State of the Everglades

State of the EvergladesFall/Winter 2013

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2 State of the Everglades 2013

During the summer, we witnessed the unfolding of an ecological catastrophe as huge volumes of water flushed pollution off the land and into Lake Okeechobee and coastal estuaries. Dead fish floated in green slimy water, algae blooms were labeled “toxic” and coastal residents were warned not to swim or fish. Audubon has long worked to improve policies and practices to prevent these kinds of impacts. The last time Florida saw major coastal damage from ex-cess stormwater, the Florida Legislature responded with changes to the Lake Okeechobee Protection Act. Among the changes Audubon pushed for and won were a ban on the massive disposal of sewage sludge on farm fields, and honest measurement of the amounts of nutrients being washed into Lake Okeechobee.

The core problem is well understood and extends throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Years ago, floodplains were ditched and drained to allow more farming, ranching and develop-ment. During rainy seasons, stormwater rushes through the ditches into canals and to the coast, instead of ponding in wetlands and slowly soaking into the ground. Ironically, this lost water exacerbates droughts as streams, robbed of seasonal floodwaters, dry to a trickle.

The problem of over-drained and polluted landscapes can be fixed and has long been part of Audubon’s call for action, but sometimes it takes tragedy to get politicians’ attention. That happened this summer when Senator Joe Negron, who represents hard hit coastal areas, convened a Select Committee on the Indian River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee Basin.

Audubon responded by sending Senator Negron a letter laying out nine proposed solutions focused on storing and treating water and controlling sources of pollution. Thousands of Audubon members signed the letter. I was invited to present at the first committee meeting and presented the letter with its thousands of signatures to the committee.

Subsequently, Audubon’s Dr. Paul Gray joined Senator Bill Nelson’s science roundtable to offer the same solutions, while Julie Hill-Gabriel and Jane Graham organized support for Congressio-nal hearings led by Congressmen Patrick Murphy and Trey Radel.

Although the releases have stopped, Audubon continues to advocate for and provide scientific information to sup-port the solutions offered to both state and Congressional decision-makers.

Some of the solutions are found within Everglades res-toration plans. Audubon, working with the Everglades Foundation, has been a strong proponent of a new Cen-tral Everglades Project that will accelerate work to deliver more fresh water (up to 200,000 acre/feet) to the parched Everglades rather than dumping the water to tide. Other important restoration projects, like the C-44 reservoir along the St. Lucie River, the C-43 reservoir near the Caloosahatchee River and reservoirs, will store some of the water released to the estuaries and make it available during dry seasons.

Tragedy in Florida’s Coastal Estuaries

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State of the Everglades 2013 3

Audubon offered further recommendations on water management. Making use of the large, slop-ing Lake Okeechobee watershed to passively store water is the best way to improve habitat while reversing over-drained landscapes. This can be accomplished by compensating ranchers for blocking up ditches to hold back water that would otherwise drain quickly to canals. Completing the Kissimmee River Restoration project will also add huge storage capacity to the landscape.

The final recommendation is the most controversial and is the focus of much of our current advocacy. Audubon’s letter states,

Water quality improvements can be achieved with aggressive new state rules that address treatment of urban stormwater, all sources of wastewater including septic tanks, the use of reclaimed water for landscape irrigation, and the use of sewage sludge for fertilizer. Agricul-tural practices, including the use of fertilizers, should meet a standard of “no harm” to water quality. We recommend that the state update its rules to provide meaningful limits on the amount of phosphorus from fertilizer and animal feed added to the watershed.

Senator Negron’s committee has released a report that endorses many of Audubon’s suggestions and recommends a large increase in state spending for projects that can help the coastal estuaries.

Audubon will make gathering support for said projects, along with better controls on pollution, a major focus in the 2014 legislative session. Audubon will also continue to rally support for federal authorization of the Central Everglades Project and the proposed reservoir on the Caloosahatchee River.

Keep up with the news and learn how your voice can make a difference at fl.audubon.org.

