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2004

June 17, 2004

Southern Golden Gate Estates Hydrologic Restoration Southern Golden Gate Estates Hydrologic Restoration Southern Golden Gate Estates Hydrologic Restoration Southern Golden Gate Estates Hydrologic Restoration Integrated Project Implementation Report (PIR)/ Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Draft - May 2004
http://www.evergladesplan.org/pm/projects/docs_30_sgge_pir.cfm

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, in cooperation with the South Florida Water Management District, is moving forward formulating a plan for the Southern Golden Gate Estates (SGGE) Hydrologic Restoration Project. The Corps has prepared an integrated draft Project Implementation Report and Environmental Impact Statement, which is an in depth explanation of the SGGE project.

 

Regional Shift: South Florida in Transition
June 7, 2004

http://www.soflo.org/

Dr. Allan Wallis is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado at Denver, where he directs the Ph.D. program as well as the concentration in local government. An active researcher, Dr. Wallis focuses his work on emerging forms of metropolitan regional governance, leadership development, and methods for improving collaboration among nonprofit organizations. He is currently consulting with the FAU Catanese Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions on a metropolitan regionalism project in Florida and Chicago under a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. This work has resulted in the publication "Regional Shift, South Florida in Transition", and was released to the public and media in late April. Free copies will be available for the first 50 guests. Read More

Complete Report (5.8 mb) (pdf file)
 

Four page "Report Highlights" brochure ( 270 kb) (pdf file)

Map of the Region (3.8 mb) (pdf file)

One page "Trends" summary (272 kb) (pdf file)

Population Projections through 2030 (405 kb)

(pdf file)

2003

WETLANDS
POND APPLE HABITAT WETLANDS RESTORATION
July/August 2001
posted March 31, 2003

Janet Phipps, Ph. D./Environmental Resources 
Management

Palm Beach County, located in southeastern Florida, has a natural freshwater lake system, which is relatively rare for Florida. The present day lakes are remnants of a once-natural system of open water and extensive wetlands located along the western slope of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. This chain-of-lakes system, which extends approximately 30 miles north-south, has been drastically altered by dredging, filling, and channelization. The system is interconnected with a complex web of drainage canals created in the 1900s and 1940s to "drain the swamps" of Florida.  In fact, several smaller lakes in the chain have been filled and now are represented by wider spots in the canal network which interconnects the larger lakes and the drainage canals. The lakes discharge to the Lake Worth Lagoon; thus, they are essentially flow-through systems (Vines, 1970).  Read more...
Copyright  © 2001  Land and Water  All rights reserved.

 

19-September-03

Dynamic Model for Stormwater Treatment Areas (DMSTA Model)
The RECOVER Water Quality Team is sponsoring a Workshop by Dr. Bill Walker
Agency staff and the public are invited. The workshop will also would be available to viewers via external Web cast (www.sfwmd.gov) and videoconferencing. Dynamic Model for Stormwater Treatment Areas prepared by W. Walker & R. Kadlec for U.S. Department of the Interior September 12, 2003. Read more

 

26-March-03

GAO 2003 Report
Restoration of the South Florida ecosystem is a complex, long-term federal and state undertaking that requires the development of extensive scientific information. GAO was asked to report on the funds spent on scientific activities for restoration, the gaps that exist in scientific information, and the extent to which scientific activities are being coordinated.  What GAO Found: From fiscal years 1993 through 2002, eight federal agencies and one state agency collectively spent $576 million to conduct mission-related scientific research, monitoring, and assessment in support of the restoration of the south Florida ecosystem.  With this funding, which was almost evenly split between the federal agencies and the state agency, scientists have made progress in developing information?including information on the past, present, and future flow of water in the ecosystem?for restoration.  Read more...
Copyright  © 2003  General Accounting Office All rights reserved.

                Related Links,

                GAO-03-518T, March 26 *

                Highlights *

                South Florida Restoration: Task Force Needs to Improve Science Coordination to 
                Increase the Likelihood of Success
                GAO-03-345, March 26 *

                Highlights *

                * pdf file (must have Acrobat Reader to open)

 

24-March-03

EVERGLADES RESTORATION: MAKING PROGRESS IN 2003
Audubon of Florida is pulling together an Everglades Restoration Alliance. Add your name to the growing list of supporters of moving forward with Everglades restoration in the coming year. Go to: http://www.audubonofflorida.org and get copies of resolutions, and information on communicating with Congress about passing a bill to authorize 180,000 acres of Everglades restoration. Read more...

