Florida

"Researchers with the University of South Florida say oyster reefs in Tampa Bay and along the Gulf Coast are facing a serious threat from changes to Florida's climate. Temperatures are increasing globally, and cold weather freezes and extremes in Florida are diminishing, which is a strong indicator that the state's climate is shifting from subtropical to tropical . . . In the water, researchers say they have noticed that mangroves were overtaking most oyster reefs in Tampa Bay and threaten the lives of other animals depending on oyster reef habitats . . . Shallow coast waters and remnant shorelines supported typical subtropical marine habitats for centuries in Tampa Bay, such as oyster reefs, seagrass beds, mud flats and salt marshes. However, a decrease in freezes allowed mangrove islands to replace previously dominant salt marsh vegetation and now have taken over oyster reef habitats that existed for centuries . . . The research team at USF says they found that 83% of tracked oyster reefs in Tampa Bay were fully converted to mangrove islands based on aerial images from 1938 to 2020. The rate of change has reportedly increased throughout the 20th century and after 1986, the Bay has seen a dramatic decrease in freezes, which is a factor that would typically get rid of mangroves naturally . . . Although mangroves provide benefits such as habitat for birds, certain ecosystems function specifically for oyster reefs as they improve water quality and coastal protection by reducing the impact of waves, researchers say. Oyster reefs can potentially be diminished or lost altogether as more reefs transition to mangrove islands and the loss of the oyster reefs' habitats will directly threaten reef-dependent species and wild oyster fisheries. . ."

"The Administration is making the largest single investment in the Everglades in U.S. history. The iconic American landscape provides drinking water supply for over 8 million Floridians, supports the state’s $90 billion tourism economy, and is home to dozens of endangered or threatened species. However, rising sea levels and other climate change impacts are endangering this vital ecosystem and the people, businesses, and habitats it supports. Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Army Corps will invest $1.1 billion to restore, protect, and preserve the South Florida ecosystem and increase its resilience to the impacts of climate change. These funds will support improvements to the Everglades by capturing and storing excess surface water runoff, reducing excess water releases to water conservation areas, and minimizing seepage losses during dry periods."

"Florida made conservation history by enacting a bill and securing $400 million in funding to help protect the state’s vast network of natural areas. Known as the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, the legislation passed the Florida State Senate and House unanimously in late April . . . Known as the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, the legislation passed the Florida State Senate and House unanimously in late April . . . These areas are crucial for the existence of Florida’s rich wildlife, especially wide-ranging species such as Florida panthers, black bears, otters, alligators, and many types of birds. Habitat fragmentation, caused by roads and development, is one of the most critical but least recognized threats to biodiversity . . . The act is also intended to protect agricultural lands from development, to provide for continued recreational access to natural areas, and to safeguard clean water and air."

"There are times that we can’t use those islands for ceremony. So, that impacts the culture of the Miccosukee. There are times that the deer don’t have a place to seek refuge because the islands can be up to three feet underwater . . . And the islands itself start dying. The tree roots are start dying. And when the trees start dying on the island the roots of those trees is what holds the islands together. So, the islands will start shrinking . . . We have tribal members today that remember living on tree islands and have seen the changes to this area. Even in my short lifetime I’ve seen the changes. Our people were taught that in our time of need, the Everglades was here for us. So now that it’s her time of need we have to stand up and protect."

"At first pass, there seems little amiss in the idyll of Florida Bay. A wedge-shaped expanse of water between the Everglades and the Florida Keys, it is a clean, sun-dappled 1,000 sq mile playground for reddening tourists, grizzled fishermen and loud-shirted locals. But the consequences of Florida’s century-long attempt to bend the environment to its will aren’t hard to find. Starved of fresh water from a reworking of its natural plumbing further north and menaced by seas rising due to climate change, the Everglades and its adjoining bay are teetering at the edge of existential crisis."

“Over a seven year period, especially, most in the last four years, we’ve seen an acceleration and a decline of animals . . . And animals in the grand scheme of things were important because that tells you the health of [the Everglades] ecosystem. But also those animals give life to a system.”

