Conference Presenter Biographies and Abstracts


Dale W. Armstrong, UF IFAS

After years of teaching others about plants we commonly use to landscape our homes, Dale has developed a greater appreciation for the many benefits of using plants that are native to Florida. Dale and his wife Cindi enjoy observing native plants in their natural ecosystems while hiking Florida’s forests, parks, and preserves.

Abstract:

Dale is the Coordinator of the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program at Pinellas County Extension Service. Florida Yards & Neighborhoods is a University of Florida outreach program that teaches sustainable landscape practices using principles that are Florida-friendly. Florida-friendly landscaping results in water conservation, reduction in pollution from storm water runoff caused by improper use of fertilizers and pesticides, and an increase in wildlife habitat.


Julia Burch

Ms. Burch is the Public Outreach Coordinator for the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP). She is responsible for developing and implementing programs to raise the community's awareness of SBEP and its mission to protect this area's greatest natural asset - Sarasota Bay. Julia is also responsible for interacting with local schools, teachers, students, citizens, organizations and media. She is originally from Maryland and grew up on the world’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, so she understands how important estuaries are to the economic and environmental health of a community. Julia is intensely interested in the diverse ecosystems of Florida and the unique spirit of Sarasota where she enjoys working with SBEP and the community to assist in restoring the health of Sarasota Bay. Julia graduated from New College of Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Environmental Studies. Her studies at New College focused on animal behavior and environmental ethic development in humans. She also has experience with water quality monitoring and habitat restoration. Julia is a certified Florida Master Naturalist, a member of the Florida Native Plant Society, Sarasota Young Professionals Group and the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee.

Abstract:

Learn about the National Estuary Program, main sources of pollution for estuarine systems, local projects to restore Sarasota Bay, how landscaping with native plants helps protect the watershed, and what you can do at home to improve Florida’s waterways.


Cindy Campbell, Rare Native Plant Curator

Historic Bok Sanctuary

Cindy is a native of Kentucky where she received a degree in Environmental Science. She has spent eleven years of her career with landscape scale management both in Kentucky and in Florida with The Nature Conservancy. She came to Florida in 1999 and worked with The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve where she focused on invasive species management and fire management primarily associated with upland and wetland restoration. She joined the Historic Bok Sanctuary Staff as the Rare Native Plant Curator three and a half years ago. In her current professional capacity, she serves as the liaison to the Center for Plant Conservation and fulfills all aspects of curation of the National Collection housed at the Sanctuary.

Abstract:

Historic Bok Sanctuary has been a participating institution of the Center for Plant Conservation for twenty-one years.  During this time, research and propagation of some of Florida's most rare plants has been conducted at the Sanctuary.  Cindy Campbell will discuss the efforts of the Conservation Program at the Sanctuary.  Research, off-site monitoring, introductions and reintroductions, propagation, the ex-situ collection, and other projects will be covered.  Be prepared to glimpse a side of Historic Bok Sanctuary that most do not know about and learn more about Florida's endangered native flora.  


Debbie Chayet

Degreed in Botany from the University of Florida, Ms. Chayet has spent her entire career working for Pinellas County in various environmentally related capacities. After one year with the Pinellas County Extension Service, she established a herbarium collection and became an Environmental Education Park Naturalist in the Pinellas County Park Department at Sawgrass Lake Park.


After promotion to the position of Park Horticulturist, Debbie continued her career by spending the next 18 years managing the horticultural operations of the department. This included landscape design and the operation of a nursery and tree farm which provided the opportunity to strongly promote the use of native plants for landscaping and developing county parks.


Currently a Grants Specialist for the Pinellas County Culture, Education & Leisure Department, Debbie writes and administers grants for a variety of projects, including large habitat restoration projects, environmental land acquisition and park development. She has also taught Environmental Resource Management at St. Petersburg College and periodically teaches Florida Certified Horticulture Professional classes for the Pinellas Technical Education Center.


Abstract:

What native plants work in the residential landscape? Which needs sun? Which tolerates cold? Do they grow in my area? How much water does that native plant need? Which native will provide color? If you have ever asked these questions, this presentation is for you!


Selecting native plants for use in a residential landscape can be exciting, especially for those accustomed to planting primarily non-native ornamentals. Discover which natives are good choices for residential landscapes and why. Discover which natives provide color and which are widely adaptable to varied growing conditions.


Also ascertain which plants in your landscape may be invasive exotics that can cause problems for you, your neighbors and your local natural areas and parks. Expose these insidious invasives and prevent their infiltration into your landscape!


Phil Compton

Phil Compton is an environmental & social activist who believes we can all be a part of the solution to our environmental challenges. He is currently the Regional Representative for the Sierra Club’s Red Tide Campaign, building broad support for local ordinances that limit the use of residential fertilizer that deliver high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus to Florida waterways. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer run-off is now understood to be a major contributor to freshwater algae blooms and coastal red tide outbreaks throughout Florida, and local governments are regulating use though code enforcement as means of maintaining clean water and healthy natural environments.


A resident of Tampa for three decades, Phil’s background is in consumer education and civic activism. He is a founder of Friends of the River, a citizens group that advocates restoration of the health and beauty of the Lower Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay. Friends of the River was formed to appeal SWFWMD’s 1999 minimum flow rule that would have forever prevented the river from receiving any fresh water on a daily basis. For 36 years, freshwater flowed down the Hillsborough only a few weeks each year, devastating its natural estuarine function and ability to support native flora and fauna.


Friends’ appeal led to a 5 year scientific study by SWFWMD that the District used to change the original rule, discredited by the new findings, and establish a scientifically based recovery strategy for this vital regional estuary. Friends of the River achieved its long time goal when a constant daily flow of fresh water began on the Lower Hillsborough December 31, 2007.



Abstract:

Friends of the River is now working with area scientists, landscape architects and riverfront residents to restore the native habitat along the shoreline of the Lower Hillsborough’s now recovering estuary.


Geoffrey C. Denny, Ph.D.

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Geoff Denny received his B.S. in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. Dr. Denny went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Plant Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. His thesis was the “Flora of Love Creek Nature Preserve, Bandera County, Texas”. Love Creek Nature Preserve is a 1300 acre Nature Conservancy property in the Hill Country of central Texas. Geoff has also collected plants throughout northern Mexico and has also worked on botanical surveys in Cuatrociénegas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, including work to characterize the habitat of an endemic turtle of Cuatrociénegas. This turtle species is recognized internationally for its unusual life-history -- it is the only extant aquatic box turtle. Dr. Denny earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Horticulture. His dissertation dealt with geographic variation in abiotic stress tolerance of different populations of Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum).


Dr. Denny was recently hired by the University of Florida to work in the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology as an assistant professor of landscape management at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm. The University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology works with the Green Industry, the public, and policymakers to advance research, extension, and teaching related to Florida-friendly landscaping practices, helping to ensure that all of us can continue to enjoy Florida’s natural beauty and wealth.


In this position, Geoff will be responsible for educating commercial landscape managers about landscape practices related to water and fertilizer use and plant use and management. Dr. Denny is currently researching different shrub pruning methods as they affect nutrient and water-use efficiency, and the economic impacts of the different strategies. Other major areas of research are the determination of fertilizer requirements of common landscape plants and the evaluation of Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa) populations in an effort to identify plants that are more adapted to the urban environment.

Abstract:

The term “provenance” is often defined as the original geographic area from which seed or other propagules were obtained and can be equated with the concepts of geographic source and geographic race. The identification of adapted provenances allows industry professionals to take advantage of ecotypic variation and more closely tailor their plant selections to specific situations. It can also offer “the largest, cheapest and fastest gains” in tree improvement programs seeking an improved product for use in difficult environmental situations. In forest management, the concept of seed source and provenance are widely recognized and used. However, in landscape horticulture and urban forestry it is less widely utilized. The usage of provenance in landscape horticulture will be discussed. Examples will focus on Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), but other landscape plants will be discussed as well.