            Related Links,

                Everglades Report-Fall/Winter-02,03*

               * pdf file (must have Acrobat Reader to open)

 

23-Jan-03

Report: The Role of Flow in the Everglades Ridge and Slough Landscape
The Everglades has at the core of its identity the slow movement of water across the vast, low gradient, wetland landscape. Marjory Stoneman Douglas eloquently immortalized this identity in her descriptions of the "River of Grass" (Douglas 1947). Drainage and compartmentalization efforts during the 20th century for flood control and water supply purposes interrupted this flow, as well as altering water levels, distribution, and seasonal timing. Water flows are closely linked to water levels, and their alterations have caused environmental damage. Efforts to restore the Everglades have focused on re-establishing more natural hydropatterns -- the appropriate water levels, and the location, timing, and duration of these water levels. Read more...

 

14-Jan-03

News Release:  Status of Lake Okeechobee Sediment Management Feasibility Study Focus of January 14 Public Meeting
The South Florida Water Management District will hold a public meeting on January 14, 2003, to present the draft Evaluation of Alternatives Report for the Lake Okeechobee Sediment Management Feasibility Study. The focus of the meeting is the evaluation of alternatives designed to address internal loading of phosphorus from the sediments within Lake Okeechobee. At the meeting, project staff will summarize the status of the study and solicit input on the draft Evaluation of Alternatives report recently issued for public and interagency review. The draft Evaluation of Alternatives presents findings from the detailed evaluation of three sediment management alternatives. Read More...

 

Jan-03

GAO 2003 Report
In the 2001 performance and accountability report on the Department of the Interior (Interior), GAO identified important challenges facing the department in its management of ecosystem restoration efforts, Indian tribes, national parks, and land exchanges. The information GAO presents in this report is intended to help sustain congressional attention and a departmental focus on continuing to make progress in addressing these challenges - and others that have arisen since 2001 - and ultimately overcome them. This report is part of a special series of reports on government wide and agency-specific issues.  Read more...
Copyright  © 2003  General Accounting Office All rights reserved.

                Related Links,

               GAO 2003 Report (*.pdf file; 49 pages) * 

               GAO 2003 Highlighted Report (*.pdf file; 1 page) * 

               GAO March 2001: Report to the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, Committee 
                on Appropriations (*.pdf file; 19 pages) * 

                * pdf file (must have Acrobat Reader to open)

2003 Everglades Consolidated Report
The Reports have been produced pursuant to the Everglades Forever Act (EFA) (Section 373.4592(4)(d) Florida Statutes), which requires the District to submit a report to state officials after conducting a scientific peer review. Information from the Everglades Reports will be updated annually beginning in January 1, 2000 in peer-reviewed reports also required under the EFA. These reports represent an important step in the process of reviewing technical information on the Everglades Protection Area and communicating progress on Everglades research and monitoring. Read more...

 

2002

19-Dec-02

Report: More research into 'Glades project needed
The science behind fixing decades worth of neglect in Florida's River of Grass needs more research and funding, according to a new report from the National Research Council.The report points to the many uncertainties surrounding the restoration of the Everglades and details areas where more research is needed. Read more...
Copyright  © 2003  Tallahassee Democrat / Associated Press  All rights reserved.

Report: Congress says Everglades restoration plan lacking in scientific research
Science, which is supposed to guide Everglades restoration, is losing clout in the $8 billion project, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Research Council. Environmentalists said the report, while limited in scope to one federal research program, supports much of their criticism that political compromises to accommodate farmers and cities threaten to undermine the natural system. Read more...
Copyright  © 2003  Miami Herald  All rights reserved.

Report: More money needed for Everglades restoration, report finds
The price tag for saving the Everglades already exceeds $8 billion, but even more money is needed to boost scientific research guiding the massive restoration effort. Read more...
Copyright  © 2003  Naples News  All rights reserved.

 

18-Dec-02

Science and the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration:
An Assessment of the Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative
A U.S. Department of the Interior research program has provided key information to help guide the ecological restoration effort in the Florida Everglades, but it needs more funding, better management and broader distribution of its findings, says a new report from the National Academies' Water Science and Technology Board. Strategic investments in Everglades research will increase the chances of reaching restoration goals while reducing overall costs. Read more...

 

11-Nov-02

Report: Road to Ruin
This report exposes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' failure to restrain environmental destruction in the Western Everglades and reveals how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have fallen short of their legal responsibilities to protect this prized public resource.  Read more...(.pdf file)
Copyright  © 2002  National Wildlife Federation All rights reserved.

