1

The Wildlife Conservation Prioritization and Recovery Program

Author: David Johnson, Assistant Section Leader, FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

T he Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) uses a comprehensive resource management approach to managing State

lands. Restoring the form and function of Florida’s

natural communities is the base of this management

philosophy. Two programs provide land

managers with the tools to achieve

specific habitat management goals.

Objective-based vegetation management

is used to monitor how specific vegetative

parameters respond to FWC management

and the Wildlife Conservation

Prioritization and Recovery program

(WCPR) is used to ensure management is

having the desired effect on wildlife.

The goal of WCPR is to “provide assessment,

recovery, and planning support for the Wildlife

Management Area (WMA) system to enhance

management of focal species and recovery of listed

species.” WCPR program objectives include;

prioritizing what FWC does for imperiled and focal

species on FWC lead WMAs; ensuring the actions

taken on these areas are part of statewide

conservation programs/priorities; and sharing with

and informing others about the work accomplished

on these lands.

WCPR is a science-based approach that helps to

assess species needs and opportunities and provides

a framework to prioritize actions for imperiled and

focal species. This approach integrates geospatial

analytical techniques to model potential habitat,

Population Viability Analysis results, and conservation

planning. FWC combines this information with area

specific and expert knowledge to determine where

focal species conservation can be proactively affected

within a specific WMA. All of this information is

incorporated into a Species Management Strategy

that is unique to each WMA. The

strategy outlines the role of the area in

wildlife conservation and sets area-

specific objectives for managing priority

species and their habitat. In addition, the

strategy prescribes management to aid in

species recovery, prescribes monitoring

to allow evaluation of the species

response to management, and ensures

the information is shared with others.

Since its inception in 2008, WCPR strategies have

been initiated or completed for 11 areas including

Apalachicola River and Hungryland Wildlife and

Environmental Areas, Half Moon, Chassahowitzka,

and Salt Lake WMAs. The strategies are designed to

mirror the timeline of the areas’ required

Management Plan and will be revisited every 10 years

to determine if changes are needed. For more

information about WCPR or to see a completed

strategy please contact Dan Sullivan, Conservation

E c o l o g i s t a n d W C P R C o o r d i n a t o r

([email protected]).

www.sfrc.ufl.edu/CFEOR

mailto:[email protected]://myfwc.com/Index.aspxmailto:[email protected]://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/CFEOR/index.html

2

Multiple causes of seeding rarity in scrub plum, Prunus geniculata (Rosaceae), an endangered shrub of the Florida scrub

Weekley, Carl W.; David N. Zaya; Eric S. Menges and Amy E. Faivre 2010. American Journal of Botany 91(1):144-155. Conservation of an imperiled plant often requires an understanding of its reproductive ecology. Scrub plum ( Prunus

geniculata ) is an endangered Florida shrub endemic to pyrogenic xeric uplands. Although plants are long-lived and may flower

profusely, particularly after burning, fruit yield is sparse and seedlings are rare. We investigated potential causes of seedling

rarity in scrub plum by studying its floral sex and breeding systems, fruit development, and germination ecology. We also

developed a flow chart based on two time-since-fire scenarios to illustrate the cumulative impact of these factors on seedling

recruitment. Breeding system experiments suggested partial gametophytic self-incompatibility in this functionally

andromonoecious species, with inbreeding depression in self-compatible individuals. Predispersal seed predation, the major

constraint on seedling recruitment, was lower in the first postburn season. In two field experiments, seed germination was

3

CFEOR Mission:

To develop and disseminate knowledge needed to conserve

and manage Florida’s forest as a healthy, working ecosystem

that provides social, ecological and economic benefits on a

CFEOR Administration

Charlie Houder, Suwannee River Water Management District, Steering Committee Chair

Bill Cleckley, Northwest Florida Water Management District, Steering Committee Vice-Chair

Newsletter Contacts

Nancy Peterson, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, CFEOR Executive Director,

[email protected] Melissa Kreye, School of Forest Resources and

Conservation, CFEOR Coordinator, [email protected]

Phone 352.846.0848 ∙Fax 352.846.1277∙ PO Box 110410∙ Gainesville, FL

Colloquium on Plant Pests of Regulatory Significance

Jan. 6 – April 21, 2010. Wednesdays at 4:00 PM. The

colloquium is part of the Certificate in Plant Pest Risk

Assessment and Management coordinated by the UF-

IFAS Plant Medicine Program. The Colloquium and

Certificate are available via distance education (Polycom)

and/or web; contact IT Specialist Kamin Miller

([email protected]; 352-392-3631 Ext. 360) for

information about Polycom access.

Timber Tax Webinar Feb. 24th and March 17,2010; at

12:00 noon-1:30 pm Eastern. Program will cover tax filing

tips for timber transactions for the 2010 tax season.

Target audience: landowners, foresters, agency staff and

program leaders, extension specialist and tax

professionals. 1.5 CFE credits available for foresters. No

registration required. Log in at http://

forestrywebinar.net/

Sustainable Use and Depletion of Natural Resources:

lessons for the energy system Feb. 24, 2010 at 1:55 -

2:45 PM. Dr. Stephen Humphrey, UF School of Natural

Resources and Environment. 112 Newins-Ziegler Hall,

Gainesville, FL.

Forest Stewardship Property Tour at Saturiwa

Conservation Area, Property of Mike Adams, 2009 Forest

Stewardship Landowner of the Year, St. Johns County.

Feb. 25, 2010. Call the St. Johns County Extension Office

at (904) 209-0430 to register.

Vegetation Monitoring in a Management Context

March 1-6, 2010. A Natural Training Areas (NATA)

workshop and developed for USFS continuing education.

Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid, FL. To register

and more information please visit http://

nata.snre.ufl.edu/schedule.htm

The 2010 Southeast Partners in Flight Meeting

March 9-11, 2010. A working group of various

stakeholders in the southeast interested in avian

conservation and management. The meeting will be held

at the UF Hilton Conference Center, Gainesville, FL. For

registration forms and more information, please visit:

http://sepif.org/content/view/46/1/

Working Across Boundaries to Protect Ecosystems

March 23-25, 2010. A Natural Training Areas (NATA)

workshop addressing how political, social and ecological

forces can affect natural areas and innovative

management strategies. To register and more

information please visit http://nata.snre.ufl.edu/

schedule.htm