; and to submit biennial reports to Congress, summarizing the activities of the task force, the policies, strategies, projects, and priorities developed or implemented, and the progress made toward the restoration.

 

 

Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative  (CESI)       

 

This activity represents the continuation of the Interior Department’s 5-year Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative (CESI).  This is the Department’s contribution in support of science and research programs focused on meeting the Everglades restoration goals established by the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.  The Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative supports work to provide information on the hydrological and ecological requirements of a healthy ecosystem that forms the basis for the first goal of the task force: get the water right, in terms of quality, quantity, timing and distribution.  This program supports a science partnership between thirty Federal, State, local and Tribal governments to develop the knowledge base needed for meeting the two other ecosystem restoration goals of the task force:  Restore and preserve the natural system; and, transform the built environment.  Established in 1997, the CESI program has added significantly to information needed for restoration planning in terns of the hydrological and ecological simulations of water management changes and indicator species habitat requirements.  In 1998 CESI program added additional studies to: (1) plan and implement water quality improvement technologies, (2) complete regional scale landscape ecology projects, (3) develop control strategies for exotic species and (4) begin the integration of ecosystem restoration efforts with adjacent land use impacts on the manmade environment of South Florida.  The 1999 program added four new tropical areas that include:  (1) the completion of an integrated interagency science plan and peer review workshops,  (2) expanded landscape scale projects to examine patterns, processes, and regional scale modeling,  (3) begin assessments of the influence of contaminants and biogeochemical processes, and (4) the development of improved integration of scientific databases and geo-spatial analyses.  Work will be completed on linking macro and micro-scale hydrologic/vegetation models in the southern and eastern mangrove communities and completion of a model of freshwater inflow into eastern Florida Bay.  As work is completed, emphasis will shift to the western part of the Everglades and to the broader coastal ecosystems of the east and west coats of southern Florida.

 

The Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiatives for Everglades restoration is described below:

 

Ecosystem Restoration Planning - For the past several years the task force and working group have been working on a strategy to integrate the many Federal, State, and Tribal ecosystem restoration efforts planned or underway. This integrated strategy emphasizes the interrelationships of the natural and human environment, i.e., restoration is more than replumbing the water systems.  It also strives to include the local governments, the business community, and minority communities -- key ecosystem partners with whom coordination had not previously been done. The integrated strategy will document a common vision and goals, facilitate collaborative, coordinated, incentive-based actions to fulfill them, and create a system to track progress.  It will serve as the framework for restoration and sustainability for the next 50 years.  Primary tasks for FY 2000 include finalizing consensus on the 16 county (systemwide) goals.  In addition, a symposium and a series of roundtables of national and Florida experts will be conducted to develop strategies to accomplish restoration.  Development of performance measurements will also begin in FY 2000.  When complete, this regional integrated strategy will better define the very broad restoration goals and performance measures upon which the Outcome-Based Strategic Plan and subsequent annual performance plans will be based.

           

 Ecosystem Science Planning and Peer Review - A key component of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration initiative is the regular convening of outside review of the science program and its projects.  The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, its interagency Working Group and Science Coordination Team (SCT) will continue to review and coordinate scientific investigations and conduct independent peer reviews, workshops and symposiums on South Florida restoration-related topics.  Numerous scientific workshops were held in 1998 and 1999 including Ecotoxicity and Risk Management in Restored Ecosystems, Seagrass Modeling Workshop, Sustainable Agriculture and Ecosystem Restoration, Endangered Species Protection such as the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Workshop and Review, and an interagency South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Science Forum.  Some of the upcoming local workshops for FY 2000 include: Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic Modeling; Populations, Ecological Processes and Landscapes; and the annual Florida Bay Symposium, and a new initiative with the National Academy of Sciences to review the science effort and provide advice to the task force.  All local workshops generally include local scientists and resource managers working in the South Florida area, and an external peer review panel.   The external panels produce reports which provide guidance to the science coordination team and agency staff in evaluating the quality of their science, and identifying critical monitoring and research needs to support decision-making by local managers and policy makers.  The requested funds to support the National Academy of Science panel represent one-third of the requirement and are programmed to be matched by other task force members.  The panel will provide quarterly reports to the task force and conduct additional detailed studies as tasked by the task force.  This interagency planning and implementation process helps to design the needed long-term monitoring and research studies and the development of predictive models that guide us on the selection of alternative management plans, proposed implementation actions, and the specific engineering design for numerous ecosystem restoration initiatives.

