ACRE-FOOT. The amount of water needed to fill 1 acre 1 foot-deep, or the amount of water an average family of four requires for one year.

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT. A structured, iterative approach that recognizes that the information used in decision making is imperfect and that, as decision are made, a process is in place to gain better information and adjust the implemented action accordingly.

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs). Agriculture and other industry management activities designed to achieve an important goal, such as reducing farm runoff or optimizing water use.

BROWNFIELDS. Environmentally contaminated sites located in urban areas.

ECOSYSTEM. A community of organisms, including humans, interacting with one another and the environment in which they live.

EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA (EAA). The area of histosols (muck) predominantly to the southeast of Lake Okeechobee used for agricultural production.

EVERGLADES ECOSYSTEM / SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM. A water-dominated hydrologic unit beginning in the interconnected lakes and marshes of central Florida and extending downstream through the Kissimmee River system, Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, Big Cypress Swamp, and into the estuaries of the Ten Thousand Islands, Biscayne Bay, Caloosahatchee Estuary, Indian River Lagoon, Florida Bay, and through the Florida Keys.

HYDROPATTERN. The full range of hydrologic parameters, which include the depth of water, duration of inundation, and the timing and distribution of freshwater flow.

HYDROPERIOD. The frequency and duration of inundation or saturation of an ecosystem. In the context of wetland habitats, the term describes that length of time during the year in which the substrate is either saturated or covered with water.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. In this document, local governments include regional, county, and municipal governments and their entities.

LOST TO TIDE. The excess amount of water leaving the system that is beyond the amount needed by downstream estuaries.

NATURAL SYSTEM. A self-sustaining living system that supports an interdependent network of aquatic, wetland-dependent, and upland living resources.

RESTORATION. To recover the natural system's vitality and biological and hydrologic integrity in such a way that the stated levels of health and ecological functions are maintained over time.

SEEPAGE. Hydrologic filtration. Normal seepage is vital for groundwater recharge. However, the construction of dikes and other features can create abnormal filtration rates that are detrimental to the system.

SPECIES RECOVERY. Stopping and reversing the decline of species populations and ensuring their long-term survival.

STORMWATER. Surface water resulting from rainfall that does not percolate into the ground or evaporate.

SUBSIDENCE. The lowering of the soil level caused by the shrinkage of organic layers. This shrinkage is due to desiccation, consolidation, and biological oxidation.

SUSTAINABILITY. The state of having met the needs of the present without endangering the ability of future generations to be able to meet their own needs.

WATER CONSERVATION AREAS (WCAs). That part of the original Everglades ecosystem that is now diked and hydrologically controlled by people for flood control and water supply purposes. These are located in the western portions of Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, and comprise a total 1,337 square miles.

WETLANDS. Areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetative or aquatic life that require saturated or seasonally saturated soil conditions for growth and reproduction.

ACRONYMS

BMP    Best Management Practices

C&SF    Central and South Florida

DEP     Florida Department of Environmental Protection

EAA    Everglades Agricultural Areas

ENR    Everglades Nutrient Removal

FKNMS    Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

SFWMD    South Florida Water Management District

STA    Stormwater Treatment Area

WCA    Water Conservation Area

SOURCES

Douglas, Marjory Stoneman
1988 The Everglades: The River of Grass. Revised edition,
Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press.

Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida
1996 A Conceptual Plan for the C&SF Project Restudy. Coral
Gables, FL: Tallahassee: Governor's Commission for a
Sustainable South Florida.

1995 Everglades Water Budget Technical Advisory Committee of
the Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida.
Tallahassee: Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida.

1995 The Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South
Florida: Initial Report. Tallahassee: Governor's Commission for
a Sustainable South Florida.

National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
1997 South Florida National Parks Coordinated Management
Framework. Denver, CO: Denver Service Center.

South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
1997a Integrated Financial Plan, South Florida Ecosystem
Restoration Project Activities. Miami: Florida International University.

1997b Cross-Cut Budget, Fiscal Year 1998. Miami:
Florida International University.

1997c Integrated Financial Plan, May 1997. Miami:
Florida International University.

1996 "South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative." Draft.
Miami: Florida International University.
South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Working Group
1996 Annual Report. Miami: Florida International University.

South Florida Regional Planing Council
1996 Eastward Ho! Revitalizing Southeast Florida's Urban Core.
Prepared in conjunction with the Treasure Coast Regional
Planning Council. Hollywood, FL: South Florida Regional
Planning Council.

South Florida Water Management District
1996a "Redesigning the Water Management System." Everglades
Connections 5 (2): 1, 8-13.

1996b Everglades: 1996 Annual Report. West Palm Beach: South
Florida Water Management District.

1995 South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Plan. West Palm
Beach: South Florida Water Management District.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1996 South Florida Ecosystem Assessment, Monitoring for
Adaptive Management: Implications for Ecosystem
Restoration (Interim Report). EPA 904-R-96-008. Athens,
GA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, Science
and Ecosystem Support Division.

WEB SITES

SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION TASK FORCE:
http://www.sfrestore.org

STATE OF FLORIDA:
http://www.sustainable.state.fl.us

HOLE-IN-THE DONUT RESTORATION PROJECT:
http://everglades.fiu.edu/hid/index.html

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS RESTUDY:
http://www.restudy.org

SOUTH FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL (EASTWARD HO!):
http://www.sfrpc.com