         Related Articles,

            November 12, 2002
            Report alleges ’Glades destruction

            November 11, 2002
          U.S. Government Permits Destroying Western Everglades

            Learn more about NWF's
            Everglades program.

 

2-Nov-02

Defenders of Wildlife 

Habitat  

Report: OUT OF CONTROL: The Impacts of Off-Road Vehicles and Roads on Wildlife and Habitat in Florida's National Forests

Off-road vehicles are destroying our public lands everywhere, and no where is the damage any more widespread than in Florida. Growing hoards of off-road vehicles are rampaging throughout Florida's national forests, ruining wildlife habitat and polluting our air and water. Irresponsible drivers of fat-tired swamp buggies, off-road motorcycles, and other all-terrain vehicles have ripped thousands of miles of outlaw trails through these public lands.  Read more . . .  
Copyright  © 2002  Defenders All rights reserved.

            Report links:

            Out of Control: ORV Report *

            Appendix *

            References and Resources *

            * pdf file (must have Acrobat Reader to open)

            Related Article:

            October 22, 2002
            News Release: Conservationists Applaud Forest Service Action to Control ORV Damage  

 

Nov-02

Hour of Decision nears on Everglades Phosphorus Criterion
Are Florida's public officials willing to make the difficult decisions necessary to really protect Florida's Everglades from demise by phosphorus pollution? Parts of the River of Grass are being lost rapidly to the effects of phosphorus. The pollution emerging from sugar cane and other cropland in the Everglades Agricultural Area is causing healthy Everglades sawgrass marshes and sloughs to convert into cattail choked wasteland at a rate of between 2 and 9 acres per day. Read more...

 

4-Oct-02

New Report Endorses Everglades Research Plan
A federal and state research plan for Everglades restoration goes long way to providing information needed to settle remaining technical questions, says a new National Academies report. The research would assess a proposal to drill more than 300 wells funneling up to 1.7 billion gallons of water a day into underground aquifers, where it would be stored and then pumped back to the surface to replenish the Everglades during dry periods. Read more...

 

8-Aug-02

 CROGEE's report on the science of Florida Bay has been released.
Florida Bay Research Programs and Their Relation to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (2002)
Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST), Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB)

It's available on the National Academies website at
http://books.nap.edu/books/0309084911/html/index.html
Nancy Klingener
Florida Keys Program Manager
The Ocean Conservancy
(formerly the Center for Marine Conservation)
513 Fleming St. #14
Key West, FL 33040
305-295-3370 (phone)
305-295-3371 (fax)
www.oceanconservancy.org

 

2-Aug-02

Proposed Rule
The Draft Programmatic Regulations will be published in the Federal Register as a Proposed Rule. A copy of the document sent to the Federal Register is available. This document will be replaced with the version that appears in the Federal Register when the Proposed Rule is published. Read more...

 

26-July-02

REPORT: CORPS PROJECTS NEED EXTERNAL REVIEW
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should seek external scientific reviews of its most costly, complex and controversial planning studies, concludes a new report from the National Research Council. The reviews should be made public, and the Corps should respond in writing to each key element, added the committee that wrote the report.  
Read more...
Copyright  © 2002  Environment News Service (ENS). All Rights Reserved. 

 

Mar-02

PERC REPORT
President George W. Bush and Florida governor Jeb Bush recently signed an agreement affirming that an $8 billion, 30-year federal plan to repair the Everglades will at least partially restore the natural flow of water through the wetlands. But environmentalists should not rest easy. The job of restoration is being handed over to the entity that was most responsible for the problem in the first place: the federal government, and, in particular, the Army Corps of Engineers. Read more...

 

1-Jan-02

2002 Everglades Consolidated Report

 

2001

11-July-2001

PubSCIENCE 
is a World Wide Web service developed by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) to facilitate searching and accessing peer reviewed journal literature in the physical sciences and other energy-related disciplines. 

Available October 1, 1999, PubSCIENCE allows the user to search across abstracts and citations of multiple publishers at no cost.  Once the user has found an interesting abstract, a hyperlink provides access to the publisher's server to obtain the full text article.  The article will come up immediately if the user or his/her organization has a subscription to the journal.  If the user lacks such a subscription, access to the full text can be obtained by pay per view, by special arrangement with the publisher, library access or through commercial providers. 