  Ecological Modeling – Expansion, Refinement and Applications - Simulation-based planning and decision-making rely on the accuracy and scope of ecological models, particularly the Across Trophic Level Systems Simulation (ATLSS) models, developed by USGS. These models help define the relationship between water levels, water quality, fish, wildlife, and vegetation at the individual, community, and landscape level. Evaluation of water management alternatives can only be accomplished with simulation of the response of key biotic elements of the ecosystem to changes in water delivery amount and timing.  Ecological models that are continuing development for on-line implementation in 2001 include: additional species-specific models for the snail kite, the American alligator and crocodile, and the Florida panther, as well as individual and community-based models for freshwater fish and macro-invertebrates, four additional species of wading birds, and several small mammals.  In 2001 and beyond, the ecological modeling program will continue to integrate mangrove and coastal, and nearshore communities (including the Florida Keys).  Additional research will also be done to refine the linkage between vegetative production and succession, water quality, and hydrological models.  The degree to which models can be used to accelerate the adaptive management process will depend on their developed scope and the empirical data provided by other programs [see Landscapes, Ecological Processes/Indicator Species, Coastal Ecosystems, Hydrologic Modeling. Also see USGS, p 92].

 

Selective High Density Topographic Surveys -Accurate predictions of the hydrologic effects of restoration actions depend on sophisticated hydrologic models, which require highly accurate elevation data require highly accurate elevation data, provided by  the USGS.  As specific restoration projects come online, high-resolution site-specific elevation data will be necessary to more closely define ecosystem response to changes in hydrologic conditions, and to assess and refine information on specific restoration actions/works.  Standard topographic data and techniques do not offer the degree of resolution needed, and are not accurate enough in the low relief terrain that is characteristic of South Florida. The extensive mangrove zone and inland marshes make logistics and data collection difficult, presenting a unique set of problems in accomplishing data acquisition on a landscape scale.  Helicopters are often the only option for data collection. Despite these obstacles, twenty-one quads have been completed with 15 more in progress.  Completed quads are concentrated in the east and southeastern Everglades.  Modelers need additional data for much of the western Everglades, Big Cypress area, the Greater Everglades systems, and the northern Everglades.  Additionally, hydrologic models require higher density of information around certain critical features.  Research is underway to test new techniques, which have promise to increase the density of data collection in certain types of Everglades environments. 

 

Ecological Processes and Indicator Species - Research in this program area addresses biological data needed for the ATLSS modeling effort, for development of science-based performance criteria, and for design of species monitoring programs to track restoration success.  Ecological process and indicator species studies in FY 1999 and FY 2000 have focused on the abundance, distribution, and diversity patterns of key plants and animals and their critical habitat factors.  Studies have included wading birds, alligators, crocodiles, fish, plants, and invertebrates that characterize the South Florida ecosystem.  A significant amount of information is still needed concerning the ecology of mangroves, the responses of key habitats to changes in hydroperiods, response to changes in fire patterns, and the biogeochemistry of soil formation.  Site-specific research plots, developed in 1997 and 1998, are being used to establish permanent reference stations to track natural versus man-induced variability. Additional support is also needed to increase the number of permanent reference stations that will play an important role in monitoring changes in plant and animal communities and populations in response to water management changes implemented for restoration purposes.  Key ecological processes and indicator species will continue to be the focus in 2001 for assessing the response of the ecosystem to restoration activities that include changes in water quality, amount, timing, and duration of water deliveries.  Additional research is necessary to complete current studies, refine the research to more closely link species-specific responses to actual restoration changes, and refine region-wide monitoring programs to accomplish monitoring and assessing of ecological responses on a landscape scale. Much of the species and ecological process data also serves as the foundation for the ATLSS ecological models where specific models of indicator species have been developed and used for assessing alternatives for restoration.  Additionally, it will provide a set of science-based performance measures to be used by resource managers and decision-makers during the period of restoration implementation.

