To all invasive species ‘un-enthusiasts’ of Charlotte, Glades,
Hendry, Lee and western Collier Counties,
The
Southwest Florida CISMA is once again participating with several other CISMAs
within Florida to participate in the annual Halloweed Count.
WHY Participate in the Halloweed Count?
Three important objectives of the Halloweed
Count are:
1. Encourage participants to use EDDMapS and
upload invasive species locations in southwest Florida
Many of us who are land
managers track invasive species in-house within our own parks or
preserves. However, when we see invasive species elsewhere (e.g.,
hiking, kayaking, driving through the country ), many of us don’t make note of
it (unless it’s a really bad invasive species). By no means am I’m
advocating that we all document Brazilian pepper, melaleuca or other widespread
invasives ad nauseam, however, documenting the less common invasive
species, especially EDRR species (see number 2 below), will give us and FNAI a
better idea of which invasive species are recently spreading into and through
our region. Land managers, utility right-of-way workers, folks who work
outdoors or drive through much of their county, etc, who upload invasive
species data onto EDDMapS gives FNAI better grasp of where invasive species
occur now, and over time, how species are dispersing in the area, provide the
early warning for future invasions.
2. Look for Early Detection & Rapid
Response (EDRR) species within our 5 county region and get them documented
Most of us will not see
these EDRR species on the survey, but that is fine! This year’s Halloweed
Count will serve as a baseline for EDRR species presence or absence. Over
time (years), subsequent Halloweed Counts will document which species have
spread slowly, spread rapidly, or failed to spread at all in our CISMA.
We expect yearly updates to the EDRR list, and those species additions will be
added to Halloweed Counts in the future. Wherever you think you can
survey, even if you believe you don’t have any of the species of concern below,
we still want you to participate in the survey. The baseline showing an
absence of species is important, as it establishes which species were either
not observed or were observed in low frequency. Plus, uploading the
locations of other invasive species from your survey is important.
For a reminder, EDRR
species are species that are documented to be already in our CISMA, but are
not prevalent or widespread in natural areas. For the 2016 Halloweed
Count, the EDRR species to keep an eye out for are:
EDRR Species
|
Adenanthera pavonina
|
red beadtree
|
Agave sisalana
|
sisal
|
Cestrum nocturnum
|
night-blooming jasmine
|
Eucalyptus grandis
|
grand eucalyptus
|
Eucalyptus torelliana
|
Torell's eucalyptus
|
Ipomoea aquatica
|
swamp morning glory
|
Salvinia molesta
|
giant salvinia
|
We also have a ‘To Be
Watched’ list. These are species not documented in our CISMA (they may be
here, but they are not documented here). So if you see any of
these species, be sure to get them entered into EDDMapS:
To Be Watched Species
|
Cryptocoryne walkeri
|
water-trumpet
|
Cuscuta japonica
|
Japanese dodder
|
Cyperus alopecuroides
|
foxtail flatsedge
|
Cyperus entrerianus
|
deeprooted sedge
|
Dalechampia scandens
|
spurgecreeper
|
Dianella ensifolia
|
cerulean flaxlily
|
Dischrostachys cinerea
|
sickle pod
|
Eichhornia azurea
|
anchored waterhyacinth
|
Furcraea foetida
|
Mauritius hemp
|
Limnophila indica
|
Indian marshweed
|
Lumnitzera racemosa
|
black mangrove
|
Paederia cruddasiana
|
sewer vine
|
Phyllanthus fluitans
|
red-root floater
|
I have attached ID sheets (SWFL_CISMA_2005_EDRR.pdf) to help identify these
species for you to take on your Halloweed Counts. The ID sheets are dated
2015, which is the last time FNAI updated the EDRR list, so this is the species
list for 2016 as well.
3. Begin building a longterm data set for
your Halloweed Count survey area.
The location of EDRR
species and less commonly known invasive or non-native species from this year’s
Halloweed Count can give us and FNAI an important leg up on what species are
where. That way, you can help build a longterm data set for a given area
of land, canal or roadside, right-of-way, trail, etc. Over time, we
can see which invasive species are repeatedly invading the survey area.
WHERE to survey for the Halloweed Count?
That’s entirely up to
you. Many of you receiving this email are land managers, so you have a
property that you can go to for the Halloweed Count. If you manage
or are responsible for numerous properties (e.g., Conservation Collier preserves,
Lee County Parks/2020 preserves), by no means am I suggesting all have to be
surveyed. Surveying along trails within a park or preserve is perfectly
fine, too. I myself will be surveying invasive plants along the main
hiking trails at Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest and Picayune Strand State
Forest, opposed to sweeping through distinct management units. In other
CISMAs, some kids are surveying for invasive plant species at the their school.
Again, I think the
important part about where to survey is somewhere you’re comfortable with, and
can feasibly perform future counts in the years to come.
WHEN to survey for the Halloweed Count?
October 22nd
through November 6th, which is a week before to a week after
Halloween.
WHAT to survey?
All invasive and
non-native species that you think are having an ecological effect in the
area. Though invasive plants are the focus of the original Halloweed
Count, invasive animals can be tracked by FNAI in the EDDMapS/I’ve Got 1 app as
well, for those of you who can ID critters on the fly. The Florida
Natural Areas Inventory is also interested in cogongrass in Florida, so if
there is a stretch of highway you know that has cogongrass on it, you can
document its occurrence along a distinct stretch of the highway.
Additional Resources
Attached to this email
are ID sheets for the EDRR and Watch species, and a flyer promoting the 2016
Halloweed Count. Feel free to forward this email to any who would be
interested in participating in the Halloweed Count.
Feel free to contact me
(email preferable, Dexter.Sowell@FreshFromFlorida.com) with any questions you have. Also contact me if
you plan on participating in the Halloweed Count, so I can know where folks are
performing counts, or if you would like direction from me as to where to count.
I have numerous other ID sheets for the individual species if you’d
like more reference information on the EDRR & Watch species, too many to
attach to this email, but I can send you if you email me for them.
Again, feel free to contact me with further
questions,
Dexter
Dexter Sowell
Biological
Scientist
Florida Forest
Service
Florida Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services
**Note new contact info below**
(239)
690-8032
(239)
690-8002 Fax
Dexter.Sowell@FreshFromFlorida.com
Caloosahatchee Forestry Center
10941 Palm Beach
Blvd
Fort Myers,
FL 33905
www.FreshFromFlorida.com
Please
note that Florida has a broad public records law (Chapter 119, Florida
Statues).
Most
written communications to or from state employees are public records obtainable
by
the pubic upon request. Emails sent to me at this email address may be
considered
public
and will only be withheld from disclosure if deemed confidential pursuant to
the
laws
of the State of Florida.