David Drylie, Jr.

David Drylie, Jr. founded Green Images, a Florida native landscape plant business in Christmas, Florida 20 years ago. A licensed Landscape Architect, David graduated from the University of Florida program. He joined the Florida Native Plant Society in 1982, assisting in the draft the original by-laws, served as president of the Tarflower chapter from 1983 to 1986 and on the board of directors in various capacities for 10 years. In 1985, David helped to organize the Association of Native Nurseries and served as its president from 1988 to 1993 and has served on the AFNN board of directors since 1995.


As a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, he has served as secretary and president of the group’s Florida chapter and on the national board of trustees. David currently serves on the Endangered Plant Advisory Council for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.


Abstract:

Today, urban and suburban landscapes and development collectively contribute to the continued environmental degradation of our native plant communities. Our urban/suburban landscapes consume wasteful amounts of fresh water, (estimated to equal 25% of all annual water use in Florida), and contribute significant amounts of storm water pollutants into our lakes, streams, rivers and estuaries. Most current landscape development and management practices, are not sustainable.


Designing our landscapes with native plants may provide positive and measurable ecosystem services versus the typical ornamental plant use, but this action alone is trivialized if we have not first evaluated and addressed; soils and soil function, drainage patterns, current storm-water runoff quality and volume, turf grass selection and current landscape water use.


To mitigate ‘Global Warming’, society, industry, and government must collectively reduce our carbon footprint, worldwide. To mitigate continued environmental degradation contributed by urban/suburban landscape development and management practices, society, industry and government must establish and implement comprehensive sustainable landscape planning and management standards. Our hope for a sustainable future requires immediate action and we need to start in the state of Florida.


First is to establish all current and future landscape development to minimize or eliminate off-site environmental degradation. In addition, a sustainable future requires that we balance the needs of functional natural systems and society. The creation of sustainable landscape development standards must include applicable research and knowledge provided by a diversity of professionals including: Landscape Ecologists, Conservation Biologists, Ecological Restoration specialists, Soil Engineers, Soil Scientists, Storm-water Engineers, Hydrologists, Arborists, Urban Foresters, Botanists, Wildlife Biologists, Conservation Land Managers, Fire Ecologists, Urban Planners, Regional Planners, Landscape Architects, Irrigation Designers, and Economists.


I will explore and outline current ideologies, principles, priorities and descriptive terms important to establishing sustainable landscape planning guidelines and standards.


Jim Egan, Marine Resources Council

Mr. Egan has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from Florida Institute of Technology and a Bachelors Degree in Geology, New York City University. Since 1998, he has been the Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council (MRC), a 501(c)3 non- profit dedicated to the preservation of the Indian River Lagoon. Jim oversees the nation’s second largest volunteer water quality network which includes MRC’s Shoreline Restoration Program, the Northern Right Whale Program, the Regional Land Trust of the Indian River Lagoon, the Adopt a Drain Program, Boaters for a Healthy Lagoon, the Brown Bag Lunch Educational Series and the Library of the Indian River Lagoon. He has created several new mangrove shoreline planting techniques found to have survival rates 500% greater then conventional planting techniques. His publications include: Assessment of Stability of Typical Shoreline Types along the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway after Hurricanes Francis and Jeane, (2005), Invasive Management Plan for the Indian River Lagoon National Scenic Byway (2005), Shoreline Protection at Ais Point, Palm Bay Florida, Egan (2002), Field Manual of Invasive Species Removal and Mangrove Restoration, 1999 and Impacts of Hurricanes Floyd and Irene on the Indian River Lagoon, 1999

Abstract:

Jim Egan will discuss his first hand experiences with how native plants saved the lives of thousands in Asia during the Christmas Tsunami of 2005 and how he applies the lessons learned there to Florida and the role of native plants in protecting human life during hurricanes.


Director / Public Archaeologist

Central Florida Regional FPAN Center at Crystal River


Russ Hoffman B.A., M.A.

Mr. Hoffman is a trained Lake Manager. He manages Beautiful Ponds a wetland, preserve and stormwater pond management company that provides all services pertaining to lake, pond and wetland care.

His environmental roots go back to Iowa State University where he studied fish management, animal ecology, ornithology, environmental design and limnology (the study of lakes, ponds and streams).

The Florida Lake Management Society granted Mr. Hoffman funds to develop educational ponds at Palma Sola Botanical Park in Bradenton (2005) and Rivendell Community in Sarasota (2008). He also planted an educational water garden at county extension office in Sarasota.

Russ manages environmental projects for the Girl Scouts from Tampa Bay to Naples. He also participates in the Florida Aquatic Plant Management, Audubon and Native Plant Societies.

Russ has helped secure over $80,000 in grants for the Girl Scouts and homeowner associations since 2006.

His business goal is to make the ecology of your stormwater pond or preserve a little healthier each month. In addition, he wants to create a beautiful environment around each pond for you and your neighbors to enjoy.


Abstract:

Creating Wildlife Habitat with Beautiful Ponds Stormwater ponds are functional flood control systems that we can use "give a little back" to nature and wildlife. Learn how to plant native wildflowers and native aquatic plants in the water and around the shore of stormwater ponds in your neighborhood.

These ponds become living laboratories where neighbors watch beautiful birds, butterflies and dragon flies from their back porch. Creating beautiful aquascapes increases neighborhood appreciation for nature, native plants and environmental stewardship. This presentation includes handouts for plant selection, design and safety. Learn easy ways to encourage your neighbors to embrace native plants around your lakes. This might be the first step for your neighborhood to "go native".


Bruce K. Holst

Interim Director, Center for Tropical Plant Science & Conservation

Director of Plant Collections & Research Library, Curator of the Herbarium

Senior Editor, SBG Press


Mr. Holst received a Bachelor Science degree in 1980 from the University of California, Davis.

Bruce Holst has studied and collected plants of the American tropics for 30 years. He specializes on the floras of Belize and Venezuela and conducts research on the Bromeliaceae and neotropical Myrtaceae families. He was editor for four years of the Gardens' research journal, Selbyana, followed by three years as editor of the Journal of the Bromeliad Society. He is also a senior editor and writer for the Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana, a 20-year long project completed in 2005 to publish nine volumes treating the 10,000 plant species in Venezuela’s Lost World region. He has led or participated in more than 20 international expeditions, most recently to Costa Rica, Brazil, and Venezuela. He has participated in Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program of critical tropical habitats, served in the Peace Corps in Honduras, and is currently collaborating on international floristic and checklist projects in Mexico, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Central America, Venezuela, and Brazil, and is preparing guides to the trees and shrubs of Florida’s southwest coast and the epiphyte families of Central America.


Abstract:

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, the Institute for Regional Conservation and Everglades National Park are working together to save endangered and threatened plant species and to reintroduce plants in parts of the Everglades where they've disappeared. The Everglades is host to 162 plants listed by the state as endangered or threatened. Two orchids once found in the Everglades, have disappeared -- largely because plant collectors have stolen them. Six orchids are on the list of endangered or threatened or disappeared species that this group is trying to find and save. This group has worked since 2003 to find and collect seeds with the hope to cross breed isolated populations and reintroduce them into the wild.


