2006 Exotics Species Workshop for Southwest Florida
Workshop Summary Revenue and Expenses
Workshop Events
The workshop was held as planned on 12/1/06 and was attended by approximately 150 people. Exact numbers are difficult to provide because many people did not register online but just showed up (an online registration process was available and encouraged). Many were standing or sitting in the isles because there were not enough seats.
Most of the participants are actively involved in natural areas management in southwest Florida and will find the information useful in their daily work. Presentations from various researchers and experts were punctuated by interactive breakout sessions that encouraged sharing of ideas, experiences and strategies for dealing with invasive exotic species in southwest Florida.
A relatively inexpensive luncheon and two breaks were provided for the participants. Having the luncheon on site allowed a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere to network and share ideas with others and more time for presentations, as participants did not have to drive to restaurants in Naples. Participants had the opportunity to also explore the superb education center at Rookery Bay (and do a little shopping at the gift shop). The additional of live invasive animals added to the experience for many participants. And freshly collected plant material also elicited positive feedback and interest by the group.
Support for the Event
Registration, logistics and food prep and service and cleanup were provided by a cadre of volunteers from The Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge and Friends of Rookery Bay. Their support both financially and logistically was invaluable. Additionally, the local community contributed a number of products and services that were offered as raffle prizes to keep the workshop lively and interesting. And Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve provided the facilities of the environmental education center at no charge.
An evaluation form was passed out to participants to gather feed back regarding the success of the event and seek input for next year's event. They are still being compiled and evaluated by the planning committee. Overall, most were very positive and reinforced the need for similar workshops in the future.
Participants could also sign up for the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary newsletter Harbor Happenings and five individuals from the NEP study area did so.
Budget Report
The following are the financial and in-kind contributions for the event and the responsible parties.
DONATIONS:
Grant Funding:
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program - $250
Matching contributions:
Friends of Florida Panther - $200
Friends of Rookery Bay - $250
Ding Darling Wildlife Society - $200
Sub-total (Grant Funding and Matching Contributions) = $900
Other In-Kind Donations (goods and services):
Everglades National Park donation - $200
*Ding Darling Wildlife Society door prizes - $100
Dow AgroScience donation - $200
*Saltwater Sports - Kayak valued retail - $508
*Key West Express - two sets of roundtrip to Key West - $300
*Earth Outfitters - his/her outdoor set - $120
*Friends of Fakahatchee t-shirts and hats - $50
*Naples Chapter of Native Plant Society - native plants - $ 50
*Starbucks - donated all coffee in the morning 10 x $10 jugs of coffee - $100
*Starbucks - donated 1 lb of coffee and mug - $25
*University of Florida IFAS - 6 exotic posters - $120
*Capri Lawn - yard clippers and hats - $40
*Dennis Giardina - parrot posters (no value declared)
Total In-Kind Donations = $1,813
*Indicates door prize items
Grand Total (Donations) = $2,713
EXPENDITURES:
Little Cesar's Pizza - $250
Olive Garden Salad and breadsticks - $300
Publix - Water, sodas, fruit, cookies, etc. - $300
Name badges, printing agenda costs - $150
Einstein Brother's Bagles - $200
Misc costs (supplies) - $75
Total expenses = $1,275
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Abstracts
Invasive Plant Geo-database
Presented by Chris Lockhart, Florida Natural Areas Inventory
An update on the Florida Invasive Plants Geodatabase, recently developed by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) with support from the Bureau of Invasive Plant Management, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and co-sponsorship from the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. She will describe the project, show maps with data from Southwest Florida, and explain their role in statewide and local resource management. Check the FNAI website for more resources.
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Biological Controls of Brazilian Pepper and Hydrilla
James P. Cuda, Associate Professor, Entomology & Nematology Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Compared to the rest of the continental United States, Florida is more prone to the introduction, eventual establishment, and subsequent invasion of natural communities by nonindigenous plant species because of its unique geographic and environmental characteristics. South Florida's extensive tropical and aquatic habitats, for example, are conducive to the establishment of nonnative ornamental and aquatic plants. The Florida peninsula, which is bounded on three sides by water and the fourth by frost, essentially is a subtropical "island" habitat that predisposes this region to nonnative plant invasions.
Florida also is dominated by novel habitats created by intense human disturbance because of its popularity as a vacation destination. Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi: Anacardiaceae) and hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle: Hydrocharitaceae) are just two examples of Florida's most invasive weeds. The explosive growth of these weeds is due in part to the state's unique environment and the absence of the natural enemies that normally limit the reproduction and spread of these plants in their native ranges. Classical biological control seeks to reunite an invasive weed with one or more of its coevolved natural enemies to provide permanent control of the weed. There is general agreement among public and private land managers that biological control is needed to provide an environmentally acceptable, cost effective, and permanent solution to the Brazilian peppertree and hydrilla problem. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of biological control concepts and illustrate how this technology currently is being used against these weeds.