 

Landscape Patterns, Processes, and Modeling - As a complex mosaic of coastal, wetland, and upland habitats, the Everglades ecosystem is dynamic, and animal and plant populations respond differently to disturbance, both natural and man-made (e.g., fire, flood, drought, hurricanes, etc.).  The purpose of this program is to link the Everglades mosaic on a landscape scale to permit an evaluation of large-scale environmental changes on interacting populations and communities of plants and animals.  The goal is to develop a regional model of ecosystem response to assess changes in water management, application of fire management, and changes in water quality.  Landscape scale research and modeling program is integral to the synthesis of ecological, vegetation, trophic level, hydrologic and biogeochemical information into the decision-making process. The purpose of this effort is to give resource managers the tools to evaluate broad spatial trends in habitats and populations, and assess management options and their implications at the broader regional/landscape scale.  This program is important in the integration of localized information on vegetation, animal population dynamics, hydrologic regime, and biogeochemical cycles into a comprehensive view of the state of the ecosystem.   Recent and newly emerging technologies allow for addressing landscape-scale restoration issues.   Region-level assessment of landscape elements, fauna and habitats unique to the Everglades are being initiated in FY 2000 employing the gap analysis technique pioneered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  These efforts will continue in FY 2001 as part of the program to give resource managers models and tools to evaluate the results of restoration activities and their implications at the broad regional/landscape scale.

           

Hydrologic Modeling for Everglades Restoration, Coastal and Estuarine Systems and  Contaminants and Biogeochemical Processes in Inland and Coastal Systems - Because of its unique geology and terrain, hydrological processes in the Greater Everglades ecosystem are complex and a key physical factor in shaping its ecology.  An understanding of land-water relationships is essential in devising water management plans that will promote restoration of the ecosystem.  Studies have been conducted in FY 1997 through FY 2000 with the USGS to develop information on the complex hydrological processes in the southern inland coastal of the southeastern Everglades. Most of the effort focused primarily on refining the knowledge of physical processes in the eastern and southern Everglades regions, providing support to linking physical models being developed in Florida Bay.  These include canal and wetland flow and water transport interaction, effects of wind on surface water flows, vegetation resistance to flow, surface water and groundwater interactions, and freshwater discharge to Florida Bay. As research and modeling for the southeastern Everglades is completed, work will shift to the western watershed and western coastal areas.  Additional research is also necessary to model the linkage between site-specific plant community responses and existing and restored hydrologic conditions. This research will require the collaborative involvement of biological and physical scientists to not only develop the micro-scale linkage between hydrology and the biota, and develop linkages between local hydrologic changes and response of individual parts.  It will also integrate local- and community-scale data into regional-scale information necessary for informed water management in the natural systems.

 

Water Quality Improvement Technology and Monitoring - This program category merges two categories from previous budget requests.  The funds for FY 2001 are requested to continue water quality research and monitoring within the South Florida ecosystem, with a priority to meet needs on Tribal lands.  Technology using biological alternatives for water quality enhancement is greatly improving.  Since inflows to the Greater Everglades must meet very stringent water quality standards that protect these sensitive, nutrient depleted wetlands, continued monitoring and additional research is necessary to assess as well as enhance existing and emerging water quality improvement technologies.  The linkage of macrophyte treatment technology with algal treatment technology may allow for developing a merged algal-periphyton treatment system that may emulate water quality conditions in the southern Everglades.  Additional research is necessary to assess management options for increasing efficiency of the macrophyte or combined macrophyte/algal treatment systems.  Prior to FY 2000, funds were used to install automatic water quality samplers and to collect water quality and nutrient data on Tribal lands beginning in late 1997.  The Seminole Tribe completed the initial design for farm-scale wetland treatment systems, and conducted studies that describe the total phosphorus loads for sites on their reservation lands, including studies of the water quality impacts on forested wetlands.  The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians will use its portion of the FY 2000 funds to conduct studies to support advanced water quality treatment for their lands and acquire equipment to improve their testing program.  A small-scale pilot project will be initiated in FY 2000 to assess the efficiency of using a periphyton treatment system in reducing phosphorus concentrations in canal water.  Funding in FY 2001 will continue to support water quality studies on forested wetlands, research and small-scale pilot projects to refine construction and operation of biological treatment for improvement of water quality, particularly in support of ongoing Tribal initiatives.

 

Invasive Species Control Strategy - The spread of invasive exotic plants and animals represents one of the greatest threats to successful South Florida ecosystem restoration.  Over 285,000 acres in the park have been adversely affected.  Without an integrated plan to control these exotic species, recovery of the protected species may not be possible.  Exotic species such as melaleuca, Brazilian pepper, Old World climbing fern and Australian pine are all species that have been shown to degrade the quality of native habitats that are essential habitat for listed species such as the Florida scrub-jay, Florida panther, Key deer and sea turtles.  State, Tribal, Federal and local governmental programs are addressing new facets to the invasive control program through biological, chemical or mechanical control mechanisms.  A unified strategy for the control of exotic species is essential for the recovery of threatened and endangered species as well as the success of the South Florida restoration.  The funding in 2000 will be used to complete the Assessment Methodology System and interagency strategy to improve the integration of the various agency exotic plant control programs.   Funding in 2001 will be used to develop the Weed Risk Assessment System to guide the implementation of the strategy and continue research efforts, which will assist the task force in the development of a strategy for the control of exotic animals.

