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Get more FWC news: Marine Fisheries Hot Sheets | FWC Weekly Reports to Gov. Scott
 Inside This Issue
By Claire Sunquist Blunden, Stakeholder Coordinator, Imperiled Species Management Planning
The Imperiled Species Management Planning effort is well underway. Beginning in 2012 and continuing through 2015, the FWC is introducing species action plans and integrated conservation strategies as part of the Imperiled Species Management Plan for 60 species on Florida’s Threatened Species list. A State Wildlife Grant provides funding for additional staffing and other resources for this five-year project, which includes planning for the development and implementation of the imperiled species management plan.
The Species Action Plans, which describe individual species threats and conservation needs, have undergone extensive internal and external review. After more than a year of hard work, all 49 final draft plans have been completed and are available on our external SharePoint site and on MyFWC.com. This effort has involved more than 100 FWC employees, as well as input from partners and stakeholders. We want to thank everyone who contributed to this effort and made this happen!
 Three of the 60 species covered by the 49 final draft plans (L-R): American oystercatcher (FWC photo by Alex Kropp), burrowing owl (FWC photo by Patrick Delaney), Florida pinesnake (FWC photo by Kevin Enge).
Internal teams are now developing Integrated Conservation Strategies that address common threats and needs for multiple species to achieve efficiencies, as well as align current and future resources. These strategies will be described in five chapters in the final plan: Habitat Conservation and Management, Research and Monitoring, Incentives and Influencing, Law and Policy and Education and Outreach. Each chapter will take into account climate adaptation considerations related to the described strategies.
A summary of the Species Action Plans and the Integrated Conservation Strategies will make up part of the final Imperiled Species Management Plan. The final plan will also include rule change references and permitting requirements, prioritization of strategies and actions, impact assessments, funding sources, revision schedule and plans for implementation, progress monitoring and adaptive management. The final plan will be released as draft in fall 2014 and will be brought to the Commission for final approval in spring 2015.
Visit MyFWC.com/Imperiled and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for more information.
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Contractors will soon be installing a fire-sprinkler system in the attic of the FWC’s Bryant Building headquarters in Tallahassee. Like many attics, ours was jam-packed: with old furniture, obsolete equipment and paper files – lots and lots of paper files.
 Before any work could begin, a massive attic cleanup and purge operation was necessary. William “Doc” Dockery, head of Office Operations in the Finance & Budget Office, led the effort.
Divisions and offices properly disposed of unneeded equipment and separated paper items for shredding and recycling (following record-retention protocol, of course). When they were done,
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7.5 tons of paper had been shredded,
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1.4 tons of garbage had been hauled off, and
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1.9 tons of paper and cardboard had been recycled.
The recycle bin is nearly full again, so that last figure will continue to climb.
With 10.8 tons removed from the attic, there was joking as to whether the Bryant Building would spring back up a bit from its foundation.
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By Mary Truglio, Habitat & Species Conservation
 Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative (FWLI) funded a valuable coral reef mapping project through the State Wildlife Grants Program from 2007-2012. FWLI congratulates Dr. Brian Walker and David Gilliam from Nova Southeastern University for their recent publication on this work.
The marine benthic habitats in Martin County were mapped using a high-resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technique approach. The area of interest covered approximately 350 km² of seafloor from shore to the 30 m depth contour. Image-based analyses in deeper water were not useful due to poor water clarity; therefore, the high-resolution (4 m) LIDAR bathymetric survey was conducted to image the sea floor.
The maps created from this project provide critical information needed to understand the extent of the coral reef habitat throughout Martin County and the southeast Florida region. They enable managers to enforce impact-avoidance and assist in the development of action strategies to conserve reef resources for future generations.
Walker is “very excited about this paper as it is the first of its kind to bring attention to these northern reefs and sheds light on the latitudinal changes in coral communities we see in our region.”
“Determining the extent and characterizing coral reef habitats of the northern latitudes of the Florida Reef Tract (Martin County)” was recently published in PLOS ONE, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal, and is available online at plosone.org.
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At the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, scientific research and information synthesis are accomplished through the cooperative efforts of five core groups:
- Marine Fisheries Research,
- Freshwater Fisheries Research,
- Wildlife Research,
- Ecosystem Assessment and Restoration, and
- Information Science and Management.