Ray Jarrett, ISA

Mr. Ray Jarrett is a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture and a field biologist with ten years experience. Ray served for six years in the US Navy and the US Coast Guard. After completing his enlistments he attended the University of Central Florida, earning a BS degree in Biology. His focus of study was entomology and botany. Graduating in 1998, Ray worked as a biologist surveying and eradicating exotic insects, plants and plant diseases throughout the state for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry. He has worked with nurseries, growers and landscape professionals on insect & disease diagnosis and control recommendations. Ray has also worked as an arborist for the City of Winter Springs and as an adjunct instructor for local community colleges teaching courses in entomology and plant diseases. Ray enjoys working outdoors and troubleshooting tree and plant problems. Ray now works as an Environmental Scientist and Arborist for Zev Cohen and Associates in Edgewater, Florida.

Abstract:

Invasive plants have displaced and disrupted native plant communities in Florida for as long as we can remember. Florida has also been plagued by introduced, non-native insects and diseases that feed on native plants and also sometimes vector plant pathogens. Over the past twenty (20) years, Florida has averaged, one (1) introduced and established, exotic plant feeding insect per month! Familiar exotic insects in Florida include the Fire Ant, Africanized Honey Bee, Pink Hibiscus Mealybug and Asian Cycad Scale.

Mr. Jarrett worked as a District Plant Inspector for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry. Their mission is to protect Florida’s native and commercially grown plants from harmful pests and diseases. New anticipated exotic insects have arrived and others are on the way including the Red Palm Mite, Lime Swallowtail, Erythrina Gall Wasp, Redbay Ambrosia Beetle and many others. How will they impact Florida’s native plants?


Lorraine Margeson

Lorraine Margeson started with community activism in 1996 on public safety issues in the City of St, Petersburg.  This beginning branched out into strong involvement in local politics as time went on, which in turn gave Mrs. Margeson a more and more public voice through various media entities and participation in governmental meetings on a myriad of issues.  By 2002, environmental issues and advocacy become the main focus of her volunteerism.  Mrs. Margeson became a "GO TO" person for many local environmental organizations when public advocacy help was required, and even some groups and organizations from different parts of the state.  She couples extreme and active "boots on the ground" volunteerism (restoration efforts i.e. invasive exotic removal and native planting volunteer efforts, , land preservation efforts, bird counts and plant surveys, managing the biggest roof top nesting site in Pinellas County for the threatened Least Tern, well, the list goes on).  Mrs. Margeson helped the SAVE IT NOW GLADES or SING organization in Glades County get off the ground in the fight against the FP&L coal-burning power plant proposal near Lake Okeechobee and Fisheating Creek.   SING eventually stopped the plant proposal from going forward.  Her most recent victory was establishing the protection through St. Petersburg city zoning by getting the city to create a Preservation designation land-use change for the Coffee Pot Bayou Colonial Nesting Bird Island in Snell Isle, an almost four year effort. 

 

Abstract:

This talk will be highly interactive, a conversation to enlighten and invigorate the participants to reach for the stars in protecting our beautiful Florida Nature, and beyond.   Participants should come away with all the tools necessary to be a one person army for the environment, if needs be, with all the tools necessary for success to be revealed and discussed. 


Demetra J. McBride

Demetra McBride serves as Manager to Sarasota County’s Urban Forestry Program. Over the past two years, she developed the County’s Urban Forestry Management Plan, as well as the 5-Year Strategic and Green Infrastructure Plans, updated ordinances, launched dual research and educational grant projects, and created a slate of advocacy, outreach and education initiatives/presentations on various subjects, including urban heat island effects, the role of urban canopy in ecological fooprinting and sustainability, tree biology, and the environmental, social and economic benefits of a well-planned urban forest. During that same period, the Program has consecutively earned the State’s top honors, and McBride regularly speaks on green infrastructure before local, state and national audiences. Her program, “Urban Canopy, Its Role and Utility in Sustainable Growth,” was recently requested by the U.S. Council of Mayors for its National Institute of Government Policy. McBride studied in Miami and Paris before graduating with honors from New York Law School, and is admitted to practice in New York and Florida.



Abstract:

Aesthetics and recreation are the traditional roles of the urban forest, realized through parks, street plantings and natural beach vegetation. Consequently, the canopy model was governed by aesthetics, and management plans focused first on neighborhood and street enhancement, then on standards of maintenance and levels of service.


With escalating population and urban development, greenspace yielded to built infrastructure and the assumption was that growth could only compete, not harmonize, with natural elements. The supremacy of built infrastructure and fragmentation of community greenspace became institutionalized, forcing regulation to focus on preservation of environmental lands and shrinking urban treescapes. Impermeable surfaces dominated community landscapes, forming nascent urban heat islands and probable legacies of poor air quality, erratic microclimates and droughts, increased energy consumption, daunting surface water challenges, and land erosion.


Our cities absorb land, water, energy and other resources from a footprint that expands far beyond our borders. A healthy, well-planned and managed urban forest functions as ambient air-conditioner, a natural stormwater filtration and control system, and filter for greenhouse gases, ozone, particulate and other pollutants. It calms traffic and reduces accidents and casualties, prolongs the life of built systems, and promotes community health. It enhances property values, stimulates economic development and commercial performance, and is our single appreciating civic asset.



Ms. McBride explores the role of the urban forest as a counter-agent to urban island effects, its application as a bio-utility and how, in this manner, we turn green into gold.


Jean McCollom

Jean McCollom has been the biologist at Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area (OK Slough) since 2000 shortly after the area opened. She is the land manager for 3000 acres in the NE portion of the WMA where burning, treating exotic plants, and groundcover restoration are her main activities. Jean began groundcover restoration work on OK Slough in 2003 and has planted native seed on almost 300 acres since that time. She is also manages the hunts and acts as biologist for the whole 35,000 acre WMA, including the State Forest and FWC property.


Jean was the Research Monitoring Biologist at the Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve in Kissimmee Florida from 1994 – 2000, where she was responsible for wetland restoration vegetation monitoring on the 11,000 acre mitigation site. She also worked for National Audubon Society as a Research Ecologist with the Ecosystem Research Unit located at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County from 1983-1994, working with land managers on management questions including hydrology at Myakka State Park, off-road vehicles on the Big Cypress National Preserve, salt water intrusion on the Loxahatchee River, and effects of the Swannee River sill on the Okefenokee Swamp, and sandhill crane habitat on the Platte River in Nebraska.


Jean has a Masters degree in Watershed Management (Forestry) from the Department of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona.

Abstract:

Florida is purchasing large tracts of land containing improved bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) pastures. These virtual monocultures provide little of the diversity, function, or wildlife value of native plant communities. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has prepared and planted six approximately 50-acre pasture areas with native pine flatwoods seed on OK Slough since 2003. In 2005, FWC started a state-wide groundcover restoration initiative and has planted native groundcover seed on 450 acres, and another 1000 acres are currently being prepared for planting this fall. Fifteen Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife and Environmental Areas are currently working on groundcover restoration projects.


Methods vary, but the basic procedure is: Bahiagrass was killed with two or more treatments of glyphosate. Some areas were burned before or between herbicide treatments. When all bahiagrass and other aggressive exotics were killed, the areas were disked three or more times, dragged, and rolled. Most seed was collected in November-December from areas burned during the growing season and planted using two different methods: 1) cutting stems with a green silage cutter, then planting with a modified tree sprigger, and 2) collecting seed by brushing it from the stems with a Flail-vac and planting with a Grasslander. Lopsided indiangrass was collected mechanically earlier in the year, and some hand collecting of desired species was done.


Success has varied. Herbicide treatments on the same pasture at different times had dramatically different effects on the seedbank, presumably due to environmental factors. Success of projects depends on killing all the exotics before planting and treatment of exotics after planting, especially smutgrass (Sporobolus indicus var. pyramidalis) and Vaseygrass (Paspalum urvillei) coming up from seed on OK Slough.

