SUB-REGION 7: EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK & EAST EVERGLADES ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
o Dominant ecosystem is a mosaic of flat, seasonally flooded marshes and prairies with interspersed forested islands.
o High biotic diversity consisting of a unique mixture of temperate and tropical species.
o Included is the largest tidal forest (mangrove) in the U.S.
o Large number of endangered animal species (14).
o Large number of endemic plant species having highly specific habitat requirements.
o The largest colonies of nesting colonial wading birds occurred here in pre-drainage times.
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION OBJECTIVES:
o Restore natural biotic community structure and diversity by removing exotic plants and animals (e. g. Schinus, Mayan cichlid).
o Reintroduce/restore populations of extirpated and listed species (e.g. panther, turkey, red-cockaded woodpecker).
o Restore water quality to the oligotrophic, pre-disturbance condition (achieve/maintain Class III standards).
o Restore natural fire regimes and fire-dependent vegetation associations and structure (e.g. Long Pine Key).
o Restore locally obliterated native ecosystems (e.g. Hole-in-the-Donut)
o Restore pre-drainage wading bird population patterns.
o Restore pre-drainage alligator reproductive patterns.
o Restore pre-drainage fish population movements and survival patterns in marl prairies and sloughs.
o Restore hydroperiod-determined spatial patterns and composition of periphyton and macrophytes.
HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION OBJECTIVES:
o Restore area-wide hydrologic regime including reestablishing long hydroperiod (11-12 month) peat sloughs and intermediate (6-10 month), and short hydroperiod (3-5 month) marl prairies and Rocky Glades.
o Utilize Natural System Model outputs, historical hydrologic data, soils, paleolimnological and vegetation as guidelines for hydrological restoration:
o Restore pre-drainage hydroperiods and hydropatterns (spatial extent of water depths) in wetlands and estuaries.
o Restore pre-drainage hydroperiods and hydropatterns (spatial extent of water depths) to (1) Shark Slough, (2) East Slough, (3) Taylor Slough and the Eastern Panhandle, and to (4) Northeast Shark Slough.
o Restore pre-drainage seasonal flow patterns including timing and distribution of flows into 1-4 above and other drainages.
o Restore pre-drainage groundwater levels west of the South Dade Conveyance system.
o Restore the full hydrologic connection between NESS and western Shark Slough.
o Implement improvements through revised rainfall-based water delivery relationships.
o Achieve water quality compliance with the Park's Outstanding Florida Water designation, Class III water quality standards, and the terms of the 1991 Settlement Agreement and the 1992 Court Order.
CRITICAL LINKAGES:
o Direct freshwater source for Florida Bay, western estuaries, and Florida Keys.
o Receives flows of water and pollutants from Water Conservation Areas.
o Hydrologic and wildlife connections to Big Cypress.
o Hydrologic and biotic (exotic and native) connections to eastern coastal ridge and urban areas.
o Dependent on Lake Okeechobee for initial dry season water supply and storage.
o A key habitat for animals that move over long distances (e.g. Snail Kite, Wood Stork, and Panther).
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
o Large areas of ponding for 11-12 months reoccurs in Rookery Branch and Broad River Headwaters (Fleming et al. In review). (See Ogden, 1993 in relation to historical wading bird patterns).
o 12 month hydroperiod reestablished in deeper flow sections of Shark Slough 9 out of ten years.
o Widespread invasive non-native plant populations (Whiteaker and Doren 1990) within vegetation community types reduced to <1% cover within 10 years and to < 0.1% cover within 20 years, and at least maintain the < 0.1% cover thereafter.
o All localized concentrations of invasive non-native plants are eliminated (Whiteaker and Doren 1990).
o Natural fire regime, periodicity and seasonality are returned to fire-adapted communities.
o Non-native animal populations (e.g. feral hogs) are eliminated.
o The timing and location patterns for wading bird nesting colonies is reestablished in the estuarine/headwaters regions.
o Short hydroperiod wetlands are reestablished (i.e. northern Taylor Sough and the Rocky Glades, Western Shark River Slough, along the periphery of Shark River Slough, etc.).
o Water entering the park via control structures (gates, canals, etc.) meets Class III water quality standards at all locations within 5 years.
o Mercury levels in wildlife populations are reduced to levels that exhibit no symptomatic effects on animal behavior, reproduction, survival, etc.
o Mercury levels in freshwater fish, alligators, frogs, turtles, and birds do not exceed EPA and Florida screening criteria for protection of human health.
o The quality of water delivered to Everglades National Park is in compliance with the Park's Outstanding Florida Water designation, Class III water quality standards, and the terms of the 1991 Settlement Agreement and the 1992 Court Order.
o Large freshwater flood control releases at point sources are eliminated.
o Hydrologic regulatory releases are minimized so as to avoid ecological impacts.
o Successful (i.e. breeding, genetically diverse) populations of extirpated and listed species (e.g. Panther, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Snail Kite, etc.) are restored by establishing viable populations to levels identified in recovery plans.
o Hardwood invasion of prairie areas is halted and reversed.
o A higher proportion of solution holes in the Rocky Glades remain flooded throughout the dry season, resulting in additional fish refugia (Loftus et al. 1992).
o Hole-in-the-Donut is restored to its former wetland function and closely represents native habitat function within 10-20 years after restoration.
o Reestablish at least 50% of potential breeding alligators nesting in 9 out of 10 years in all freshwater sloughs (Fleming, Submitted).
o The relative abundance and composition of green algae and diatoms in the periphyton mat increases to that representative of long hydroperiod marshes (Browder et al. 1994).
o Native communities of periphyton are reestablished where nutrient enrichment has eliminated them from the area.
o Interior, estuarine lakes (e.g. West Lake, Cuthbert, Coot Bay, Bear Lake, etc.) are reestablished as freshwater/low salinity systems, including a return to submerged vegetation communities dominated by Chara, Naias, and Ruppia.