Eric DraperExecutive Director, Audubon Florida

Breaking NewsAudubon’s Everglades Science Center at Tavernier Renews Critical SFWMD Contract On Nov.15, in a unanimous vote of confidence, the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Man-agement District extended a three-year, $390,000 science monitoring contract to Audubon Florida’s Everglades Science Center at Tavernier. The moni-toring includes hydrology, aquatic vegetation, and prey-base fauna in the Southern Everglades mangrove communities and provides valuable feedback on the success of completed restoration projects such as the C-111 Spreader Canal Project. SFWMD staff and Governing Board concluded that Audubon did quality work at a cost well below what a government agency could do. The contract will be matched by federal funds and will be subject to budget approval during FY15 and FY16.

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CENTRAL EVERGLADES AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE Progress on protecting Lake Okeechobee and our coastal estuaries

The Florida Senate Select Commit-tee on Indian River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee Basin recently held their final hearing and unveiled a set of recommendations. The Committee recommended $220 million in proj-ects and programs that will benefit the coastal estuaries and the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Thank you to the thousands of Audubon supporters who signed our letter and recommen-dations. Many of Audubon’s propos-als were included in the final report: increased funds for Everglades restora-

tion projects like the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area, C-43 Reservoir, Tamiami Trail bridging and water storage projects; support for the Central Everglades Planning Project; maximizing the benefits of the Kissimmee River Restoration to store more water; and emphasiz-ing the importance of reducing nutrient pollution throughout the watershed. There were many advances; yet, there is still much to be done. As noted above, in the upcoming legislative session, we will work to improve laws and policies to reduce the continued influx of nutrients into the watershed.

Florida Commits $40 million for Project to Clean Water Flowing to the Indian River Lagoon

This summer, the lack of options for storing and cleaning water in the Everglades became the center of attention as water releases to coastal estuaries led to toxic algae blooms and wildlife deaths. In response, Governor Rick Scott committed to providing $40 million from state Everglades appropriations to construct the C-44 Stormwater Treatment Area. This project is part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan for which the state and federal governments share the cost. This commitment will allow the state to construct the project now and receive credit from the federal government for its 50% funding in the future. The treatment area will help treat dirty water from the local basin and Lake Okeechobee before it enters the southern Indian River Lagoon through the St. Lucie River and estuary.

Central Everglades Planning Project Moves Ahead

The Central Everglades Planning Project will provide the ability to move water south from Lake Okeechobee to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, a vital goal of Everglades restoration. Planning for this key

restoration component was accelerated as part of a nationwide pilot program looking for ways to pick up the pace of the Army Corps of Engineers’ projects. In August, the South Florida Water Management District approved release of the draft project implementation report that advanced the project for public comment and further agency review. As the project planning nears the finish line, Audubon will continue to advocate for the next step of starting construction. The goal is to realize ecological benefits sooner and to ensure that the Central Everglades Project becomes an example of how to plan projects better and faster rather than another example of delay. P

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WESTERN EVERGLADES More Wood Storks at Corkscrew Swamp

After this summer’s heavy rains caused the swamps to refill with water and mirror healthy wetland conditions, hundreds of Wood Storks are showing up near Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. This is great news! But until more is done to protect and restore wetlands, the ability to replicate these favorable conditions that bolster Stork food sources like fish and crayfish is uncertain. Audubon Florida scientists, through intensive research, have determined a major cause for decades of decline in endangered Wood Stork nesting at Corkscrew – past and continued destruction of shallow wetlands vital to nesting starts. Similar wetland losses have impacted Storks and other wading birds throughout the Everglades. The twofold solution to this serious problem is clear: 1) fix the inadequate wetland permitting rules, and 2) restore former wetlands to health, including through Everglades restoration. Audubon is continuing to advocate for these solutions so that Corkscrew can once again be crowned with Stork nests regularly.