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Picayune Strand State Forest Invasive Exotic Plant Mapping Project
Presented by Pete Stelzer & Amanda Peck, Picayune State Forest
The objectives of this survey were to identify and map within ArcMap 9x all FLEPPC listed invasive exotic plants on the Picayune Strand State Forest (PSSF) for land managers, and to reduce costs for exotic plant removal contractors by showing locations and density by code of infested areas. For the period of January 2005 to April 2007, the Collier County Soil and Water Conservation District received a DEP South District of Watershed Management and Restoration grant to survey the majority of PSSF for all FLEPPC Category I and II listed exotic plants. Matching funds were provided by a DOF Forest Health section grant through the USFS Cooperative Forest Health Protection program, and in-kind services were provided in the form of start-up equipment and personnel, and overhead support. Trimble GeoExplorer XM units with TerraSync software were used to GPS ground transect lines in an intense survey, each 150 feet apart. Ground transect lines show all exotic plants (with GPS locations) within each vertical structure layer of the area, as well as the density levels, age class, level of disturbance, access, natural community, and treatment type needed for each species. Approximately 55% of the 77,000 acre forest has been surveyed as of November 2006, with the primary or dominant species being melaleuca within the Belle Meade tract and Brazilian pepper within the South Golden Gate Estates tract. A total of 33 Category I and II species were identified, with additional information collected when encountered within the survey for: garbage and metals, home sites and campsites, vehicles and vehicle parts, deer feeders and stands, endangered or rare plants and animals, Indian mounds or middens, old ditches and roads, contraband, and brush fire mapping and support. The density and location of infestation information from this survey has been useful in increasing the accuracy of cost estimates for exotic plant removal contracts, less time is required to travel to sites with the proper equipment, and is most beneficial with regard to small scattered infestations or for large areas within the work zone with zero target plants. This information can also be used in the future for scheduling initial and re-treatment, identifying rates of spread of each species in different habitats, and showing the effects of different land management practices on the spread of invasive plants.
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Understanding Invasive Cichlids in Estuarine Habitats
Presented by Aaron Adams, Fisheries Habitat Ecology Program, Mote Marine Laboratory
The economic and ecological health of estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico is under serious threat from non-native species and habitat alterations. The rate of invasions by non-native species has increased concurrent with coastal development, and as coastal urban development spreads the ecological and economic impacts of non-native fish species can be expected to increase. It is likely that these altered coastal habitats have provided haven for invasive species, which may use these habitats as source populations for estuarine invasions. First documented in Florida in 1983 in Everglades National Park, Mayan cichlids (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) are now established in freshwater and some estuarine habitats of South Florida. Mayan cichlids were first recorded in July 2003 in Charlotte Harbor mangrove creeks, with > 97% captured in anthropogenically degraded creeks (vs. natural creeks), suggesting that habitat and freshwater flow alterations facilitate invasion of estuarine habitats by this species. Using PIT tags and an autonomous antenna system, in conjunction with traditional recapture sampling with seines, colonization, mortality, migration, and connectivity between upland and creek habitats is being estimated. Once invasion avenues are defined, restoration and mitigation strategies can be adapted to interrupt these avenues to reduce the establishment of this species in estuarine habitats.
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Plant Response to Hurricanes
Presented by Jim Burch, Supervisory Botanist, Big Cypress National Preserve
Hurricane Winds, Tropical Storm Winds, and Tree Fragmentation. The 2004 hurricane season in Florida provided several opportunities to collect information about landfalling hurricanes and associated damage to trees. Information was gathered about types of trees affected, patterns of tree breakage, and associated winds; comparisons with Hurricanes Andrew (Florida, 1992) and Mitch (Honduras, 1998) also were considered. In southern Florida native trees generally survived high winds more often than non-native trees, and trees in naturally occurring forest communities generally survived more often than in disturbed areas. Furthermore, patterns of tree breakage differ with species. Many native trees show indications of brittle branches that break quickly and leave boles intact; many non-native or landscape trees retain branches, but become uprooted. Information related to these patterns offers consideration for landscape planning in inhabited areas, areas with breakable property, or natural resource sites that require protection from possible falling trees.