PubSCIENCE is available for public use through the Government Printing Office's "GPO ACCESS". It can be accessed at http://www.osti.gov/pubsci or http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs. 

http://pubsci.osti.gov/ 

Science Basic Search 
http://pubsci.osti.gov/srchfrm.html

"Everglades" search results included: 

HACKNEY, Courtney T.; PADGETT, David E.; POSEY, Martin H.. Fungal and bacterial contributions to the decomposition of Cladium and Typha leaves in nutrient enriched and nutrient poor areas of the Everglades, with a note on ergosterol concentrations in Everglades soils Mycological Research - Jun 01 2000 

Taylor, Ryan C.; Trexler, Joel C.; Loftus, William F. Separating the effects of intra- and interspecific age-structured interactions in an experimental fish assemblage Oecologia - Mar 19 2001 

Ahn, Hosung ; James, R. Thomas Variability, Uncertainty, and Sensitivity of Phosphorus Deposition Load Estimates in South Florida Water, Air, and Soil Pollution - Feb 01 2001 

Smith, Eric P. ; McCormick, Paul V. Long-Term Relationship between Phosphorus Inputs and Wetland Phosphorus Concentrationsin a Northern Everglades Marsh Environmental Monitoring and Assessment - May 01 2001 

Goforth, G.; Jackson, J.B.; Fink, L.. Restoring the Everglades Civil Engineering (New York, 1983) - Mar 1994 

Marvin-Dipasquale, M.C; Oremland, R.S. . Bacterial methylmercury degradation in FloridaEverglades peat sediment Environmental Science and Technology - Sep 01 1998 

Ravichandran, M; Ryan, J.N. ; Aiken, G.R; Reddy, M.M. . Enhanced dissolution of cinnabar (mercuric sulfide) bydissolved organic matter isolated from the Florida Everglades Environmental Science and Technology - Nov 01 1998 

Benoit, J.M. ; Gilmour, C.C; Heyes, A. ; Mason, R.P. . Sulfide controls on mercury speciation andbioavailability to methylating bacteria in sedimentpore waters Environmental Science and Technology - Mar 15 1999 

King, G.M.; Roslev, P.; Skovgaard, H. . Distribution and rate of methane oxidation in sediments of the Florida everglades Applied and Environmental Microbiology - Sep 1990 

Happell, J.D.; Chanton, J.P. ; Showers, W.S. . The influence of methane oxidation on the stable isotopic composition of methane emitted from Florida swamp forests Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta - Oct 1994 

Brown, K.E.; Cohen, A.D. . Pyrite forms in recent peats and carbonates from the Florida Everglades Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs - Mar 1994 Fleming, D.M. ; Wolff, W.F. ; DeAngelis, D.L. . Importance of landscape heterogeneity to wood storks in Florida Everglades Environmental Management - 1994 

Schipper, L.A. ; Reddy, K.R. . Methane production and emissions from four reclaimed and pristine wetlands of Southeastern United States Soil Science Society of America Journal - 1994 

Martin, F.D. ; Deangelis, D.L.; Gross, L.J. . ATLSS: Across trophic level system simulation for the freshwater areas of the Everglades Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America - Jun 1994 

Stone, P.A. ; Duever, M.J.; Meeder, J.F. . Holocene sedimentation at Corkscrew Swamp (Collier Co.): A model for the origin and evolution of the present wetland-dominated regime of south Florida Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs - Mar 1993 

James, R.T. . Use of a simple simulation model to develop a spatial model of methane flux in the Florida Everglades EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union - Jan 09 1990 

Castro, Mark.S.; Gholz, Henry.L.; Clark, Ken.L.; Steudler, Paul.A.. Effects of forest harvesting on soil methane fluxes in Florida slash pine plantations Canadian Journal of Forest Research - Oct 01 2000 

Negrón-Ortiz, Vivian; Gorchov, David L.. Effects of Fire Season and Postfire Herbivory on the Cycad Zamia pumila (Zamiaceae) in Slash Pine Savanna, Everglades National Park, Florida International Journal of Plant Sciences - Dec 01 1999 

Ivey, Christopher T.; Richards, Jennifer H.. Genetic Diversity of Everglades Sawgrass, Cladium jamaicense (Cyperaceae) International Journal of Plant Sciences - Feb 01 2001 

Turner, Andrew M.; Trexler, Joel C.; Jordan, C. Frank; Slack, Sarah J.; Geddes, Pamela; Chick, John H.; Loftus, William F. Targeting Ecosystem Features for Conservation: Standing Crops in the Florida Everglades Conservation Biology - Aug 01 1999 

