Fairchild’s conservation scientists are constantly doing things out of the ordinary in their quest to preserve the plants and habitats of South Florida and beyond. Follow the adventures of scientists Dr. Joyce Maschinski, Sam Wright, Jennifer Possley, Devon Powell and Lisa Krueger as they blog about the latest trends and techniques in the world of science and conservation.
Weed removal efforts DO pay off!
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 04:03:11 PM
If you have ever owned a garden, volunteered in one, or particpated in a volunteer work day, you may be an experienced weed-puller. As you yanked weed after weed, did you wonder whether the sweat, sore muscles, and dirty jeans were all for nought? Maybe you thought "This is impossible!!!" Well the Fairchild Conservation Team can attest that as long as the project area is retreated for several seasons, weed eradication IS possible, and native vegetation DOES recover. Persistence pays off. Our efforts to remove an invasive fern from Miami's Bill Sadowski Park illustrate this point quite nicely.
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Non-native Tectaria incisa once dominated the understory in parts of |
In 2003, biologists from Fairchild and Miami-Dade County teamed up to remove the invasive, non-native fern Tectaria incisa (incised halberd fern) from Bill Sadowski Park. Tectaria incisa grew intermixed with rare native fern species, including Tectaria heracleifolia (broad halberd fern)-- a fern in the same genus that looks very similar to the non-native. Together, we learned to distinguish these two Tectaria species and then trained Fairchild staff, Miami-Dade staff, and volunteers (from both Fairchild and the Dade Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society) to recognize the differences between them.
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| Native Tectaria heracleifolia, the "broad halberd fern," is on the list of Florida threatened species. |
That first year, we held six work days and enlisted the help of several dozen volunteers to hand remove individual ferns. Since then, we have retreated the area every winter. The results of our efforts have been dramatic and positive. Currently, only one or two work mornings per year are needed to maintain the T. incisa at low levels. Complete eradication is not possible in the near future because new T. incisa plants continue to recruit. Yet, each year, our workload decreases.
In 2010, we held just one workday to keep the T. incisa in check. On February 23rd, we were interested to see that the non-native Tectaria was damaged (but not dead) from Miami's record-cold January temperatures, while the native species was unharmed. It seems even mother nature is pitching in to the efforts now. Not only did she frost the T. incisa (a native of South America), she has been helping all along, as native species-- many of them rare ferns-- move into the bare areas where T. incisa once grew.
To all the volunteers who helped in these removal efforts, a sincere THANK YOU! If you would like to visit Bill Sadowski Park (located in Palmetto Bay), click here for more information.
--Jennifer Possley
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Fairchild Researchers Assist in the Hunt for Monsters
Mon, Feb 08, 2010 at 04:24:38 PM
by Sam Wright
On January 11th 2010, Fairchild biologists Lisa Krueger, Jennifer Possley, and myself assisted ECISMA (Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) with surveys for the North African rock python (Python sebae). In contrast to its Burmese cousin that now number over 150,000 in the Everglades, the North African rock python is considered to be a more recent introduction, confined to a much smaller area in West Miami-Dade. Information gathered from the surveys will assist the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in assessing the status of the rock python. These pythons and other non-native snakes found their way into the Everglades after being released by irresponsible pet owners that were not able to handle the size of their growing snakes. The snakes are now breeding and their increasing population threatens our native wildlife.
Miami experienced very cold weather the week of the surveys, in fact new record lows seemed to be broken every day. This was very apparent to me and my feet while waiting instruction and orientation the morning of our survey. Although my feet were not enjoying the chilly weather I found comfort in knowing that the possible 20-foot-long snakes that we could be encountering are cold-blooded and would be slow in their movement. In their native habitat, they are known to take down large prey such as gazelles, warthogs and crocodiles! I did not want to be added to the menu.