There is no question that flatwoods groundcover restoration is a lot of work and expensive, but the results can be very good. The increased diversity creates a much more natural community, carries growing season burns, and provides a much greater variety of food and cover for wildlife year round.


Michael Miller

Mr. Miller brings to us some fresh ideas to the task of persuading communities to “go native”. He is a professional designer, having designed in various past decades automobiles (both here and in Europe), architecture, interiors, landscapes, web sites and other miscellaneous items that could be improved by a more rational integration of their form with their function.


Consequently, his personal brand of environmentalism focuses primarily on the aesthetic values individuals derive from their surroundings in the natural world. It is with these values that he is currently enticing people to replace their exotic vegetation with Florida native plant material. Michael enticed by natives and their benefits starting in 1992 when had been avidly gardened with exotica. He then volunteered for a beautification project on the grounds of the Anna Maria Island City Hall just as one of the first water shortage crisis struck. The press was voluminously hailing the glories of "xeriscape", and deep in one of their bibliographies Michael found the Association of Florida Native Nurseries book, "Xeric Landscaping With Florida Native Plants."


Using this new information, he modified his life-long gardening principles and started working with natives and learned more about Florida Native ecosystems. To the designer in him it was a resource with which to attack a challenging new problem. To the philosopher in him, the logic of its specific and comprehensive distribution of the diversity of nature's plants among the various communities of Florida was a revelation. It sparked an intellectual trek into and through the principles of landscape design that led him to completely revise and renovate the understanding of our relationship with the vegetation that surrounds us and with which we surround ourselves.


During the succeeding 16 years, Michael continued to work on not just how and where, but also why to grow natives. When his designs passed the 90% native mark on City Hall, he spread his pursuit to the Historical Park nearby and every city pocket park and easement for which he could get permission to renovate. In 2005, he published a comprehensive web site, www.perfectisland.us, covering all aspects of landscaping with natives on the barrier islands along the central Gulf coast of Florida. Now, with his model landscapes maturing, and his persuasive philosophy for going all native fully developed and finely tuned, he has started a native landscape business to satisfy the rising demand he has generated on and around Anna Maria Island.


Abstract:

As an integral component of environmentalism, the native plant movement has traditionally drawn its membership from those who, to one degree or another, want to repair the damages done to nature by earlier generations and to prevent any more of the same. Consequently, the rising popularity of all that we now label “green,” is generating a groundswell of interest in going native as well.


So far, however, in spite of that and decades of advocacy, native plants persistently remain in the minority of all plants installed in Florida’s private urban and suburban landscapes. It is time to reassess past methods and results to understand why this is so and to identify those whom the movement is not reaching but possibly could.

Laying the blame on developers is an all too easy explanation that ignores a basic fact of economics: free markets do not allow developers or anyone else to survive very long selling unwanted products. So at worst, developers may be justifiably accused of pandering. In the long run, however, Crape myrtles and Adonidias are not so much the dream of the developers as they are the dream of the customers they are chasing, i.e. it is entrenched public taste that is ultimately to blame for disinterest in native plants.

Furthermore, appealing to that public with the environmental benefits of planting native only goes so far. Too many of them are unable to muster more than a fashionable interest in their environment. And for nearly all of them, their dream of pretending they live in one of the two T’s (Tahiti or Tuscany) holds a much higher priority in their lives. Confounding the dilemma, every environmental need that natives can fulfill comes with a built in loophole -- there are a number of exotics available that can fulfill them almost as well.

There is only one benefit of natives that no exotic can provide -- the sense of place. The persuasive power of this essentially aesthetic idea is underestimated and so, though widely known of and oft-cited, it is underused as a primary reason to plant natives. Recent projects, however, are demonstrating its viability for enticing clients to go all native in order to get a landscape that is unique to the land on which they have chosen to live (with great environmental fringe benefits!) instead of just another EPCOT outpost stuffed with amusing but alien plants.

These projects have also revealed a raft of cultural barriers to choosing natives, as well as government standards and practices with natives that actually prevent the full experience of their benefits. Simultaneously, they have led to the discovery of new methods of persuasion and new groups of potential friends in the quest to push natives out of the minority and into the mainstream.


Cheryl Millett

Cheryl Millett is a biologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Lake Wales Ridge office, working mainly as Jay Watch Coordinator and on the Central Florida Lygodium Strategy. She started her biology career as a volunteer, then as the Waterbird Biologist, at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory before pursuing a B.S. in Biology at California State University, Hayward and an M.S. in Natural Resources, Wildlife at Humboldt State University studying Western Snowy Plover site fidelity and reproductive success. Now working on the ancient beaches of the Lake Wales Ridge, Cheryl enjoys exploring Florida scrub and scrub-jays.


Abstract:

Florida Scrub-Jays are the only species endemic to Florida. It is one of the most sedentary and habitat-restricted bird species in North America. Florida Scrub-Jays predominantly inhabit oak scrub with well-studied characteristics. Florida scrub historically has been a fire-maintained habitat. Fire suppression has changed the character of much Florida scrub, resulting in taller, thicker vegetation and fewer and smaller open sandy patches. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s 5-year review of the listing status for the Florida Scrub-Jay reported habitat degradation is currently the biggest threat to the species.


Optimal habitat for scrub-jays, identified by Dave Breininger and researchers at Archbold Biological Station, include: >50% oak cover, a shrub/tree layer height of 1.2-1.7 meters, 20-50% bare ground, and <15% pine cover. Many scrub patches vary from these ideal conditions, with populations predicted to decline without management to return those degraded scrub patches to optimal condition. To maintain optimal habitat for scrub-jays, scrub needs to be burned every 10 to 15 years, though this interval may vary by region.


There are different ways to map scrub habitat condition for land management planning. Jay Watch is a citizen science program to monitor Florida Scrub-Jay populations on largely public conservation lands in cooperation with federal, state and local agencies. Jay Watch uses a simple approach to monitor the scrub habitat characteristics identified as important to scrub-jay persistence biennially. Mapping those habitat variables in relation to scrub-jay family groups can be used to plan land management to return scrub to optimal condition.


Joe Murphy

Joe Murphy is the Florida Program Coordinator for the Gulf Restoration Network.  Joe is a native Floridian who grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida and now lives in Hernando County with his wife and three dogs. Joe has worked on conservation and coastal issues as an advocate and community organizer in Florida since 1990, working for groups like the Sierra Club, Florida PIRG, the Endangered Species Coalition, and Oceana. Joe also volunteers with the Hernando Audubon Society and Florida Defenders of the Environment.  Joe received his BA degree in American Studies from Eckerd College in 2004.  He enjoys kayaking and fishing along the Gulf Coast of Florida, and is always looking for an excuse to spend time along Florida's Nature Coast.


Abstract:

Florida is a place of amazing treasures, and daunting threats.  The vibrant mosaic of ecosystems that stretch from Pensacola to Key West to Fernandina Beach define Wild Florida.  Hundreds of diverse species call these places home.  Florida’s Nature Coast, stretching from just north of Tampa Bay to Wakulla County, may well be the longest and most pristine stretch of coastal wetlands left anywhere in America.  Florida is defined by amazing natural treasures….but it also is facing increasing and daunting threats to its survival.


Development, pollution, loss of natural systems, and decades of poor environmental management and regulation are placing ever growing pressures on the health and sustainability of Wild Florida.  Without significant changes in land use, environmental regulation and enforcement, and citizen participation the Florida we know and love may be forever altered or lost.  The threats are serious, real, and growing…..but there is hope for Wild Florida.  Citizens are joining together, speaking up, and fighting back.  The Gulf Restoration Network is leading the charge across the Gulf to ensure that future generations might enjoy what we know and love.  The words of the future have yet to be written and we hold the collective pen in our hands.  Together we can unite for Wild Florida.  Come learn what we all can do as citizens, voters, and consumers to protect Florida.