The 2013-2014 edition of Programs of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute provides an overview of our major programs to enhance understanding of the scope and purpose of the technical information we produce. The document also provides budget information, as well as listings of publications and partnerships for the current fiscal year.
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 By Gov. Rick Scott
With our unemployment rate below the national average and more private sector jobs being created every month, Floridians across the state are enjoying the benefits of our recent economic turnaround. Thanks in part to the hard work of our public servants, Florida’s economic success is joined by safer communities, a growing tourism industry and the lowest unemployment rate since August 2008, at 6.7 percent.
In November we announced that crime in Florida during the first six months of 2013 dropped 5.2 percent compared to the first six months of 2012. With these numbers, Florida is continuing on the path to reaching a 43-year-low crime rate. Florida’s success in reaching these historic lows would not be possible without the bravery and hard work of Florida’s law enforcement officials and public servants. Thanks to their commitment to keeping our homes and communities safe, Florida continues to be a great place to work, live and a raise a family.
We also recently announced that according to VISIT FLORIDA’s preliminary estimates, Florida reached another record quarter for tourism. From July through September, 22.9 million visitors came to Florida, which is the largest third quarter visitation in Florida’s history.
The success of Florida’s economic turnaround is reflected in our dropping crime statistics and rising tourism. With the help of Florida’s public servants, we will continue to work until every family has the opportunity to live their version of the American Dream in the Sunshine State. It's working in Florida.
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On 137 occasions in 2013, citizens and coworkers were so impressed by the efforts of FWC staff, they wanted to let us know about it – primarily through the “Praise an Employee” page of MyFWC.com/Contact. Here are the latest examples:
Kenny Barker (HGM), Kelly Langston (FYCCN) - "... led my son and nine other youths, plus the adults, on a hunt at the St. Marks NWR ... The volunteers that they gathered to act as guides and mentors were outstanding ... The examples they set regarding understanding and following the hunting regulations; understanding the role of the hunter in today's ecosystem; appreciating that not all people embrace hunting and how to respond to that, proper hunting, harvesting and hands-on preparation; and most important strict adherence to safety were great ..."
Andrea Boliek (HSC) - "Andrea was sent out after having my car bumper ripped off by a bear. She was very helpful, very insightful and gave many helpful suggestions. Thank you!"
Officer Rod Boone - "... we had an uninvited hunter trespassing and kill a doe on the family farm ... I appreciate his assistance and professional handling of the situation. No wonder he is well-respect by the community and those that hunt and fish in the area. FWC as an agency and our society benefit from people of his character and dedication."
Officer Bernie Bresie, Investigator Damon Saunders - "... I was very lucky that they agreed to come and speak with my students. They went so far above and beyond our expectations!!! These two were absolutely fantastic! ... I had parents contacting me the day after the event saying how much fun their student had and learned so much about the animals. These guys were a HUGE hit, and again they did all of this on their own time ..."
Jenny Novak (HSC) - "... thanks a million for your outstanding presentation on detecting and reporting Burmese pythons. It was very enlightening and informative. I thoroughly enjoyed it and know all the folks in the audience did, too. Your presentation helped make this year's festival the big success that it was. We were very fortunate to have you ..."
Mike Orlando (HSC) - "... Not only has he educated the community but he has provided great information and positive support for bears of this region who are becoming increasingly homeless as building and developers continue to ruin their landscape. I wanted to say a big Thank You to Mike Orlando for all he is doing for the bears, for the community and for raising awareness that, they too, have a place in this world and it is becoming very difficult for them to survive."
Katie Purcell (LE) - "... The most recent piece by Katie Purcell about the military/law enforcement connection in FWC was very educational. The duck hunter rescue was impressive. Not only was the topic timely and well defined, but it built confidence in the personnel who are in the field working for conservation, wildlife and the resource users of Florida."
Jennifer Saranzak (MFM) - "... led a 'Women's Fishing Clinic,' and it was one of the best clinics/seminars that I have ever attended! Jennifer's preparation and attention to detail made this a wonderful experience for everyone! She was well organized, presented and explained all topics in a thorough and timely manner and on top of everything else, she had a great sense of humor."
