WCA - Everglades Conditions Update

(June 10, 2008)

 

Rainfall:

Rainfall was light, less than an inch, throughout the Everglades (see attached raindar.gif).  A high average pan evaporation of 1.84” produced a net loss of moisture this week.

 

WCA-1:          0.39”               WCA-3A:        0.32”

WCA-2A:       0.23”               WCA-3B:        0.28”

WCA-2B:       0.61”               ENP:                0.82”

 

Water Conservation Areas:

Stages are declining throughout the WCA’s.  Although it is the beginning of the rainy season, good recession rates and water depths exist in the Everglades for wading bird foraging (see attached WCA Stages.xls).  Water depths are generally between 0.5’ and 1.0’ except for WCA-2A (0.26’) and WCA-2B (1.19’).  Stages are currently slightly above regulation in WCA-1, above regulations in WCA-2A, and slightly below regulation in WCA-3A (see Reg Schedule.doc).

 

Fire:

Three fires have been reported in Holey Land in the last 24 hours.  See attached maps (Fire1.jpg and Fire2.jpg) for their locations.

 

Everglades National Park:

Rainfall was patchy across Everglades National Park and Florida Bay last week with heavier rains toward the central and western areas of ENP.  The 7 day accumulations for wetland and marine stations measured between 0.02 – 1.8” and 0 – 1.1”, respectively.  The basin-wide spatially-averaged weekly RAINDAR totals (see Raindar.gif) were 1.3” in the ENP basin and 0.4” in the C-111 basin.

 

In response to the spatial pattern of rainfall, ENP wetland water levels (see Stages.pdf) were relatively stable or dropped slightly last week.  The water level was unchanged at SRS (station P33) and increased slightly by 0.1” in the panhandle (station EVER6) over the week.  To the east, water level saw declines of 1.8” at Taylor Slough Bridge (not an unusual recession rate at this station) and 0.2” south at Craighead Pond.

 

Salinity in Florida Bay (see Salinity.pdf) generally increased as result of persisting low rainfall and high evaporation.  Concentrations increased slightly, remaining in the middle to upper 30s across most of northeast Florida Bay.  In the Taylor Ponds, salinity continued to climb for another week, reaching the upper 30s at Pond 5 (USGS station) and Argyle Hendry (ENP station TR).  As of Sunday, 6/8, the 30 day moving average concentration at Taylor River (used for tracking the Florida Bay MFL criterion) was at 33.5 psu, up from 32.1 psu last week.  In the north central Bay areas, salinity increased through mid-week into the upper 40s before dropping back into the low 40s by week’s end in McCormick Creek, yet remained elevated in the upper 40s in Terrapin Bay.  Exceptions to the upward trend in salinity were seen at the central Bay station in Whipray Basin where salinity decreased slightly but remained in the mid 40s.  Additionally to the west in Shark River Slough (Tarpon Bay platform), salinity decreased slightly but remained in the middle to upper teens.

 

Wildlife:

The District is no longer flying the CHIP plots, so there is little to report from the WCAs.  The 200 or so nestlings at Colony 73 (in southeastern WCA-1) appear to be doing well, despite the food extraction visits.  Now averaging about 35 days old, the fledglings are beginning to fly short distances.

 

Even though there has been little activity of nesting birds in Everglades National Park this season, flights over the colonies indicated activity only in the following locations:

 

Paurotis Pond:

White Ibis are brooding small young. There appear to be fewer Ibis than the last flight but there are still at least 300 nesting pairs. New birds were nesting in the rear corner of the pond and appeared to be Snowy Egrets and Ibis, producing a total estimate of upwards of 400 nesting birds.  Little Blue and Tricolored Herons appeared in the colony, both on the island and rear corner.

 

Alligator Bay:

Numbers have increased slightly. Total numbers of Ibis and Snowy Egrets appear to be ~500 or more. Numerous Tricolored and Little Blue Herons are flying to and from the colony.

 

Frank Key:

~10 Great Egrets are still roosting in the colony and about 25 Brown Pelican nests are still active. Some pelicans were brooding large white young.  Most nests are now empty. No other birds were seen.

 

Biscayne Bay National Park:  ~300 White Ibis, Great and Snowy Egrets, and Great White Herons combined were seen on West Arsenicker Key in Biscayne Bay. They seem to be roosting but might be nesting under the very thick canopy (couldn’t determine this). Great White Herons were previously nesting on this island but appear to be finished.

 

The next flight is scheduled toward the end of the month. For more information, contact Lori Oberhofer at Everglades National Park (Email: Lori_Oberhofer@nps.gov)

 

 


 

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