POSTER: Evaluating the Hydrological Restoration of the Picayune Strand State Forest using Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators
Research Mentor: Dr. Edwin Everham
Additional Authors: David Ceilley
Abstract:
The Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) lies within the bounds of the former Southern Golden Gate Estates (SGGE), East of Naples, Florida, Collier County. SGGE was intended to be a residential community in the 1950s under the Gulf American Corporation: roads and channelization were implemented for the purpose of development. The objective of PSRP is to restore historic hydrology. Our project is to monitor the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities for species indicators of ecosystem compositional change, as well as to determine convergence between restored and reference sites with a divergence from the impacted sites. Aquatic macroinvertebrate data collection is currently taking place on 19 sites using D-frame dip nets. Eight reference sites are within the bounds of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (FSPSP) and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (FPNWR). The remaining 11 sites are distributed across the PSRP to include both restored and impacted sites. We will compare data among the sampling sites to determine changes in composition and dominance in aquatic fauna communities resulting from hydrologic and topographic restoration. The PSRP may provide insight toward the entire Comprehensive Everglades restoration Project (CERP).