Olson, M. L.; Cleckner, L. B.; Hurley, J. P.; Krabbenhoft, D. P.; Heelan, T. W. Resolution of matrix effects on analysis of total and methyl mercury in aqueous samples from the Florida Everglades Fresenius' Journal of Analytical Chemistry - Jun 10 1997 

Yanochko, G. M. ; Jagoe, C. H. ; Brisbin Jr., I. L. . Tissue Mercury Concentrations in Alligators (Alligatormississippiensis) from the Florida Everglades and the Savannah RiverSite, South Carolina Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - Apr 01 1997 

Miles, C. J. ; Fink, L. E. . Monitoring and Mass Budget for Mercury in the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - Nov 01 1998 

DeAngelis, Donald L. ; Gross, Louis J. ; Huston, Michael A. ; Wolff, Wilfried F. ; Fleming, D. Martin ; Comiskey, E. Jane ; Sylvester, Scott M. Landscape Modeling for Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Ecosystems - Jan 01 1998

 

10-May-01

 Florida Forever Work Plan
In 1999, the Florida Forever program was created, which authorized the issuance of bonds in an amount not to exceed $3 billion for acquisitions of land and water areas. This revenue is to be used for restoration, conservation, recreation, water resource development, historical preservation and capital improvements to such land and water areas. This program is intended to accomplish environmental restoration, enhance public access and recreational enjoyment, promote long-term management goals, and facilitate water resource development.

Water management districts are required to create a five-year plan that identifies projects meeting specific criteria. In developing their project lists, each district is to integrate its surface water improvement and management plans, Save Our Rivers land acquisition lists, storm water management projects, proposed water resource development projects, proposed water body restoration projects, and other properties or activities that would assist in meeting the goals of Florida Forever.  The initial plan must be submitted by June 1, 2001 to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. By January 1 of each year thereafter, each district must then report on acquisitions completed during the year, as well as modifications or additions to its five-year work plan.  The plans will also include the status of funding, staffing and resource management for every project funded for which the district is responsible.

Thirty-five percent of the Florida Forever bond proceeds are distributed annually to FDEP for land acquisition and capital expenditures in order to implement the priority lists submitted by the water management districts.  A minimum of fifty percent of the funding is to be used for land acquisition.  The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) annual net share is $33,075,000. The Everglades Restoration Investment Act, Section 373.470(5)(b), F.S., mandates that for ten consecutive years, $25M of this funding is to be used to implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Since approximately 75 percent of the Florida Forever funding that the SFWMD will receive will be dedicated to CERP, CERP is a major focus of the SFWMD Florida Forever Work plan.  This work plan describes specific projects that will be eligible for Florida Forever funding in the FY2001 - 2005 period. It is arranged in sections that correspond to the regions described in the August, 2000 CERP Master Program Management Plan. Additionally, it includes projects for which the SFWMD expects to seek reimbursement through Florida Forever in fiscal year 200: the Western C-11 Diversion Impoundment and Canal (Cell 11), C-43 Basin Storage Reservoir, and Kissimmee River Restoration.

See the SFWMD's Florida Forever Work Plan
(182 pages, 3 MB download file)
http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/wsd/cerp/forever.pdf  

 

2000

Aquifer Storage and Recovery in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan: A Critique of the Pilot Projects and Related Plans for ASR in the Lake Okeechobee and Western Hillsboro Areas
Aquifer Storage and Recovery in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan: A Critique of the Pilot Projects and Related Plans for ASR in the Lake Okeechobee and Western Hillsboro Areas.  A federal law enacted in December calls for a multi-billion dollar effort to restore the Florida Everglades' natural ecosystem. This report offers advice on restoration pilot projects that would involve storing excess surface water underground and pumping it back up for use during droughts.

See Report (74 pages)    
html        www.nap.edu/catalog/10061.html?onpi_topnews#0201
pdf file    http://books.nap.edu/html/aquifer_storage/asr.pdf
Committee on Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Copyright  © 2000 National Academies  All rights reserved.

South Florida Focus: Putting FLORIDA FIRST

Perspective
A message from the VP for Agriculture & Natural Resources

Urban Focus
The Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center helps solve environmental
problems and enhances the quality of life in South Florida.

Everglades Agricultural Area
Best management practices help farmers protect environmentally sensitive
areas.

Education at Your Doorstep
With new distance education technologies, UF's College of Agricultural and
Life Sciences offers classes statewide.

Southernmost Solutions
Located in Homestead, the Tropical Research and Education Center is the only
university facility of its kind in the continental United States.