 

Science Information Synthesis and Dissemination - This program was established to develop a standardized data storage and retrieval system for all of the projects funded under the CESI program.  Funding during 2000 will continue the development of this data management system and improve the efficiency of data retrievals by establishing an electronically linked or centralized database.  Database development started with physical sciences data because of its relatively simple format.  Work in 2001 will continue development of the database access interface for better accessibility to restoration-related data sets from other State and Federal agencies funded outside of CESI. Timely dissemination of the most up-to-date data and information will give all agencies involved in the restoration access to the data needed to make time-sensitive evaluations and decisions regarding restoration activities.  It will, for example, provide them with information so that agency actions taken to implement ecosystem restoration plans can be consistent with the recovery needs of threatened and endangered species.

 

Water Resources Planning, Impact, and Mitigation Assessment - South Florida ecosystem restoration takes place amidst six million current inhabitants, 16 counties, over 250 cities, and ranges over approximately 18,000 square miles.  Planning, design, construction, and monitoring of specific projects, particularly those related to the C&SF Restudy, can be more successful through improved site-specific and baseline analyses of current and future resource usage. The National Environmental Policy Act, various Water Resource Development Acts, and State, regional and local processes require social impact assessment and public engagement as restoration projects are formulated.  All relevant ecological, cultural, and socio-economic benefits and costs must be assessed as part of this process.   Specific research projects relating to environmental economics, demographic and community studies, resource valuation, planning and environmental justice, and public involvement and education, are outlined in a 1999 Action Plan developed by South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force’s Science Coordination Team (SCT) and Working Group.  The plan emerged as the working document from a 3-day workshop held in February 1998 in Miami, Florida.  The requested funds for FY 2001 will be used to support critical items in the plan in partnership with other agency programs.  This portion of the action plan is aimed at maximizing mutual benefits of resource and socio-economic factors while improving the overall feasibility, acceptability and implementation of ecosystem restoration projects within the resource, socio-political and economic landscape.

 

 

l  Big Cypress National Preserve ($3,000,000)

 

Over 200 Improved tracts containing over 400 acres remaining in the pre-1988 portion (“original”) of the National Preserve require acquisition.  Acquisition and subsequent removal of these improved properties will contribute to the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem by restoring sheetflows and wetlands in the former fill pads and road, and by removal of hazardous materials, failed septic systems, and non-compatible uses such as commercial operations.

 

The funds will allow acquisition of 13 improved tracts containing a total of 128 acres in the pre-1988 portion of the National Preserve.  These acquisitions, though not occurring in the Big Cypress National Preserve Addition that was established in 1988, will contribute to the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem.

 

l    Everglades Transition Lands (State) ($47,000,000)  

 

The funds are needed to provide assistance to the State of Florida to purchase land located within the Everglades ecosystem outside of National Park System units.  The State is in the process of acquiring high priority areas to implement the Army Corps of Engineers’ Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan that was submitted to Congress on July 1, 1999.  Ongoing acquisition projects include among others, lands in East Coast Buffer and Water Preserve Areas, which comprise areas directly east and adjacent to existing Water Conservation Areas, the transition lands known as the Rocky Glades and 8.5 square mile area, as well as other high priority areas in the ecosystem necessary to create additional water storage. 

 

The most critical physical constraint in restoring the Everglades is a shortage of areas for water storage.  Flood control has been provided in the past 50 years by a network of canals, which quickly drained stormwater and released it to "tide."  The system has proven so successful that a region that receives an annual average rainfall of over 50 inches a year is now facing a projected water supply crisis in dry years.

 

The efforts funded through the FY 2001 budget request will continue this important land acquisition partnership with the State of Florida.  This partnership was funded initially through the $200 million appropriated to the Department as part of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (Farm Bill), Public Law 104-127, as well as funds provided through the Land and Water Conservation Fund in FY 1998-2000.  Thus, the funds in the budget are necessary to continue this important partnership effort.

 

The $47 million requested would be utilized under cost-share terms that require the State of Florida to match the Federal share.

 

l    Land Acquisition Administration ($2,000,000)

 

This funding will be used to administer the Federal land acquisition program in South Florida to enable completion of land acquisition and to meet the schedule established by the Department of the Interior.  