Another Milestone for 55,000 Acre Restoration Project

This September, the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $75.7 million construction contract for the Miller Canal pump station, the last major construction component of the Picayune Strand Everglades restoration project. The Merritt Canal pump station is complete and will be turned on shortly to reintroduce overland sheetflow, thus restoring long drained wetlands and balancing out the freshwater flows to the major Southwest Florida estuaries. When all pumps are complete and canals plugged in 2018, Picayune Strand will restore over 55,000 acres of habitat and thousands of acres of estuaries. Like all of Everglades restoration, the benefits of getting the water right accrue to the parched lands over which it flows, and ultimately the vast, productive estuaries downstream.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Staff Conducts Successful Marsh Rehabilitation Pilot Project

Widespread hydrologic impacts and alterations to fire intensity and frequency have been realized throughout the marshes in Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The marsh hydrology has been negatively impacted by decades of agricultural, industrial and residential developments throughout the watershed. These impacts create conditions ripe for an invasion of shrubby coastal plains willow that can supplant the diverse grass and sedge-dominated marsh system that provide important foraging opportunities for our wading birds and other wildlife including Wood Storks, Sandhill Cranes, King and Sora Rails, Glossy and White Ibis, and Round-tailed Muskrats. In order to improve the conditions of this degraded habitat, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary employed a pilot strategy to mechanically reduce the willow in our test plots totaling approximately 30 acres at a cost of about $300 per acre. The result far exceeded expectations and will be expanded this year depending on securing adequate funding.

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SOUTHERN EVERGLADES Water Resources Bills Pass U.S. House and Senate

For the first time since 2007, water resources bills have passed both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation is the vehicle for authorizing new Everglades projects for construction, a necessity to make them eligible for future federal funding. The bills would authorize four Everglades projects - the Broward County Water Preserve Areas, C-111 Spreader Canal, Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands and Caloosahatchee C-43 Reservoir. The inclusion of these projects and some favorable policy changes will help restoration progress. Unfortunately, the bills also include streamlining provisions that could undermine environmental review and it is unclear whether an opportunity to authorize the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) will be included. The Senate and House must work out discrepancies during a conference committee before the bills can become law.

Water Supply Plan Incorporates Audubon Recommendations

Recently, the South Florida Water Management District updated its twenty year plan for water supplies and resources in the region affecting Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. Audubon Florida collaborated with local Audubon chapters to make sure water for our natural resources is protected in our growing region. After a year of letters, meetings, presentations, and behind the scenes discussions, our work resulted in some improvements to the plan. The plan now more fully addresses the need for climate change adaptation, the benefits of water conservation, and the importance of Lake Okeechobee to be managed as a natural resource.

Florida Department of Transportation Commits $90 Million for Tamiami Trail Bridging

Since its construction in 1928, Tamiami Trail has served as a dam blocking the north to south flow of water at the heart of the River of Grass. The result has been parched wetlands and diverted water flows that impact wading bird populations in Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. Constructing bridges that allow the historic water flows to reconnect has been identified as the solution. The ribbon-cutting for the first one mile bridge on Tamiami Trail was held this past March but construction has not yet begun on an additional 5.5 miles of bridges that are part of a plan developed by the U. S. Department of the Interior. This summer, the Florida Department of Transportation committed $30 million per year over three years for a total of $90 million in construction funds to match funding from the federal government. This new state involvement can jump start the next stage of construction and will enable the benefits of additional bridges to be put in place much sooner.

Scene from the new one-mile bridge on Tamiami Trail that was elevated to allow restora-tion of natural water flows. Photo by Scott Taylor

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NORTHERN EVERGLADES DEP Surplus Land Proposal Removes Everglades Lands from Consideration

In August, the Department of Environmental Protection launched a flawed “Land Assessment” process intended to identify conservation lands for surplus and sale. Included in the initial list were important tracts in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, such as 700 acres of the John and Marianna Jones Wildlife Management area, over 150 acres of mangrove wetlands on Biscayne Bay, and a substantial area of hardwood hammock in the Florida Keys. Due to Audubon advocacy sparking outcry around Florida, DEP has reduced its surplus land list from 169 parcels comprising 5,300 acres to only 77 parcels involving 3,300 acres. The Everglades parcels noted above were among those taken off the surplus list. This conservation victory builds off of the South Florida Water Management District’s land assessment process which to date has resulted in maintaining public ownership of 98% of the land evaluated for potential surplus in the Everglades region.