A Salty Problem
Algae blooms provide a sign that something's amiss with fragile Florida Bay.

Putting down roots
4-H project turns barren land into a garden.

Affordable Housing
Dreams come true in Collier County through a collaboration of UF/IFAS
extension, banks and county government.

Eat better, live better
A Hialeah nutrition education program helps the Hispanic population make the
most of limited resources.

Impact Magazine
Vol. 15, No. 3/ Spring 2000 (36 pages)

PDF download (8 MB) 

01-Sept-00

2001 EVERGLADES CONSOLIDATED REPORT
The Everglades Reports summarize available data and findings from research
and monitoring of the Everglades Protection Area, and will be used by the
South Florida Water Management District and Florida Department of
Environmental Protection for making decisions affecting implementation of
the Everglades Construction Project and related activities.

The Reports have been produced pursuant to the Everglades Forever Act
(Section 373.4592(4)(d) Florida Statutes), which requires the District to
submit a report to state officials after conducting a scientific peer
review. Information from the Everglades Reports will be updated annually
beginning in January 1, 2000 in peer-reviewed reports also required under
the Act. These reports represent an important step in the process of
reviewing technical information on the Everglades Protection Area and
communicating progress on Everglades research and monitoring.
SFWMD

•  SFWMD Everglades Reports Home
•  Download from ftp server (pdf documents)
•  View / Download the draft report on-line (pdf)
•  Peer Review of the 2001 Everglades Consolidated Report
•  Public Workshops AGENDA
•  WebBoard Conferencing
•  Previous Reports (pdf)

31-Jul-00

COORDINATING SUCCESS: Strategy for Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem 
The purpose of this document is to describe the existing federal and nonfederal programs designed to restore and sustain the imperiled South Florida ecosystem. Many federal, state, tribal, and local entities are working to address the deteriorating ecological conditions in South Florida. The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (the task force) coordinates and tracks the work. Congress directed the task force to produce a restoration strategy.  

This document provides the information needed to coordinate and integrate the restoration effort.  Congress identified four elements to be included in this document. They wanted it to outline how the restoration effort will occur, identify the resources needed, establish responsibility for accomplishing actions, and link the strategic goals established by the participants to out-come-oriented goals (see appendix A). This document describes how the restoration effort is being coordinated: The task force members have agreed upon a vision for the results; they have established three broad goals and measurable objectives for the work that needs to be accomplished to achieve that vision; they have identified the projects needed to achieve the objectives; they are coordinating those projects so that they are mutually supportive and nonduplicative; and they are tracking progress toward both the work-oriented goals and the results-oriented vision. This strategy, along with the vision, goals, objectives, performance measures, and individual project data (including cost, responsible agency, and targeted completion dates) are all included in this document.

This strategy document is for planning purposes only, is subject to modification, and is not legally binding on any of the task force members. Each task force member and the interests they represent retain all of their sovereign rights, authorities, and jurisdiction for implementation of the projects contained within this document.
Published by:  SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION TASK FORCE

•    Documents page (PDF documents)
•    Click here for internal link to Executive Summary (html)
•    Report Website

"Natural Resource Year in Review - 1999."
The fourth annual "Year in Review" report summarizes and analyzes significant natural resource preservation issues and trends in the national park system for the calendar year 1999. Organized in seven chapters that address innovations in the development and use of legal, administrative and technological tools for managing park natural resources The highlight for the year was the planning and initial implementation of the Natural Resource Challenge, a commitment to increase the use of science in park management. The 1999 report is too be available soon. Reports for 1996, 1997 and 1998 are also posted here. 
National Park Service

•  Natural Resource Publications: Books, reports and newsletters
•  Report Website

 

Jun-00

An Overview of the Historical Everglades Ecosystem and Implications for Establishing Restoration Goals: (39 pages, pdf format, 2.95 MB)
This report summarizes the processes that led to the formation of the Everglades over 5000 years. The information underlying this summary was obtained from a survey of historical reports, data from measurements of peat and sediment cores, and flow modeling using the South Florida Water Management District's Natural System Model. Available evidence shows that a natural phosphorus-enriched zone existed south of Lake Okeechobee that contained dense growths of pond apple and other upland species and an associated variety of birds and wildlife. This technical report was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in June 2000
Tetra Tech, Inc. 