After a 20 minute briefing covering the background of the snake and how to handle one if encountered, we set out to our designated survey areas. Walking through thick vegetation never really bothered me but this time my heart was beating a little faster than usual with the anticipation of possibly running into a giant snake! After hours of hiking, we turned up nothing but got a phone call that one of the other groups found a 12 footer! The large python was brought back to the staging area for all to see during lunch hour. The snake was so large that its length spread over 1 ½ parking spots! Although appearing dead, the snake was very much alive but definitely showed the effects of the cold weather. It is amazing to see a snake of that size up close up. It’s too bad we had to leave after lunch because a 14 footer was found right after we left. It was definitely exciting to see these snakes in person but knowing that they are breeding and multiplying in the wild is a major concern.
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Spreading the Word
Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 02:23:21 PM
Six years ago I had come to St John’s to give a department seminar at Memorial University about Fairchild’s South Florida Conservation Program. Today, the number of graduate students doing conservation research is thriving at the university. For the second time I had a chance to teach a course to a cross-disciplinary group of students. Today I discussed three of our rare species and asked students to develop conservation recommendations under a constrained budget. They had a lively debate. I was pleased to see that the students recommended ex situ conservation as a valuable conservation strategy. Within the past two decades the acceptance of and respect for ex situ conservation (seed banking and botanical garden collections) has grown. This means that the work botanical gardens have been doing for years is gaining more prominence and importance in our changing world.
During my last visit, I also met with the director of Memorial University Botanic Garden to discuss international opportunities in conservation. Today the garden board, staff and director are busy with master planning. In this small community this garden is well-loved.
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| The new Dr. Squires surronded by her examining committee. |
I’m happy to report that the student passed her dissertation defense with flying colors. She did a fine job on her presentation and handled questions with ease and confidence. Her committee was duly impressed. Unlike my own doctoral defense, this one had a more structured protocol. There was a set order for questions to be asked. As the outside examiner, I asked questions first to the candidate while the audience of her friends and family watched. Then the other two examining committee members followed with their questions. The major professor and graduate school representative also asked questions, but the audience could only observe. Also different from our system was the practice of withholding examining committee comments on the dissertation until the hour of the defense. That means that today the candidate is busily making some corrections to her dissertation before turning in her binding-ready copy to the graduate college tomorrow. That’s PRESSURE! But I’m sure she’ll do just fine. And I’m looking forward to seeing more of those chapters published!
Now I’m heading back to Miami to warmer temperatures and sunshine. At the airport I relinquished to Louise the wonderful down jacket that Trevor graciously had loaned me during my stay in St. John’s. Thank you Trevor!
I hope you are all toasty warm whether in front of a fire or out in the sunshine.
Joyce
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Serving on Graduate Student Committees
Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 02:18:36 PM
As one of my roles as conservation ecologist at Fairchild, I serve on committees of graduate students in the Miami area and in other parts of the world. This service is really a two-way exchange, as I can learn a great deal from the students with whom I work and I hope they can learn something from my experience too.
I’ve come to St. John’s Canada, to serve on the dissertation committee of a doctoral student, who has been studying at Memorial University. (Nighttime temperatures are 7oF and daytime temperatures don’t reach 30 oF! Brrrrrrr! And we thought it was cold in early January! I feel a bit like the Pillsbury doughboy, as I am wearing every warm thing I own.) While here giving a department seminar about Fairchild’s South Florida Conservation Program several years ago, I met this student when she was just beginning her dissertation research. Interested in the impacts of an agricultural pest moth on a rare species of Brassicaceae, Susan’s research overlapped with several of my own interests. Her major professor, Dr. Luise Hermanutz and I met while we were both on sabbatical at Kings Park Botanic Garden in Perth, Australia. In the small worldwide community of plant conservationists, it’s been my delight to serve as her external examiner. It is nice to witness a young scientist make good contributions to the fields of plant demography, reintroduction conservation biology, and plant-herbivore ecology.
In Canada, the doctoral candidate and the committee wear full academic robes to the oral defense, so this will be quite a formal event. I’m looking forward to it!
