Rangeland Ecology & Management

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A LAND REMEMBERED: WORKING LANDS CONSERVING IMPERILED WILDLIFE IN FLORIDA
Author
Myers, Erin P.
Trammell, Christine
Peterson, Mary
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2014
Body

The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (FGSP) is a federally endangered subspecies endemic to the fire-maintained prairies and rangelands of Florida.  Prairie habitat in Florida consists of large tree-less grasslands with interspersed shrubs and wetlands, and is adjacent to pinelands and hammocks. More than 80 percent of historic dry prairie habitat in Florida has been lost, and all that remains is found on Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (TLWMA), Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (KPPSP), and Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR); and the surrounding private ranches. FGSP populations are declining sharply on these public lands, (N=74 during 2012 surveys), and if trends continue, the FGSP faces extinction on public lands within a decade. Much of the private land surrounding the remaining extant populations on public lands are working ranches that have been in Central Florida since the 1700's.  We assume cattle have co-existed with the FGSP over the years; however, these large areas of potential habitat for FGSP remain understudied. January 2012, the USFWS established the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge (EHNWR) and Conservation area (CA) around the central Florida working lands and dry prairie. This refuge was developed to  preserve the Florida ranching  way of life that is fast disappearing, safeguard water supplies for Floridians, and conserve habitat for 88 listed species, including the FGSP. Through EHNWR implementation, the USFWS has been working with private landowners to quantify the extent to which private grazed lands provide habitat for FGSP, determine how grazing practices can be used to increase habitat suitability for FGSP, and develop BMPs in collaboration with landowners willing to create suitable habitat for FGSP.  During the 2013 survey season, biologists recorded successful FGSP reproduction occurring in semi-improved pastures on two ranches where grazing is managed at a level that allows native vegetation and habitat structure to persist.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Orlando, FL