•    This technical report was prepared by Sujoy B. Roy and Steven A. Gherini, Tetra Tech, Inc., Lafayette, CA. The work described in this report was supported by the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida.
•    Abstract (html)
•   Email questions to sujoy.roy@tetratech.com
•    Report Website

 

01-Feb-00

JEB BUSH'S LOADED SURVEY FOR "REFORMING" GROWTH MANAGEMENT IN FLORIDA
A report based upon internal documents obtained from DCA in a January 14, 2000 public records search by Florida PEER (public Employees for Environmental Responsibility)
© 2000 PEER News, published February 01, 2000

          See Report
          http://www.peer.org/dca/fldca.html

1999

03-Nov-99


Notice of second WORKSHOP on 2000 Everglades Consolidated Report
On November 3, 1999, the District will convene a second Peer Review Workshop on the 2000 Everglades Consolidated Report. 8:30 am - 4:00pm in the B1 Storch Room. All interested persons are welcome and public comments on any aspect of the report are encouraged. The Review Panel requests that comments given in the second workshop be "new", that is comments not presented at the first workshop or posted to the WebBoard prior to October 22, 1999. Follow up comments or those directed at the District's response to peer review are encouraged; the panel anticipates more detailed discussion of Chapters 3, 5 and 7 of the Report.

See Report
http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/wre/eir/index.html
SFWMD, West Palm Beach, Florida

See also 
Everglades Interim Report below

 

Oct-99

South Florida Wading Bird Report
This document is the result of continued cooperation among a diverse group of ecologists.   It is not a peer-reviewed scientific publication; narratives reflect the interpretation of individual authors rather than the collective participants. I thank Jessie Schillaci, Jay Kelly, Camille Darby, and Fred Sklar for helpful editorial reviews. Sara McConnell kindly assisted with graphics. The South Florida Wading bird Report is printed by the South Florida Water Management District.

See Report  
http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/erd/coastal/wading/index.html

29-Sep-99

Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation (47 slides) To South Florida Ecosystems Restoration Task Force
By Col. Joe Miller,

See Report  
http://www.sfrestore.org/tfbriefing/sld001.htm

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Jacksonville District, USACOE)

 

07-Sep-99

2000 Everglades Consolidated Report
The Reports have been produced pursuant to the Everglades Forever Act (Section 373.4592(4)(d) Florida Statutes), which requires the District to submit a report to state officials after conducting a scientific peer review.  Information from the Everglades Reports will be updated annually beginning in January 1, 2000 in peer-reviewed reports also required under the Act. These reports represent an important step in the process of reviewing technical information on the Everglades Protection Area and communicating progress on Everglades research and monitoring.

See Report  
http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/wre/eir/index.html

SFWMD

 

02-Aug-99

District Water Management Plan DRAFT
The Everglades Drainage District (EDDA), forerunner of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD, District), was created in 1907 to facilitate drainage of the Everglades. By 1927, six major drainage canals and numerous minor canals had been constructed, along with 47 miles of levees and 16 locks and dams. The EDD construction program ended in 1928 following the hurricane of that year. In 1931, the EDD defaulted on its bond payments, suffering the effects of the Great Depression and the collapse of the Florida land boom of the 1920s.  Although the hurricane of 1928 ended the construction activities of the EDD, it spurred creation of the Okeechobee Flood Control District in 1929, which improved flood control by constructing levees, control gates, and floodway channels along the shores of Lake Okeechobee. The southern shore of Lake Okeechobee was diked and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers were used to divert water that had formerly flowed south to the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

See Report  
http://141.232.1.11/org/pld/proj/dwmp/

SFWMD

 

17-Jun-99

Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources
The U.S. Geological Survey has released the first large-scale assessment of the nation's natural resource heritage in a two-volume report, "Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources." At century end, this report synthesizes current information within a historical perspective to document how the nation's biological resources are changing. The report also underscores the essential need for science to be used in guiding decisions on resource management.   Volume One covers seven factors affecting biological resources nationwide: natural processes, land use, water use, climate change, nonindigenous species, environmental contaminants and harvest.  Volume Two describes the status and trends of biological resources in 14 areas of the country and how they have been affected by these factors. Regions covered are the Northeast, Great Lakes, Southeast, Caribbean Islands, Mississippi River, Coastal Louisiana, Grasslands, Rocky Mountains, Great Basin-Mojave Desert, Southwest, California, Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.  