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The Sea is Rising
Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 01:35:49 PM
One of the serious growing threats to biodiversity of coastal species is sea level rise. Fortunately, many scientists are taking proactive measures to address this serious concern. Dr. Reed Noss of University of Central Florida and the Florida Institute for Conservation Science organized a cross-disciplinary Sea Level Rise Workshop from Jan 18-20, 2010 at Archbold Biological Station. I was invited to discuss the work Fairchild has done with the Key Tree Cactus in the Florida Keys. Joining me were geologists, paleobotanists, anthropologists, conservation biologists, an attorney, a landscape architect, land managers, federal and state agency personnel, who gave presentations about their work related to this topic. It was amazing and daunting to hear about the magnitude of this problem.
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The Newfoundland shore |
Recent estimates indicate that the sea may be rising more rapidly than previously imagined. More accurate measures, such as the change in mass of Greenland detected by the GRACE satellite, indicate more rapid melting that will supply 5 mm/year over previous estimates of the rising sea. Although there are differing opinions, some recent publications predict a rise of 1 meter conservatively by the end of the century.
Considering that South Florida has much of its land area below 4 meters, there is much at risk. Low lying areas such as the Florida Keys where the Key Tree Cactus grows are already showing signs of decline. Rising sea level also exacerbates the impacts of storm surges. Again, although there are differing opinions, some recent evidence indicates that storm intensity is increasing.
Why Restoration is Important
Those present at the workshop felt that a high priority was to describe the areas in the state with the greatest exposure and vulnerability. With this information it is hoped that policymakers can begin planning for changing conditions to come. It is estimated that many rare animals and rare plants are threatened by sea level rise. But it is not only plants and animals, but human settlements that are also at risk. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, The Nature Conservancy and some municipalities have already begun reviewing aspects of this issue. FIU researchers have just received funding to assess the impacts of sea level rise on economic, human and biological systems in South Florida.
Hearing such predictions can cause many to feel discouraged and ask, “Why should we bother restoring rare plant populations along the coast if they are all going to be underwater in one to two hundred years?” The short answer is that it is in our best interest to protect our shorelines with healthy ecosystems. Improving the health of ecosystems can increase their resiliency and ability to cope with the changes that are coming. Because mangroves and coastal strand ecosystems can diffuse the energy from storm surge, our cities are better protected when natural coastal communities are also protected. See www.mangroveactionproject.org for more information about mangroves.
“Why should we bother restoring the Everglades if they are all going to be underwater in one to two hundred years?” The short answer is it is in our best interest to protect our drinking water supply. Yes, restoring the fresh water flow levels to the Everglades is a good thing to do. I learned at this workshop that the reason is complex. First, mangroves require fresh water to remain healthy and recover from disturbance. Second, at the southern end of the Everglades there is a submerged limestone ridge that plays an essential role in maintaining South Florida’s fresh water aquifer. The ridge integrity is maintained by the fresh water flow from the north. Without this freshwater flow, the ridge and aquifer would be compromised.
The Workshop ended with a conviction by participants to carry on with press releases, publications in peer-reviewed literature, and a white paper for legislators and interested parties. It is our hope to hold another meeting tentatively scheduled for August 10-12 at Fairchild, which will be a larger forum for policymakers and scientists.
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Thinking of Fairchild
Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 01:53:58 PM
Fairchild’s South Florida Conservation team starred in today’s presentation. They may not even realize it – that they are in my thoughts even when I’m not with them, but they definitely are. Their work exemplifies some great plant conservation, so I feature them frequently in my course lectures, case studies, and activities. I was able to show many of the tricks that the team uses to keep organized and to keep research relevant to our land manager partners.