Belinda Perry

Belinda Perry is a Resource Management Manager for the Sarasota County Natural Resources Department and was an environmental educator for fifteen years throughout the United States and Canada before joining Sarasota County in 1980. Her experience ranges from monitoring listed species, to assisting communities with habitat restoration and assessing the condition of natural systems. She is also the former park biologist at Myakka River State Park.


She has a Bachelor’s degree in Systematics and Ecology, as well as graduate work in environmental education, natural resource management and public management. She is a certified natural areas manager in Florida and active in the Natural Areas Training Academy. Belinda is the manager of Sarasota County Natural Resources/ Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program responsible for land acquisition and management of Sarasota County conservation lands, currently over 67,000 acres.


Abstract:

The Myakka Island is what remains of natural lands in the Myakka River watershed. It is the green wilderness pressured by a sea of progress. At 142 square miles, the island encompasses one quarter of the total acreage in the watershed. The Myakka River, a blackwater stream, flows across the landscape and is the second largest source of freshwater inflow for the Charlotte Harbor estuary.


From the forested wetland and scrub near Myakka City to the expansive marsh, oak hammock, dry prairie and pine flatwoods near Old Miakka to the tidal marsh and swamp of Port Charlotte one sees the mosaic of native habitats across the landscape. Protected lands within the Myakka Island include Wingate Creek State Preserve, Flatford Swamp, Myakka River State Park, Myakka Prairie, T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve, Pinelands Reserve, Sleeping Turtles Preserve, Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, Jelks Preserve, Myakka State Forest and Charlotte Harbor State Buffer Preserve.


Large contiguous lands such as Myakka Island are increasingly rare and vulnerable to Florida’s rapid growth. Myakka Island is one of the last remaining large wilderness areas in southwest Florida acquired and managed in perpetuity as a natural ecosystem.


Mikel (Miki) Renner, AICP

Miki is has been a member of the Hernando County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society since its earliest days. She has served as Secretary and is currently President of the Chapter. During the day she is Planning Manager for the northern counties of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Miki has over twenty years of planning experience at county, regional, state and federal levels and taught freshman classes in earth sciences, and geomorphology for four years. Miki is an accredited planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners. Additionally, she served on the Hernando County Planning and Zoning Commission for a number of years and was honored with the Chairmanship twice. She has a Master of Science degree in Geography from the University of Florida where she also earned a bachelors degree in Anthropology.


Abstract:

Smart Growth promotes densely packed development as a means of preventing undesirable impacts to natural resources. Smart Growth concepts also promote increased choices in housing, transportation and community design. Low Impact Development (LID) is a series of techniques that promote the minimization of impervious surfaces and the retention of stormwater on an individual site. Both of these model concepts can help meet the growing interest in lessening human impacts on water and related natural resources, energy use and air pollution. Promoting, preserving and using native plants are important ways to implement these new planning and stormwater management paradigms.


Increasingly Smart Growth and LID are being marketed around the nation and even the world as new ways to design our communities and decrease stormwater pollution. Retention of native plants during development, or their replanting after, can ensure that soil strata remain intact, stormwater can infiltrate recharging aquifers and removing pollutants. Natives provide shelter from inclement weather and allow some measure of habitat to be retained. Importantly, and often less understood, retaining or replanting native ecosystems retains the community aesthetics necessary for a superior quality of life.


This presentation will define and describe the concepts of Smart Growth and Low Impact Development. Benefits to humans and the natural systems that support us, including the potential for the use, promotion and importance of native plants in these efforts will be explored.


Laurel Schiller, B.Sc., M.A.

(Native Plant Nursery Co-Owner)

Laurel has a degree in wildlife biology from Oregon State University and a degree in plant systematics and ecology from Indiana State University. Laurel taught biology at Roosevelt University in Chicago. She also worked as a mammalogist at the New York Zoological Society and at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. She is a former National Landscape Design Critic (Florida Garden Club) and Florida Master Gardener. She is currently completing the Florida Master Naturalist program.


Since she moved to Venice, Florida, fourteen years ago, Laurel's interests have been channeled into preserving the natural environment. She is vice-president of the Florida Native Nursery Association and chair of the State Education Committee for the Association. She serves on the board of directors for the Friends of the Rails to Trails Park in Sarasota and is a member of the Sarasota Tree Advisory Council. She is immediate past president of the Friends of Oscar Scherer Park, Inc. Laurel is serving a second term as a Sarasota County Planning Commissioner.


Laurel designs native landscape design and wildlife habitats for homeowners and schools and specializes in native plant restoration and mitigation work.


Laurel and her partner Janice de Grineau, are both on the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens' Speaker's Bureau. Laurel presents programs and seminars on Florida native plants and natural Florida landscaping to groups and societies throughout Southwest Florida. With her partner, Dan Walton, Laurel has written Natural Florida Landscaping published by Pineapple Press and available April 2007.


Abstract:

Native plants have natural forms and growth rates that are determined by both their genetics and their environment. Their forms and growth rates vary in response to environmental variables such as sunlight, soil moisture, and nutrients. If they are appropriately placed, they will thrive without our shaping, supplemental irrigation, added nutrients, and pest control. Realizing this from the start will make an important difference in your approach to caring for your native plants.


Don Stillwaugh

Don Stillwaugh is a Senior Environmental Specialist with Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management and has been a field researcher, land manager and educator for over 20 years. He initially studied entomology as well as reptiles and amphibians on the prairies and savannas of the Chicago region. After moving to central Florida 10 years ago, he began studying rare plants on the Lake Wales Ridge. Then after 2 1/2 years with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission working on the Gopher Tortoise Mitigation Parks, Don accepted a position with Pinellas County’s Environmental Lands Division where he currently works primarily with plants, shorebirds and invertebrates.


Don earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Biology from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, is a Certified Florida Prescribed Burn Manager and serves as Treasurer for the Gopher Tortoise Council, Secretary for the Southern Lepidopterists’ Society and is Regional Co-editor of the North American Butterfly Association’s Butterfly Count Program.


Abstract:

This presentation encompasses some of the more observable invertebrates as well as various habitats and plants that can be encountered at Brooker Creek Preserve (BCP) in Pinellas County Florida. Over 600 documented species of plants occur on the 8,300 acre site located in the northeastern corner of the county. Plants provide not only food for countless animals, but habitat as well. Many animals require places to perch or bask or to hide from predators. This applies to both vertebrates and invertebrates.


BCP’s mosaic of upland and wetland ecosystems provide habitat for many species of Odonata. Dragonflies and their smaller relatives, the damselflies, utilize various wetlands for reproduction and larval habitat. Adults may continue their ties to water or they may disperse to drier habitats depending on species. Efforts to develop comprehensive inventories of odonates at BCP are beginning.


Well over 60 species of butterflies have been documented at BCP with some species being habitat-specific and others that can be found in a variety of habitats. Their size, coloration, markings, flight behavior, host-plant associations and nectar source affinities vary greatly. BCP serves as a regional stronghold for species such as the Palamedes Swallowtail, Variegated Fritillary and Southern Oak Hairstreak.


Dr. Walter K. Taylor, Ph.D.