Audubon’s Dr. Paul Gray to Co-chair the Everglade Snail Kite Coordinating Committee

The federally endangered Everglade Snail Kite population recently experienced almost an 80% decline, which led the National Academy of Sciences Peer Review committee to give Florida’s Kite management a grade of “F.” The report points to Kite declines related to the degradation of habitat in previously productive areas, namely Lake Okeechobee and the Water Conservations Areas. Although Kite breeding has been successful and the population has increased over the last three years, the increase appears due to an explosion of exotic apple snails, and not improved water management or improved conditions for the Kite’s native food source. Audubon has helped assemble a new committee of Everglade Snail Kite researchers and managers who will meet in November to analyze what is known about the situation throughout the Everglades, and determine what work is needed to better manage habitat for Kites in the future.

Pink exotic apple snail eggs like these have displaced smaller native snail eggs.

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Boots on the Ground at the 2013 Audubon Assembly This year’s Audubon Assembly was a celebration of those with their “Boots on the Ground” for conservation. Audubon Florida is known for the work done by its staff, chapters, and volunteers, generating real results for science and conservation. This year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Reed Bowman, gave an excellent talk on the citizen science program Project JayWatch. Other highlights of this year’s Assembly included learning sessions that focused on themes of habitat stewardship, citizen science, and how volunteers can help advance policy goals. The Conservation Leadership Initiative matched students with Audubon mentors, to help inspire the next generation of environmental advocates.

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart was recognized as Audubon’s Champion of the Everglades for his role in reestablishing the Congressional Everglades Caucus, alongside Congressman Alcee Hastings, for his long term support of advancing Everglades restoration. This year’s Assembly was a huge success. Thanks to all who attended. Everglades Sustainability Committee Builds South Florida Support Members of Audubon Florida’s Board of Directors Steve Lynch, Jud Laird, Lida Rodriguez-Taseff and Lisa Boyce have recently established Audubon’s Everglades Program Sustainability Committee with the goal of building financial and community sup-port for Audubon’s Everglades work. This Committee has already made a difference for the Everglades Team. In February, the Committee will be working with Wells Fargo to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Audubon’s Everglades Science Center in Tavernier and rehabilitate the Center’s facilities. In March, an event at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach will bring attention to the importance of birds for Everglades restoration and will focus on engaging children. We are grateful to these dedicated Board members who are helping to make our science and policy work possible!

Audubon’s Everglades Team Welcomes Tabitha Cale, Ph.D.Tabitha Cale joined Audubon Florida as Everglades Policy Associate earlier this fall. Dr. Cale, who is based in Audubon’s Miami office, will lead grasstops and grassroots outreach efforts on important Everglades policy issues and focus on building a more diverse constituency of Everglades champions who can be mobilized to support Everglades priorities before the Florida legislature, Congress, local governments and state and federal agencies.

Dr. Cale began her experience with Audubon as an intern and volunteer at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Louisiana State University, an M.A. in Political Science from Louisiana State University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida. The Everglades Team is happy to welcome such an esteemed new colleague.

Thank you to the Everglades Foundation for support of our policy and science staff and other sponsors who make our work possible. Through partnerships with supporters and other conservation partners, immense progress has been made toward restoring the Everglades and obtaining the scientific data needed to let us know whether restoration ef-forts are producing the promised results.

Help Audubon Restore the Greater Everglades Ecosystem

Everglades Policy Office444 Brickell Avenue, Suite 850

Miami, FL 33131 (305) 371-6399

To donate go to www.GivetoAudubonFlorida.org and click on Everglades.

www.fl.audubon.org

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Documents

State of the Everglades