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Ecological Impacts of Introduced Lizards such as Spiny Tailed Iguana
Presented by Kenny Krysko, University of Florida
Although many researchers believe the anon-native amphibians and reptiles have some type of negative ecological impact on Florida's native wildlife, species interactions and their subsequent effects on the environment frequently go unnoticed and are difficult to document scientifically, especially in small-sized lizards that typify Florida's non-native herpetofauna. Because the introduced black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) is a relatively large, voracious, and abundant species in southern Florida, we conducted a diet study on this species from two allopatric populations (Key Biscayne and Gasparilla Island) to determine its potential impacts on Florida's environment. The diet of C.similis was identified by direct observations, germinating seeds from approximately 90 scats and from the stomach of one dead-on-road lizard, and by examining stomach contents of 23 individuals. We found an ontogenetic diet shift; neonates and juveniles feed primarily on small animals and adults on vegetation. We documented a total of 65 prey items, including at least 24 native plants and 13 invertebrates. This lizard consumes and may act as a seed disperser for the highly invasive Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), further suggesting a synergistic relationship. Ctenosaura similis also consumed an endangered species, the Curacao bush (Corida globosa). Competition for food and space may also exist between C.similis and the protected gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) due to overlap in diet and microhabitat. Additionally, C.similis has been shown to have impacts on humans by causing damage to homes and foraging on landscape plants in gardens causing thousands of dollars in damage each year.
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Emergency Response to Reptile & Amphibian Releases Especially the Nile Monitor Lizards
Presented by Todd Campbell, University of Tampa
Biological invasions are generally considered second only to habitat destruction in their negative effects on native species and even whole ecosystems, and amphibians and reptiles are no exception. Amphibian and reptile introductions are reaching epidemic proportions in Florida because of its climate and the prevalence of the exotic pet trade. Four non-native amphibians and over 40 reptiles are currently established in Florida, and most of these became established as a result of irresponsible behavior by pet owners and the pet trade industry. Non-indigenous species usually become firmly established and expand their range by the time biologists become aware of their presence. Once found, biologists often spend an inordinate amount of time studying their basic biology, spread, and effects rather than immediately focusing on what might be done to thwart their establishment and spread in the first place. As with most environmental problems, use of the Precautionary Principle is the best policy from ethical, logistical, and economical standpoints. Prevention of additional amphibian and reptile introductions in Florida will surely require a comprehensive approach involving legal restrictions on ownership of certain problematic species, a massive public education program, and the establishment of an Emergency Response (ER) network. I propose that an effective ER program in Florida must at least 1) involve as many stakeholders in as many locations as possible, 2) consider the basic biology, the anticipated negative effects, and potential for eradication of each introduced species when choosing which species to eradicate, 3) include a public education and outreach component, and 4) work proactively to identify species that might become established in the near future. Emergency Response is not a novel concept, but it needs to be applied to amphibian and reptile introductions in at least Florida, Hawaii, California, and many other locations where pathways are firmly established and propagule pressure is intense. Knowledge gained from such a program in Florida could easily be extended to other taxonomic groups and locations.
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Comparative Studies of the Biology and Ecology of Osteopilus septentrionalis and Hyla femoralis
Poster by Tad Bartareau, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Osteopilus septentrionalis have only recently come into contact with ecologically similar native treefrogs, and thus have had little time to undergo niche divergence. Little is known of the biology and ecology of its introduced populations, but this exotic species may reduce populations of native treefrogs both directly and indirectly through competition and predation. This poster reports on the comparative studies of the biology and ecology in a population of O. septentrionalis and Hyla femoralis. The objectives of the current research and monitoring programs are to: 1) develop and validate an effective inventory and monitoring method; 2) record species distribution patterns, relative abundance and spatio-temporal population dynamics; 3) measure growth of juveniles and adults, time to sexual maturity, and longevity; 4) investigate the diet of adults; 5) examine effects of environmental factors such as weather and prescribed fire on population fluctuations; and, 6) identify population trends with reasonable level of statistical accuracy.
A validation experiment confirmed that by setting out a standardized number of 25 mm polyvinyl chloride pipes it is possible to inventory and monitor populations of treefrog species with a consistent sampling technique. Systematic surveys indicated that O. septentrionalis and H. femoralis are found in all upland habitat types, and the relative abundance of individuals varies both within and between years. The growth rate for O. septentrionalis was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than that of H. femoralis, particularly during the wet season. Somatic growth functions for each species indicates that juveniles require about 6 to 10 months to reach sexual maturity, and the average ages of the largest individuals ranged from 36 to 42 months with females living longer than males. The wide variety of prey items in the diet indicates that these treefrogs are not specialized feeders. Populations of both species are able to survive dormant season fire, but the relative abundance of individuals among burned plots remains low for about two years. This information is necessary for understanding the species' life history, their population status and trends, as well as to recognize H. femoralis declines should they occur while it may be possible to address the causes of decline through adaptive management.
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