Example of Proposal:

PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR: Mike Martin, Florida Division of Forestry

PROBLEM AND NEED

        The Warea Tract is one of six sites in the Warea Archipelago project targeted for long-term preservation of the rapidly disappearing upland biodiversity of the northern Lake Wales Ridge. The project is designed to protect and to prevent the extirpation of a suite of species unique to the once-vast forested sandhills of the northern Lake Wales Ridge. The sandhill communities in this area, while sharing a fair percentage of their rare species diversity with the more southerly Central Ridge, contain an array of species found nowhere else on earth. Prunus geniculata, Warea amplexifolia, Bonamia grandiflora, Polygala lewtonii and Eriogonum longifolium var. gnaphalifolium are among the species that makes the sandhill communities of the northern extent of the Lake Wales Ridge distinctive.
        The Warea Tract (120 acres) is known to harbor five Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) listed species of rare vascular flora which form a unique assemblage of species (Exhibit 1). Occurrences of additional listed species are probable. The project is essentially the last chance to protect a species-diverse gene bank for future attempts at sandhill and scrub restoration and reforestation in this region of the state. With proper management, the Warea Tract is large enough for long-term persistence of these rare species.
        In September 2001, the Division of Forestry, with volunteer assistance from the Native Plant Society, conducted a rare plant survey on a part (70 acres) of the Warea Tract (Exhibit 2).
        Because the health, population distribution and population frequency of clasping warea and other threatened and endangered (T&E) species are not being adequately addressed, we are proposing to set up permanent plots to monitor these species for five years. Surveys will be conducted weekly for each species during the flowering season to determine population size and range of flowering times. For Warea amplexifolia, the center of the population and subset of the population will be marked and location waypoints will be determined by using a GPS device for each plant or groups of plants. For other T & E species the center of the population will be determined by using a GPS device. Depending on the population and size of W. amplexifolia, one to several baseline transects will be randomly placed the length of the population and several shorter transects will be placed parallel to the baseline. Individual plants will be counted or tagged within belt transects or in one meter (or 0.5 m) square quadrants randomly placed along the transects. For W. amplexifolia, tagged plants will be monitored for the five year period. Seedlings will be marked and followed for recruitment.
        Because the Warea Archipelago sites are being managed by several agencies, a management consultation group (made up of managers and those knowledgeable of clasping warea management/life history) will be set up to facilitate the exchange of information (such as experience acquired in burn management). Knowledgeable staff with The Nature Conservancy, Historic Bok Sanctuary, and Archbold Biological Station have indicated a willingness to assist in the development of plans for the sites. The USFWS Recovery Plan for the federally listed species should be incorporated into the plans for the sites.
        Proper burn management is critical to the survival of the majority of these species. As the clasping warea is an annual that sets seed in the fall, and seed-banking (seed dormancy in soil) is little understood in this species, cautious experimentation will be necessary to determine the species optimal burn-time(s). A W. amplexifolia population could possibly be nearly extirpated by burning “at the wrong time” in the plant’s life-cycle. Burning should be in the spring or early summer, the growing season for plants and also the timing of lightning strikes and thus “natural” fires in Florida.
        Because of the large number of T & E species, traditional plowed firelines are not recommended. Firebreaks using hand tools have been established on parts of the interior portion of the property. These interior lines will require additional work and the entire perimeter requires permanent fire breaks. In addition, access around the property is limited because adjacent property owners have started to fence their properties. This is becoming more critical as new homes become established along the southern boundary of the property. To minimize soil disturbance, provide good access and establish the necessary firebreaks required to conduct safe and effective prescribe fire, a Gyro-trac mowing machine is recommended for this operation.

OBJECTIVES

        The objectives of this project are to: 1) establish permanent, easy to maintain firebreaks around all burn zones. 2) Initiate a long-term monitoring program (permanent plots) for T&E species; and 3) evaluate the effects of management activities on reproduction, recruitment and survival within populations of these species.

EXPECTED RESULTS AND BENEFITS

        Within the five year project time frame, the coordinators should produce: 1) three defined burn zones with at least one rotation of prescribe fire in all three burn zones; 2) a comprehensive inventory using permanent plots of W. amplexifolia and other T & E plant and animal species populations; 3) a management and recovery plan for the listed species for the Warea Tract; 4) strategies to enhance and improve the population status of W. amplexifolia and other protected species within the Warea Tract; and 5) closer cooperation with other agencies working on W. amplexifolia preservation.

APPROACH

        State lands staff are currently preparing a portion of the Warea Tract for a growing season prescribed burn this spring. Priority 1 tasks will focus on vegetative management to allow state lands staff the opportunity to move toward growing season burns. Priority 2 tasks will involve inventorying all threatened and endangered species and setting up a monitoring program. The threatened and endangered plant survey conducted in 2001 (Exhibit 2) must be reexamined and expanded to include the entire property. A management/recovery plan will address all threatened and endangered species. Researchers from Archbold Biological Station, The Nature Conservancy, the University of Central Florida, Stetson College and the Department of Environmental Protection will be consulted regarding monitoring techniques and input to the management/recovery plan.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

        This project is being conducted on the Warea Tract which is part of Seminole State Forest located in south Lake County, Section 12, Township 23 South, Range 26 East.

RELATED FEDERAL PROJECTS

        There are no known related federal projects.

COST SCHEDULE

        The investigator anticipates that there will be some overlap among the jobs. Once the grant program is completed, Seminole State Forest staff will continue the monitoring program indefinitely.

DACS. 2004. Proposal Format for the Lake Wales Ridge Scrub Plant Monitoring and
        Management. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
        Division of Forestry.
Florida Natural Area Inventory. 1994. Warea Archipelago Project Design, Lake and
        Osceola Counties, Florida.