Dr. Walter K. Taylor, a native of Kentucky, has lived in central Florida for nearly 40 years. After 35 years of continuous service, Professor Taylor retired from the University of Central Florida, where he taught a variety of biology courses including biodiversity, Florida natural history, local flora, and Florida wildflowers. Upon retirement in 2004, Dr. Taylor was named Professor Emeritus of U.C.F. In 1999 Taylor received the University Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the highest recognition given by U.C.F. for undergraduate instruction. Many of Taylor's students are actively employed with federal, state, and county environmental agencies and in numerous teaching institutions throughout the U.S. Dr. Taylor, along with his wife Karin of nearly 40 years, have traveled widely throughout Florida, having visited all counties seeking their the flora and fauna as well as their past histories. He is a member of several environmental and professional organizations. In 2000, he received the Green Palmetto Award in education from the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) and in May 2006 the Society presented to him the Mentor Award, the highest recognition given by FNPS to an individual member.


Taylor has led numerous field trips on wildflower identification and given a variety of talks on Florida natural history to numerous organizations. He has written two widely used books on Florida wildflowers, The Field Guide to Florida Wildflowers (Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, 1992) and Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities (University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 1998). In the spring of 2002, Dr. Taylor and Dr. Eliane M. Norman’s book, André Michaux in Florida. An Eighteenth-Century Botanical Journal (University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 2002) was published. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Dr. Taylor has given numerous presentations on André Michaux, in period dress, to a number of audiences, including the First International André Michaux Symposium, held in May 2002, at Belmont College, Gaston, North Carolina.


Abstract:

André Michaux was named official botanists to King Louis XVI of France in 1785. His mission to North America was to collect plants, seeds, and other useful products of natural history to restore France’s forests and enrich the royal gardens and parks. From his Journal we can retrace his steps, determine what plants he observed and collected, and learn whom he met. Michaux with his son François André and a servant arrived in St. Augustine on February 28, 1788, four years into the Second Spanish Period of Florida history.


After visiting Governor Vizente Manuel de Zéspedes and other dignitaries, the Governor offered Michaux assistance and gave him permission to travel in Spanish East Florida. Shortly after his arrival, Michaux purchased a canoe, provisions, and hired two oarsmen for a trip south along the east coast of Florida. He left with his entourage on March 12 and did not return until five weeks later, having traveled on horseback, canoe, and on foot to today’s Cape Canaveral. On April 27, Michaux wrote in his Journal that 105 species of plants had been found since March 1, his first day of collecting in Florida. Forty species represented genera and species well known to the botanist, 36 were of genera he knew but the exact species were doubtful or unknown, and 29 plants were not determined to genus or species because they were not in flower. The exact number of species Michaux found after April 27 is not recorded, which included the St. Johns River exploration. After returning to St. Augustine the Michaux party left the city on April 29, for the St. Johns River. He canoed up the river to south of present-day Blue Spring, Volusia County. Michaux wrote that the trip to Florida was fruitful and yielded several new species of grasses, sedges, and tropical species.


Jon Thaxton

Jon Thaxton was elected to the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners in 2000 and is a nationally recognized environmentalist. He represents the commission on the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, the Sarasota Bay National Estuaries Program Policy Committee, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Council of Governments. One of his most recent appointments comes from the National Association of Counties where he serves on its Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee. Mr. Thaxton participates in the Sarasota Board of Advisors for Girls Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida.

He previously served as vice chairman of the Sarasota County Planning Commission, chairman of Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program, and as a member of the county’s Stormwater Utility and Environmentally Sensitive Lands Advisory Committees.

Thaxton is a fourth generation Sarasota County resident and is perhaps best known for his success as an environmental activist. He has twice been chosen as the "Grass Roots Activist of the Year" by the Florida Nature Conservancy, and has received awards from 1000 Friends of Florida’s Growth Management and the Council for Sustainable Florida. In 1995, he was featured in National Geographic Society’s magazine for his contribution toward endangered species protection.

Thaxton believes that Sarasota’s economy and its environment are inseparable and each must remain healthy for the other to survive. With his diverse background, he hopes to bridge the gap between development and environmental interest groups.

Abstract:

Jon Thaxton, from his many success and failures as an activist, has learned from both sides what works and what does not with environmental concerns. In this talk, Commissioner Thaxton will offer tools that you can use to more effectively influence public policy makers and outline steps to bring about the positive change that you want to see in your community.


Diane Willis

Diane Willis is a Senior Environmental Scientist at GPI Southeast, Inc. and a second generation Floridian and received a Master’s Degree in Botany from USF in 1987. She has been an environmental consultant in central Florida for 23 years and has extensive experience in conducting threatened and endangered plant and animal surveys, wetland jurisdictional delineations, environmental permitting, and impact assessments.


Current projects include studies of wetland plants in support of the Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP), which was developed to assess biologic changes caused by the hydrologic effects of ground-water withdrawals in wellfields in the Tampa Bay area. Ms. Willis also has over 10 years experience conducting workshops on tree, fern, sedge and grass identification, as well as annual training for the identification of plant species important for WAP monitoring. She has led an Ecosystem Identification Workshop at one of the FNPS state conferences and given numerous talks to the FNPS chapters on grasses, the flora of North Florida and the Lake Wales Ridge. She also volunteers for The Nature Conservancy on the Lake Wales Ridge, searching for endangered plants and performing habitat surveys.


Abstract:

It seems that severe droughts are getting more frequent in Florida, as well as the southeastern United States. The Union of Concerned Scientists and the Ecological Society of America produced a publication, “Confronting Climate Change in the Gulf Coast Region”, in 2001 that predicts that climate change will cause more extreme weather. Does this mean more droughts for us? The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center forecasts below normal rainfall throughout the spring of 2008, especially in Florida. This would be the fifth dry spring in a row. I will explain where our rainfall comes from and how global weather patterns, as well as local land use changes in recent years affects our rainfall. Recent land use changes include the draining and filling of wetlands and replacing forests and green space with pavement and houses. I will emphasize how much water is wasted on lawns and how important native landscaping will be to prevent future water shortages during periods of low rainfall.


Linda L. Young

Linda Young is the director of the Clean Water Network of Florida and has been leading the fight to protect Florida’s rivers, lakes, springs, wetlands and estuaries since 1994. The Clean Water Network of Florida is a coalition of almost 200 groups and many thousands of individuals that are committed to full implementation and enforcement and strengthening of the Clean Water Act and other safeguards for our water resources. Ms. Young hold a B.A. in Communication Arts/Journalism and and a M.A. in Political Science.


In 1989, Linda Young founded a statewide environmental newspaper called the Pro Earth Times. The paper was published monthly for eight years and was widely distributed across Florida. She has founded or co-founded several of the most effective environmental organizations in the southeastern United States over the past 18 years.


As a fifth generation Floridian, Linda has strong protective instincts for Florida’s waters. As a mother of three children, she has serious concerns about the public health effects of the many toxic chemicals that Floridians are being exposed to in fish and drinking water.


Linda’s environmental work for the past 19 years has been focused on helping citizens to participate in decision-making processes, strengthening Florida’s water quality standards, and fighting for more stringent permits for large polluters such as paper mills, chemical plants, and sewage treatment plants.


Linda has successfully challenged and brought enforcement actions against the Florida DEP and the US EPA as well as large polluters like the Florida dairy industry, International Paper Company, Monsanto Chemical Company, Buckeye Pulp Mill, St. Joe Development Company and others.


Abstract:

Florida’s estuaries are in serious trouble, largely from too many nutrients flooding into them from urban areas, agricultural activities and discharge pipes. Many of Florida’s rivers are subjected to dredging, channelization, and withdrawals for use as a water supply for urban and agricultural purposes. As a result of pollution, alterations and the withdrawals, the quality, magnitude and timing of water delivery to our estuaries has been substantially affected.


