Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The restoration guidelines that the Institute for Regional Conservation developed
for the project functioned as a restoration plan. The peer-reviewed guidelines pro-
vided the level of detail needed to develop work plans, generate funding proposals,
and direct volunteer efforts effectively. It contained sections on the natural and cul-
tural resources of the park, planting specifications by community type, invasive spe-
cies control, nursery operations, protection and enhancement of rare species, and ad-
ditional considerations, such as the role of fire in the ecosystem. One of the most
useful elements of the guide was a matrix listing plant taxa by community type, layer,
density, and appropriate range for seed source. It was the go-to table, not only critical
to developing restoration specifications but important as a monitoring and evaluation
tool as well (Gann 1995).
The Advocacy Board played a vital role in getting approval for the use of the Amer-
ican Littoral Society's restoration guidelines. The group of community advocates fa-
cilitated dialogue between the various FPS departments working on different aspects
of the project and provided a vehicle for input into the restoration process. Chaired by
a respected local author, members included park biologists, a county naturalist, non-
profit executives, representatives from local conservation groups, county personnel
working on mangrove restoration, and the endangered species curator from Fairchild
Tropical Gardens. A member of the
Miami Herald
's editorial board was always invited
and frequently sat in on meetings. While some members were skilled in politics and
community outreach, a biological review committee was established to provide feed-
back on the state's management plan for Cape Florida, to evaluate the volunteer res-
toration guidelines as they were developed, and to provide the scientific expertise to
raise the standards of restoration performance. By 1995, the
Cape Florida Project Vol-
unteer Restoration Manual
was completed and program development was well under
way.
The
Cape Florida Project Volunteer Restoration Manual
was an astonishing docu-
ment for its time. In the early 1990s, ecological restoration was still considered highly
experimental. The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), formed in 1988, was a
young organization and its
Guidelines for Developing and Managing Ecological Res-
toration Projects
would not be published for another five years (Clewell, Rieger, and
Munro 2000). Gaining acceptance for the guidelines was no small feat, but proved
crucial to moving the project forward.
Involving the Community through Program Development
Involving the community in the park's restoration had been identified as a goal of the
Cape Florida Project early on. Through local foundation grants, the American Lit-
toral Society hired a project director to oversee nonprofit operations and public out-
reach. The society also provided start-up funding to the FPS for a restoration ecologist
and partial funding for a horticulturalist. The project began with a map of plant com-
munities, an on-site plant nursery, an approved species list, a small restoration staff,
and, later, restoration guidelines.
A needs assessment determined that volunteers would primarily focus on invasive