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| Jennifer Possley monitoring pine rockland transects. |
Jennifer Possley’s work with Miami-Dade County is an example. She recently completed her second year of monitoring baseline information on the structure and diversity of the pine rockland forest. At request of our county partners, Jennifer was asked to develop a monitoring program to determine the impacts of controlled burns and thinning treatments on forest structure and diversity. She and I first met with park managers from Natural Areas Management and the Environmentally Endangered Lands programs to clarify what the management objectives were. After 3 meetings in which we discussed the needs of the county personnel, Jennifer conducted a trial sampling. She analyzed the data and returned to the county to discuss and refine the procedures. Because any monitoring program requires much time, labor and expense, Jennifer’s process is a good one to recommend as it ensured that the information we gathered is going to answer the management concerns. The class especially appreciated being able to see examples of the questions Jennifer asked the land managers after her pilot study. I was only able to use this as an example because Jennifer keeps careful written documentation of her meetings. Thank you Jenn!
With the forecast of rain, yesterday I asked the class if they wanted to do an outside activity. Tired of being cooped up in the classroom all week, they all assured me that they were tough field botanists. This girl has pretty thin Miami blood now. The Bay area had had an unusual weather week. Before I arrived it snowed in the foothills. It must have been beautiful. Since I had been cold every day even without snow, I put on 4 layers – polypropylene, cotton, wool, and goretex rain pants and jacket. I was ready! And I was WARM! The class didn’t disappoint me. They all came prepared for any weather. Thankfully, the rain waited until our activities were completed before it poured! So we only had to walk back up the hill to our cars in the downpour.
Because many in the class were fairly familiar with monitoring, I asked them to design monitoring plans for two species in two different parts of the garden. The task was to keep careful records of the procedure used so that the second group could repeat the procedure and get the same answer. After all, this part is critical in our studies! We all got a big laugh that we were partially successful in meeting this goal. It was a great illustration though of how important it is to document our procedures carefully so that our successors can follow up on this important conservation work.
In all, the weeklong course was well appreciated by the participants and instructors. I was happy to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones, too. And I’m ready to get back to WARM weather at Fairchild.
Joyce
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Fairchild’s Experience with Reintroductions Helps Others
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 at 01:33:31 PM
One of the things I enjoy about teaching this Applied Plant Conservation Workshop is that the participants share the wealth of their experience with rare plant species and freely discuss their questions and issues with the class. Today I discussed in situ conservation – rare plant reintroductions. Twenty years ago this was a controversial practice and many attempted reintroductions were unsuccessful. But as the science and practice of reintroduction has grown, the success rate has improved. As Fairchild has done 55 reintroductions of 13 species, we have a bit of experience about this topic. But admittedly our experience is biased. Because many of our species in South Florida are critically endangered with fewer than 5 populations and far less than 1000 individuals, I certainly have a different perspective than some other practitioners working with populations of plants with thousands of individuals spread across many populations. Unlike other regions of the country that have diverse topography and soil types, we are working within areas with comparatively less variation in soils and very slight changes in elevation. Our mild climate and usually abundant rainfall importantly improves the success of our reintroductions.
The most controversial thing we discussed today was the fate of very small populations. One of the participants from Hawaii has shared that she is working with 53 species that have fewer than 50 individuals surviving in the wild. Her priorities for these species are to fence the populations to exclude feral herbivores and to remove invasive species. She feels like she is in a race to prevent these species from going extinct. Our problems in Florida are not as severe as those in Hawaii. Through guidelines and examples the class can learn about how we approach our conservation of very small populations.
An important link is ex situ (nursery) collections with in situ (wild habitat) restoration. Fairchild researchers collect seeds and cuttings of rare species for long-term preservation, research, and reintroduction to the wild. One example is the federally endangered Key Tree Cactus, which has suffered serious decline in the lower Keys within the past decade. We have been making collections and maintaining healthy beautiful plants ready to go back to the wild. See our video about this process.
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Key Tree Cactus in the ex situ collection |
Before reintroducing any species, it is important to learn about its biology, its habitat requirements, and community and then try to find new locations that have similar qualities. Sam Wright developed a great matrix that we have used for both beach jacquemontia and the Key Tree Cactus to assess the quality of potential reintroduction sites. We are currently working to identify potential reintroduction sites for the Key Tree Cactus.
Each part of the world has its issues, but many of the threats to biodiversity are similar. I think what is particularly helpful about this course is that the participants can connect with others working on rare plants and can know they are not alone. The participants share contact information and the instructors encouraged the group to contact us if they have questions after the course, so that we keep the network alive.