"The North American Coastal Plain – the low-lying land stretching from Texas to Florida to New England – was recently named the 36th biodiversity hotspot in the world, highlighting the importance of this region, but signaling concerns over threats to the plant and animal life there . . . Florida is entirely within the Coastal Plain and is the richest area biologically, but also the most threatened."

“The C-111 Spreader Canal Western Component is a major restoration project designed to improve freshwater flows to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. The project creates a nine mile hydraulic ridge designed to hold rain water and natural flows into Taylor Slough, a critical flow-path that carries water through the heart of Everglades National Park into Florida Bay. Water is then able to sheet-flow and filter into the ground, rehydrating this historic wetland habitat. Now just one year after the ribbon-cutting of this important Everglades restoration project, Audubon Florida scientists are already documenting habitat improvements.”

“Considered an important feature of Florida’s landscape, the freshwater springs are reeling from decades of population growth, the spread of agriculture, lawn fertilizer, septic tanks, outmoded wastewater treatment facilities and periods of drought, scientists and lawmakers say . . . After years of discussion and inaction, four influential Republican State Senate committee chairmen and one Democratic chairman have signed off on an ambitious bill that would lay the groundwork for a long-term, comprehensive approach to restoring the state’s 38 most important and threatened springs.”

While populations farther north in Florida along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere are stable, even growing in some places, spoonbill numbers are sinking here in the broad estuary sandwiched between the Everglades, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Keys. A likely culprit: poor water management in the Everglades, which has dramatically altered water depths and salinity levels in Florida Bay, creating a hard-knock life for a wading bird on a special diet . . . “Spoonbills have become the indicator for the overall health of the Everglades,” explains [Biologist, Mac] Stone. ‘They're representative of the whole ecosystem. They require the fish, and the fish require the submerged aquatic vegetation, and the submerged aquatic vegetation requires the input of freshwater.'”

“Florida wildlife managers say preliminary numbers show green turtle nesting has more than doubled statewide. Biologists have already tallied a record 11,500 nests in one 20-mile stretch alone . . . ‘It's just a miracle,' said Llewellyn Ehrhart, a University of Central Florida zoologist who has monitored nesting in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge for decades. ‘This is one of the greatest positive stories in the history of wildlife conservation in America, mostly because they were decimated so badly.'. . . When Ehrhart started his beach surveys in 1982, he found fewer than 50 nests in the Archie Carr. By the early 1990s, the numbers began to bump into the hundreds. Over the past decade, it bounced in and out of the thousands, hitting 5,500 in 2011.”

Five years ago, Florida officials announced a plan to buy nearly 192,000 acres of Everglades land owned by U.S. Sugar. “But then, reality set in: The economy worsened and political opposition grew, forcing state officials to settle for a much smaller parcel . . . It’s large, nearly 17,000 acres. But Ullman [Jonathan Ullman of the Sierra Club] says it’s just a fraction of what’s needed to restore the Everglades to a healthy ecosystem . . . In Florida, the financial picture has improved over the last two years . . . But while the money may be there, the political will is not. Scott, a Republican elected with strong Tea Party support, has cut funding for land acquisition. In fact, his administration is now moving to sell some state land in conservation areas.”

“In the most dire predictions, South Florida’s delicate barrier islands, coastal communities and captivating subtropical beaches will be lost to the rising waters in as few as 100 years . . . Further inland, the Everglades, the river of grass that gives the region its fresh water, could one day be useless, some scientists fear, contaminated by the inexorable advance of the salt-filled ocean. The Florida Keys, the pearl-like strand of islands that stretches into the Gulf of Mexico, would be mostly submerged alongside their exotic crown jewel, Key West.”

“Later this year, Florida’s park service will take over Silver Springs and begin working to restore it to a more natural state. That is a huge task, however, and over the past two decades, Silver Springs — and most springs in Florida — have fallen on hard times. Drought, development and excessive groundwater pumping have cut the amount of water flowing here in half . . . look closer and you’ll see the problem: Pollution from agriculture and residential development has helped coat the spring with algae . . . To improve the water quality of the springs, Florida regulators have set targets for reducing the amount of nitrates. Hitting those targets, though, will mean addressing the sources of pollution, putting thousands of septic tanks on public sewer systems, and aggressively reducing the amount of fertilizer used by homeowners and farmers.”