 

 

l  Modified Water Delivery System to Everglades National Park ($12,000,000)

 

This project involves construction of modifications to the Central and Southern Florida Project (C&SF) water management system and related operational changes to provide improved water deliveries to Everglades National Park. The original project design includes water control structures to restore more natural hydrologic conditions within Everglades National Park and a flood mitigation system.

 

Planned features will be implemented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) with the concurrence of the National Park Service and the non-Federal sponsor, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).  Consistent with the provisions of the Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 (1989 Act), project construction will be Federally funded, and in accordance with the USACE General Design Memorandum (GDM) for Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park, the Federal Government will provide 75% of operating and maintenance costs, with the South Florida Water Management District assuming responsibility for the remaining 25%.

 

Project Components

 

The authorized project consists of structural features with the intended purpose of restoring conveyance between water conservation areas north of Everglades National Park and the Shark River Slough within the park.  The original authorization also specified the construction of flood mitigation features for the 8.5 Square Mile Area (a residential area adjacent to the park expansion boundary in East Everglades).  Based on recent decisions and additional information, the Modified Water Deliveries Project design is being altered to accommodate an improved design.  The project consists of four components: Conveyance, 8.5 Square Mile Area, Tamiami Trail, and Seepage Control.

 

1.      The original 1992 design specified water control structures through the L-67 A and C levees and canals.  To make the design more compatible with the C&SF Restudy features as well as allow for the conveyance of larger volumes of water, the following features have been substituted for the original design: a) weirs in the L-67 A levee and elimination of the L-67 C canal and levee for the purpose of improving the discharge of water from Water Conservation Area 3A (WCA3A) to Water Conservation Area 3B (WCA3B); (b) additional weirs in the L-29 levee to augment the existing S-355 A&B for discharge of water from WCA3B into Northeast Shark River Slough and; (c) removal of the existing levee and canal that runs along part of the park’s original eastern boundary and cuts across the center of Shark River Slough (L-67 extension canal and levee).

 

2.      The current authorized components of the 8.5 Square Mile Area include the construction of a flood mitigation canal and levee extending along the northern and western perimeters of the area. Two pump stations were also specified to transfer the seepage water from this system to Northeast Shark Slough.  In April 1999, the local sponsor (SFWMD) requested the COE to conduct a comprehensive review of a full array of alternatives for the 8.5 Square Mile Area.  Nine alternatives are under examination including the original design, the creation of a buffer between the park and developed areas, as well as full acquisition of the area.  A Draft SEIS was submitted to the local sponsor in April 2000 and a final Record of Decision by August 2000.

 

3.      The Tamiami Trail, under the authorized project, would be raised over only a short distance to accommodate the flows based on the design of the original conveyance features.  Based on improved hydrological information and the increased volumes associated with the revised conveyance features, it is now anticipated that additional modifications will be required to accommodate the anticipated increased volumes of water.  The COE, FDOT, and the NPS are in the process of evaluating several alternatives to accommodate the increased stage and volumes of water associated with the improved conveyance features.

 

4.      Project features associated with items (1) – (3) have the potential to increase  seepage losses from the restored wetland areas into both the L-30 and L-31N canals.  Seepage control structures were incorporated in the original design as part of the design of pump stations S-356 and S-357.  As part of the Restudy effort, design features have been identified to control seepage from both Water Conservation Area 3B and from Northeast Shark Slough.  Although these features were evaluated for inclusion in the Modified Water Deliveries Project, seepage control for the L-31N canal will be limited to the original S-356 structure. 

 

In addition to the reevaluation of the project features during FY 2000, work will continue on the Experimental Program of Water Deliveries, acquisition of land in the park expansion area, and the completion of a post-authorization change report for the Tamiami Trail, including required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation for each of the modifications specified above.

 

Research conducted in Everglades National Park has documented substantial declines in the natural resources of the area associated with the impacts of water management.  Since the park is located at the downstream terminus of a larger water management system, water supply to the park is often in conflict with the other functions of the system such as water supply and flood control.  The operation of the overall C&SF Project to accomplish its multi-objective mandates has impacted the distribution, timing, volumes, and quality of water supplied to the park.  The Modified Water Deliveries Project will continue to fund some of the critically needed modifications to the existing water management system.  If unfunded, the damaging effects will continue to contribute to the decline of the ecosystem, including potential extinction of endangered species such as the Cape Sable Sparrow and Wood Stork.