Joyce
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Teaching Plant Conservation Techniques
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 03:39:10 PM
I write these words from Berkeley California, where I've come to teach two modules of the week-long course in Applied Plant Conservation offered by the Center for Plant Conservation. Over the past few years, I've taught parts of this course in Phoenix, Hawaii and Denver. This time our venue is the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden. Some of the folks in the class work for federal agencies, including the Dept of Defense, the National Park Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. There are also graduate students and 3 women from Mexico.
Classes for the workshop span the important issues in plant conservation from policy and planning to ex situ conservation, genetics, demography and measuring success of conservation actions. My topics are monitoring and in situ conservation for which I have ~8 hrs of classroom and hands-on activities. Today I spent time planning the outdoor portion of the workshop scheduled for Saturday. I tailor the activity to the particular site and the wonderful plants growing there. The prediction is that the weather is going to be cold and rainy on Saturday, so while I will have something planned for outdoors, I'm also planning a back up set of exercises for indoors. The UC Berkeley Botanic Garden is beautiful, so I really hope the sky will clear up so that these hard working students can get outside! Practicing the techniques with real situations is the best way to prepare students for the real world they will face when they return to the work in their own regions.
Right now I'm appreciating being indoors because I'm cold. My luggage did not arrive with me last night. Luckily I had some warm clothing packed into my carry-on luggage, but I still was glad to pull out the polypropylene stuff from my luggage when it arrived this afternoon! Not to mention that the activities and the equipment I need for the classes were IN the suitcase. Whew! I'm glad they made it!
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Best,
Joyce
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Reflection and Evaluation
Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 11:06:39 AM
Many of the presentations asked, “How are we doing?” Several gave accounts of successes and lessons learned. Reflection and evaluation is part of what I’ve been doing in the past year regarding our rare plant reintroductions. It’s what my presentation was about – a review of the reintroductions we have done, what factors have contributed to success, and how these relate to the possible need to move plants in the face of climate change.
There is a nice synergy that happens at meetings, where I can talk to others doing work like my own and learn from their experiences or commiserate about common concerns. And it is always inspiring to be in the presence of so many hard working, dedicated practitioners, to know that I am part of a global community working to conserve the earth’s beauty. I loved the presentation by William Jordan III, who reminded us that it is important to practice ecocentric restoration – a practice that is not about us humans, but is about appreciating nature for its own sake.
Where better place to appreciate the beauty of nature than this amazing Australia!
Joyce
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Fairchild Gets Recognized
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 11:05:35 AM
Now in Perth for the Society of Ecological Restoration Meetings, I’m having a chance to re-connect with old & new conservation colleagues. There was a plenary session all day, which began with a welcome to country – a review of the conservation/ restoration arena in Australia. This was followed by a presentation by David Claudie, Kaanju Traditional Owner of the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation. He explained the structure of indigenous governance and land management on Kuuku I’yu and Aboriginal people’s connection to the land, its flora & fauna. Since 2000, it has become a tradition to acknowledge the Aboriginal people in formal presentations. This is part of the healing of the country from its tragic past. As would become a theme in the meeting, restoration is also a healing way.
It was a very rich day with many thought-provoking presentations. There is a successful project that has reconnected fragments in southwestern Australia called Gondwana Link. It gave me hope for the Connect to Protect Network! This is such a beautiful and diverse country that it is heartening to see a grassroots effort take off so successfully.
Fairchild friends will be happy to know that we received some recognition in a presentation by Steve Hopper, who pointed out that Fairchild is one of the few botanical gardens (7% of those in a survey) with a scientist doing restoration ecology. I was pleasantly surprised to see Fairchild’s name large on the screen. Steve Hopper stressed that botanical gardens have botanical expertise and will serve a large role to provide plant materials needed for restoration. It’s good to know that Fairchild is ahead of this curve and is one of the leaders among botanical gardens.
Joyce
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