Our estuaries are the heart of a multi-billion dollar a year tourism industry in Florida, as well as home to untold numbers of species of birds, wildlife and of course marine life. Their importance to humans or animals cannot be over-estimated. Yet, our rivers and estuaries are screaming for help and their cries seem to fall on largely deaf ears.


Many citizens and even local governments have banded together to save their local waters with fertilizer ordinances, wetlands protections, funding for research, and public education campaigns. What more can be done? What is our state and federal government doing to help save our estuaries? Are they part of the problem? Do Floridians have the power to save their community waters? Does the state have the vision and the political will to do its part? What did the 2008 Legislature do to help or hurt our estuaries and our rivers? How can we hold them accountable for their actions? How can we make them do a better job?


This keynote address will discuss these issues and questions and will seek to inspire greater cooperation between citizens and government and encourage stronger advocacy for our waters.


Conference Presenters & Abstracts- Science Sessions


Papers:


Maureen S. Bonness, Naples, FL

Cypress knees (Taxodium spp.) are unique above-ground root protuberances commonly presumed to function for aeration and/or mechanical support. My observations indicate that some cypress knees originate as loop-roots. Loop-roots are vertical root circuits, which are sometimes in close association with a stump. Teasing away material from the associated stump reveals a multitude of fine rootlets extending from the loop-root into the stump, which provides evidence that loop-roots exploit stumps for nutrition. As loop-roots enlarge, and stumps decay, these cypress roots may develop into structures that many would recognize as a cypress knee. Nutrient acquisition appears to be the impetus for formation of some loop-roots and hence, some knees. In later stages of loop-root-knees, other functions such as aeration are more probable. Loop-roots were observed infiltrating stumps from cypress, Melaleuca quinquenervia, maple, and others. In a plot where Melaleuca were cut and herbicided 7 years prior, 54% of Melaleuca stumps had obvious cypress loop-roots embedded in the stump. Cypress loop-roots associated with stumps were observed at over 70% of sites investigated, ranging from the Everglades to Okefenokee Swamp. The function(s) of cypress knees is surprisingly dynamic, and the role of nutrient acquisition may be under-appreciated.


Lisa McCauley, University of Central Florida, Department of Biology

Florida, and especially the Orlando metropolitan region, has undergone rapid urbanization, with nearly 1 million ha in Florida converted to urban use from 1985 to 2003. Forested wetland area declined 3% and most (59%) of that loss was due to urbanization. Bald cypress is the dominant vegetation on forested wetlands in the Southeast and is sensitive to urbanization through loss of habitat, fire suppression, and alteration to hydrology. Land cover analyses revealed that 135 forested wetlands (>3800 ha) were lost per year in Orange and Seminole Counties between 1990 and 2004, and that ½ of the lost wetlands were < 1 ha. Using GIS, over 3,000 cypress domes in Orange and Seminole Counties were digitized using aerial photography. Using land cover within 234 m of domes, an urbanization gradient was identified and domes were sampled from each five categories in the gradient (natural, agriculture, low urban, medium urban, high urban). Cypress domes in high urban landscapes had > 80% fewer juveniles than cypress domes in natural landscapes, indicating strong recruitment effects of urbanization on bald cypress. My results indicate that cypress is likely to be replaced by other species in cypress domes as urbanization continues to increase.


Melinda J. Donnelly and Linda J. Walters, University of Central Florida, Department of Biology

Mangrove restoration techniques often include the planting of propagules and seedlings. However, the role of propagule predation in mangrove restoration has not been addressed. We tested the effect of mangrove propagule predation on the three native species of mangroves, Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia germinans, and Laguncularia racemosa, in Mosquito Lagoon, FL by: 1) estimating the number of damaged propagules pre-dispersal, 2) evaluating effects of pre-dispersal damage on survival, and 3) determining the amount of post-dispersal propagule damage in the intertidal, mid-marsh, and ecotone zones. In addition, we surveyed transects at seven sites to determine natural densities of the three mangroves. Rhizophora mangle density was highest in the intertidal zone and the mid-marsh and ecotone zones were dominated by A. germinans and L. racemosa. The percentage of pre-dispersal predation was significantly different among mangrove species. Pre-dispersal damage only decreased survival of L. racemosa. Post-dispersal predation was highest for R. mangle and significantly varied between zones, with the lowest amount of predation in the intertidal zone. Avicennia germinans and L. racemosa had minimal post-dispersal propagule damage in all zones. Survival of propagules is influenced by predation before and after dispersal and could affect the success of mangrove restoration projects.


Elise Gornish and T. E. Miller, Florida State University, Department of Biological Science
Coastal regions along the Gulf of Mexico provide vital habitat for an array of wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. Climate can have a devastating effect on the geomorphology of coastal dunes, the vegetation found there and the diverse species that depend on these systems; yet, we have little information on how climate and climate change may affect these areas. Permanent plots were established in St. George Island State Park in 1998 where the vegetation has been censused annually. These long-term data were used to identify six dune plant species that are either resistant to storm effects or respond positively following storm. We are now testing the prediction that these species may be useful for restoring damaged coastal areas. Individuals of each species will be transplanted into several different dune microhabitats and monitored bi-monthly for survival and growth. Results of this work will aid in predicting effects of climate change in this critical environment and inform land managers of effective restoration methods.


Katherine R. Grablow and Dr. Linda J. Walters, Univ. Central Florida, Department of Biology

We have designed a manipulative experiment to compare restoration techniques that maximize habitat recovery when boat propellers scar shallow seagrass beds. This study has identified four propeller scar severities and documented the frequency of each scar severity in Mosquito Lagoon. Out of 110 scars measured, the most severe scars (Type 1) were most common (56%). Type 4, the least severe scars were the second most common (27%), followed by Type 2 (10%) and Type 3 (7%) scars. Scar measurements were used to design an experiment to test the recovery rate of each scar severity and three restoration methods over a one year period. Restoration methods include planting seagrass with garden staples in the scar trench, filling the trench with sand, and filling with sand and planting seagrass with garden staples. Here we present the recovery results for the dominant species of seagrass, Halodule wrightii after six months: Type 4 scars have recovered to 100% of the surrounding density, Type 3 scars to 20%, Type 2 scars to 3%, and Type 1 scars less than 1%. All restoration methods were eroded away or buried after 2 months.


George R. Kish, Bradley C. Reed, and Julio L. Betancourt,

USGS Florida Integrated Science Center, Tampa, FL

Seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation driven by weather and climate influence life cycle changes in plants. Phenology is the study of the response of living organisms to seasonal and climatic changes to their environment. Variability in phenological events, such as the beginning of the growing season, can have important environmental and socio-economic implications for health, recreation, agriculture, management of natural resources, ecological succession, and natural hazards.

Records of phenological events (for example, first leaf date, first flower date) could reveal clues about climate change that can be used as important indicators for predicting future climate change. A new national network, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) has been established to integrate phenological event observations on a national level with remotely-sensed weather and vegetation data.

Although no single plant species represents the entire contiguous United States, regional native plant lists are being developed to represent the major ecoregions. A primary focus of the network will be to assimilate regionally unique plants into the broader nationwide network. For example, common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and cloned lilac (Syringa chinensis, 'Red Rothomagensis') have been used as sentinel plants for observations in the north-central and northeastern United States. In the southeast, several plants have been selected or are under consideration for the network (for example, Acer negundo, Acer rubrum, Cercis canadensis, Cornus florida, Lindera benzoin, Prunus angustifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera). This presentation describes the national network with an emphasis on plants suitable for the southeastern United States.


