Monitoring of Vegetation Response to Changes in Hydrologic Parameters within Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Habitat in Everglades National Park

Description

Brief Description of Anticipated Work: The purpose of this monitoring is to understand whether water management activities affect vegetative structure and vegetative composition within CSSS habitat in ENP. This project should be designed to determine vegetation response to changes in hydrology associated with implementation of the 2020 COP water control plan. The objectives of the proposed monitoring are to: Objective 1: Collect vegetation data in areas currently identified as suitable habitat for the CSSS and in areas historically occupied with the intent of comparing data to prior baseline information. Objective 2: Determine the trajectory of vegetation change in response to ongoing water management activities and restoration initiatives in areas identified as suitable habitat for the CSSS. Deliverables: Quarterly Status Reports: Quarterly status reports will be delivered every 90 days on a quarterly basis. Each report will summarize work done and problems encountered during the reporting period, as appropriate. Annual Report: A draft and final annual report will be submitted at the completion of each year of the cooperative agreement. The draft and final annual report will contain at minimum, an introduction section, a description of the methods used, an evaluation of the data collected during the reporting period for a given year, and a conclusion section. A draft annual report will be submitted upon completion of each year of the cooperative agreement and will be reviewed by the USACE, Jacksonville District, with comments provided as appropriate. Submittal of the final annual report will occur after incorporation of the provided comments as necessary. An accompanying dataset will also be made available. Final Report: A final report will be submitted one month prior to completion of the cooperative agreement. The final report will be a substitute for the annual report described above. The final report will contain at minimum an introduction section, a description of the methods used, an evaluation of the data collected during each year of the cooperative agreement, and a conclusion section. The purpose of the final report will be to provide a summary of all years of work conducted under the cooperative agreement. A draft of the final report will be submitted and reviewed by the USACE, Jacksonville District, with comments provided as appropriate. Final submittal of the report will occur after incorporation of the provided comments as necessary. An accompanying dataset will also be made available. Meetings: Kick-Off Meeting: A kick-off meeting will be scheduled with the USACE, Jacksonville District to introduce the recipient of the cooperative agreement to the USACE point of contact and to discuss the proposed plan of work for the base year of the cooperative agreement. Yearly Meetings: A yearly meeting will be scheduled with the USACE, Jacksonville District following completion of the final annual report and final report, as described above, to discuss work accomplished.

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