See Report  
http://www.usgs.gov/public/press/public_affairs/press_releases/pr846m.html

United States Geological Survey

22-Apr-99

South Florida Ecosystem Restoration
One of this administration’s most significant environmental initiatives is the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem. Responding to growing signs of the deterioration of this ecosystem, federal agencies established the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force in 1993 to coordinate ongoing federal restoration activities in this area, such as modifying the effects of engineering projects that have diverted water from the Everglades and reducing agricultural pollutants in the water entering wildlife refuges and the Everglades. The Water Resources Development Act of 1996 formalized the Task Force and expanded its membership to include state, local, and tribal representatives and charged it with coordinating and facilitating the efforts to restore the ecosystem.

See Report
Summary      Text version of report         PDF version of report

U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO)

07-Apr-99

Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Project Comprehensive Review Study
This report recommends a comprehensive plan for the restoration, protection, and preservation of the water resources of central and southern Florida, including the Everglades.

See Report
http://restudy.org/finalrpt/finalrpt.htm

USACOE & SFWMD

Everglades Construction Project
"Together, the District and the Department of Environmental Protection have set in motion a program that forms a comprehensive and consistent set of strategies to carry out the requirements of the Everglades Forever Act. These projects are called the Everglades Program.   "The Everglades Construction Project is one element of the Everglades Program. The South Florida Water Management District is responsible for projects which include but are not limited to the construction of Stormwater Treatment Areas, Hydropattern Restorations, Water Diversions, and other improvements. You may access these projects by the Project Scope Table of Contents or directly by clicking on the particular areas on the map above."   

See Report
http://141.232.1.11/org/erd/ecp/3_ecp.html
 
SFWMD

01-Jan-99 

The Everglades Interim Report
..."summarizes available data and findings from research and monitoring of the Everglades Protection Area, and it will be used by the South Florida Water Management District and Florida Department of Environmental Protection for making decisions affecting implementation of the Everglades Construction Project and related activities. The Report has been produced pursuant to the Everglades Forever Act (Section 373.4592(4)(d) Florida Statutes), which requires the District to submit an interim report to state officials after conducting a scientific peer review and two public hearings. Information from this Everglades Interim Report will be updated annually beginning in January 1, 2000 in peer-reviewed reports also required under 373.4592(4)(d)6., F.S. These reports represent an important step in the process of reviewing technical information on the Everglades Protection Area and communicating progress on Everglades research and monitoring."  

See Report
http://141.232.1.11/org/wre/eir/index.html

SFWMD

 

1998

05-Dec-98

Linking Ecotoxicity and Risk Management to Sustainable Restoration of South Florida Ecosystems

 This workshop brought together scientific researchers, resource managers and regulatory officials to discuss, identify and review historical and ongoing studies on chemical stressors (e.g., metals, excess nutrients, pesticides and complex organic chemicals) in south Florida aquatic ecosystems. The principal goal for the workshop was to propose the development of a strategic plan to address ecological problems requiring further action.

The unanimous consensus of participants among the three Breakout Groups was that a Screening-level Risk Assessment is needed to address
   (1) known contaminant issues,
   (2) potential risks and community effects of management options, and
   (3) other management issues in South Florida.
   The report, produced by the independent advisory panel, is a product of the SCT-sponsored workshop held in Miami, Florida, October 20-21, 1998.

See Report
http://www.sfrestore.org/sct/ecotox/ecotoxintro.htm
Advisory Panel

 

1995

10-Sep-95

Restoring the Everglades: Public Participation in Federal Efforts (Letter Report)

   Pursuant to congressional requests, GAO reviewed: (1) federal efforts to involve nonfederal stakeholders in environmental restoration efforts in South Florida; and (2) the lessons learned about federal and nonfederal collaboration and consensus-building in South Florida that might be applicable elsewhere.

    GAO found that: (1) federal agencies have involved nonfederal stakeholders in their environmental restoration efforts in South Florida by making their meetings and draft products publicly available, establishing groups with nonfederal members, holding workshops, soliciting information from the public and then providing feedback on how it was used, and entering into formal mediation; (2) the working group of the Interagency Task Force on the South Florida Ecosystem includes state and tribal officials, but it does not include local officials and representatives of nongovernmental interests; (3) restrictions on and uncertainties about advisory committees have limited nonfederal interests in federal restoration efforts except those for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; (4) nonfederal stakeholders prefer to present their environmental concerns during rather than after the development of federal environmental proposals; (5) external constraints often dictate the extent of nonfederal involvement in agency activities and preclude a consensus on appropriate solutions; and (6) the most federal agencies may be able to achieve is an open airing and full consideration of all views within the constraints imposed by
external factors.
10/24/95, GAO/RCED-96-5

See Report
Text version of report         PDF version of report

U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO)

 

Revised:  07/12/04