Belinda Bock Lambert, Pinellas County Highway Department

The ecosystem restoration and wetland mitigation industries are challenged with re-creating vegetative communities at an accelerated rate while at the same time remaining cost effective. These created systems are generally expected to resemble a mature community in a fraction of the time it would take these systems to evolve naturally and often are bound by permit conditions to meet certain tree growth criteria in a specified time frame. Common containerized stock sizes used are 1-gallon, 3-gallon or 7-gallon. Data for survival and various growth characteristics were collected for each of these three sizes for a period of five years post-planting for three commonly used restoration tree species: bald cypress (Taxodum distichum), red maple (Acer rubrum), and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). The results to be shared here can be used to help determine optimal planting size for cost effectiveness and overall results in ecosystem restoration projects.


Carl W. Weekley, Archbold Biological Station

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the re-discovery of Florida ziziphus (Ziziphus celata), one of our rarest and most imperiled plants. Florida ziziphus was thought to be extinct at the time it was described from a 37 year old herbarium specimen, but in the ensuing 18 years nine small populations comprising 12 wild genotypes were discovered. Most populations consist of a single genotype and, due to Florida ziziphus’ self-incompatibility system, are incapable of producing viable fruits, thereby complicating recovery efforts. This talk will summarize recent developments that dramatically improve the recovery outlook for Florida ziziphus. These include the discovery of five new populations, more than doubling the number of plants and the number of genotypes known in the wild. In addition, genetic analysis, by identifying the parentage of seedling transplants used in introductions, has aided in the creation of genetically viable populations. Since 2002, we have carried out six introductions comprising 664 transplants and 5928 seeds. Introduced transplants have shown high survival and impressive growth at most sites, and have demonstrated that Florida ziziphus can survive over a wider range of microsites than previously thought. Together these developments engender renewed optimism in the recovery prospects of Florida ziziphus.


Posters:


Melanie Brodhead

The hooded pitcherplant (Sarracenia minor) is an important element of the Wekiva River Basin State Parks (WRBSP) ecosystem. The WRBSP, managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), consists of Wekiwa Springs State Park (WSSP), Rock Springs Run State Reserve (RSRSR), and Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park (LWRPSP). Among WRBSP properties hooded pitcherplants are found in Lower Wekiva River (Jung and Skinner Tract) and RSRSR.

This study will be conducted at LWRPSP (Jung and Skinner Tract) and RSRSR. Survey of the pitcherplants will be completed in all 3 parcels. The locations of the hooded pitcherplants will be analyzed through GPS and GIS. In the future three different resource management techniques will be used to measure the most successful approach to resource management of this species including prescribed fire, mechanical treatment, and herbicide treatment.

I have successfully located hooded pitcherplant communities in each parcel and I have collected preliminary data. I am looking at how canopy density affects the plants. During the growing season I will look at flower growth and seed dispersal. I will then perform different resource management techniques on the plants including prescribed fire and mechanical treatment to see the response after each treatment. I am conducting this research to restore the hooded pitcherplant habitat within the Wekiva River Basin State Parks.


Linda Demetropoulos, Natural Areas Training Academy, The Nature Conservancy/ University of Florida/IFAS Extension, School of Natural Resources and Environment

Florida has acquired and protected more than 2 million acres of Florida’s most ecologically functional lands. This has created a need for better trained managers who can properly manage these lands to preserve biodiversity. In June 2000, The Nature Conservancy and The University of Florida launched the Natural Areas Training Academy (NATA), to address the unique challenges facing Florida’s land managers. The Certificate in Natural Areas Management (CNAM) training was developed by a multi-agency team of experienced land managers. The team determined that there should be five courses required to earn the CNAM.


To determine the effectiveness of the CNAM training, a periodic graduate survey was administered in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Graduates who completed post-graduate surveys reported that:


This training has been adopted as a basic qualification for work by at least five Florida counties and has been endorsed by the Natural Areas Association and used as a template to develop nationwide standards for conservation land management training. As of January 2008, more than 85 professionals have earned their CNAM.


M. Lavoie, Department of Botany, University of Florida

G. Starr, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Univ of Florida

C. Mack, Department of Botany, University of Florida

T. A. Martin, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida

H.L. Gholz, Division of Environmental Biology, National Science Foundation, Virginia

We studied the effects of a prescribed fire on aboveground understory biomass and soil nutrient availability in a naturally-regenerated longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) forest located in north central Florida. Fire reduced the aboveground understory C and N contents over the first year following fire, although levels then increased to near pre-fire levels after three years. Our results also showed that the effect of fire on the understory composition and structure was only short-lived. Fire significantly reduced the total C and N pools in the forest floor (F and H layers) for one year. P, Ca2+, Mg2+and K+ concentrations in the forest floor decreased immediately after fire, but increased in the surface mineral soil (0-5 cm depth) for one year. Fire slightly decreased the NH4+ pool in the forest floor, and increased it in the mineral soil the following six months. The nitrification rate was higher but ammonification rate lower one year after fire in the mineral soil. These changes following fire do not necessarily mean that prescribed fire will lead to lower soil fertility, but express at least a major shift in distributions.


Jodi Slapcinsky, Chris Bergh and Alison Higgins, The Nature Conservancy / University of Florida, Department of Botany

The Nature Conservancy manages a 20 acre pine rockland on Big Pine Key, Florida. Our goal is to maintain a growing season, short fire-return interval fire regime while limiting slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) mortality, improving Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) habitat, and maintaining or increasing abundance of three rare plant species, Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis, Chamaesyce deltoidea serpyllum, and Linum arenicola. In 1993 we set up three permanent burn units and measured C. lineata var. keyensis and L. arenicola density, C. deltoidea frequency, and slash pine density in three height size classes. We have burned each unit at least once since 1993. C. lineata density and C. deltoidea frequency increase or remain stable for 1 to 2 years after a prescribed burn. Fire has had no measurable effect on the low densities of L. arenicola. Chamaecrista lineata and L. arenicola density and C. deltoidea frequency declined significantly in 2006, probably in response to saltwater inundation caused by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Linum arenicola was lost from the plots, but has been found in the vicinity. Fire reduced slash pine density one year after burning in all three size classes though all pine size classes are represented by the fourth year following fire.


Stacy A. Smith, Eric S. Menges, Carl Weekley and Gretel L. Clarke.

Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid, FL.

Florida scrub on the Lake Wales Ridge is a hotspot for biodiversity, providing habitat to over two dozen narrowly endemic plants and over 30 state and federally listed plants and animals. Once covering large areas of Florida’s uplands, Florida scrub is now one of the world’s most imperiled ecosystems. Thousands of acres of degraded scrub are in need of restoration due to fire suppression, mechanical disturbances, exotic species invasion, and cattle grazing. To investigate the dynamics of scrub restoration, we designed an experiment focusing on three areas with differing disturbance histories: improved pasture, disturbed scrub and highly disturbed scrub. Initial treatments were concentrated in eighteen 50-meter radius circular macroplots divided evenly among the study areas. Each plot met criteria based on soil type, elevation, plant species and disturbance history. We hypothesize that treatments such as removal of exotic grasses, decreasing soil nutrients, introduction of native species and manipulation of vegetation structure will accelerate movement of disturbed sites toward reference conditions. To test these hypotheses, we are measuring a series of key attributes such as bare sand cover, shrub cover, fuel continuity and exotic species cover. Additionally, this restoration has stimulated other researchers to embed their own projects within our design.





Back-Up Presentation:

McMullen Booth Road @ Curlew Regional Mitigation Facility


Belinda Lambert: Bio Info





POSSUM BRANCH PRESERVE

Abstract

Belinda B. Lambert


Possum Branch Preserve is a 25.4 acre refuge of created and restored habitats in the midst of a highly developed area in northeast Pinellas County. The story of how this project came to be and what a diverse haven it has become will be told.