Investigator William Stiffler - "I was attending the National Reptile Breeders Expo assisting a vendor friend in a booth. I overheard Officer Stiffler check records and licenses in the adjacent booth. His findings identified a violation and a missing inventory ... described the penalty possible but chose to issue a warning, as the offender truly appeared to have the correct intention. Officer Stiffler was informative and professional ... a great ambassador for FWC who gets results by deciding when and how to enforce the rules and provides excellent education that encourages compliance ..."
Eddie White (L&P) - "I called with a question about WMAs in my area NW FL and Eddie was extremely polite, professional, and took the time to explain the different regs and dates for me. Much appreciated!!"
Division of Law Enforcement - "Just read Katie's article "Protecting Paradise" This was a great reminder of the double and triple duty that many of our military personnel accomplish for our country. Thanks so much for the reminder, and double thanks to those that serve in these vital positions!"
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The Division of Freshwater Fisheries Mgt. presented its annual employee awards recently. Congratulations to the following:
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Shirley Dowda – Superior Achievement Award
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Gary Byerley – Superior Achievement Award
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Darrel Andrews – Outstanding Service Award
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2012 Divisional Meeting Planning Committee (Darrel Andrews, Bill Arnold, Vance Crain, Dustin Everitt, Eric Johnson, Nicole Kierl, Eddie Leonard and Josh Sakmar) – Personal Initiative Award
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(Editor's note: The FWC has a great many non-FTE employees, and they deserve recognition for reaching 5-year milestones too. Unfortunately, the system doesn't keep track of such statistics; but we don't want that to stop us. If you know of a non-FTE employee about to reach a 5-year milestone, please have his/her section leader notify the Inside Job by email.)
Congratulations to the following employees for reaching 5-year milestones of employment with the FWC. Numbers in parentheses indicate total state service, if different.
35 Years
Robert Eisenhauer – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
30 Years
Harry Grier – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
25 Years
Jeffrey Gouveia – Law Enforcement
Joseph O'Hop Jr. – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
20 Years
Terry Doonan – Habitat & Species Conservation
15 Years
Chad Albritton – Law Enforcement
Michael Andriano – Law Enforcement
James Armstrong – Law Enforcement
Richard Benedict – Hunting & Game Mgt.
Nathan Birge – Law Enforcement
Tina Brackins – Law Enforcement
Patty Busby – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Erasmo Castaneda – Law Enforcement
Felix Collazo – Law Enforcement
Kendrick Dack – Law Enforcement
Benjamin Eason – Law Enforcement
Thomas Eason – Habitat & Species Conservation
Travis Franklin – Law Enforcement
Clay Huff – Law Enforcement
Bryan Humphries – Law Enforcement
Douglas Loyed – Law Enforcement
Randy McDonald – Law Enforcement
Eric Meade – Law Enforcement
Dennis Palmer – Law Enforcement
Avery Tubbs – Law Enforcement
10 Years
Rene' Baumstark – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
William Bibby – Finance & Budget (22 years, 1 month)
Keith Fischer – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Philip Horning – Law Enforcement
Jason Huckabee – Habitat & Species Conservation
James Kidney – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Dennis McClure – Law Enforcement
Kristin Rogers – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Gina Russo – Marine Fisheries Mgt.
Damon Saunders – Law Enforcement
Amanda Sharp – Law Enforcement
Christopher Tucker – Habitat & Species Conservation (19 years)
5 Years
Joshua Agee – Habitat & Species Conservation
Andrea Alden – Habitat & Species Conservation
Jennifer Bernatis – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Sidney Berry – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Wendy Dial – Community Relations
Randall Hart – Law Enforcement
Dean Kelly – Law Enforcement
Amber Malloy – Law Enforcement (5 years, 3 months)
Don Meurlot – Law Enforcement
Justin Morgan – Law Enforcement
Susan Murphy – Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Debra Schweinsberg – Finance & Budget (16 years, 11 months)
Richard Sweat – Law Enforcement
William Ward – Law Enforcement
And "Congratulations; we're jealous" to the following retirees:
James Garrison – 34 years, 9 months (Habitat & Species Conservation)
Chip Leavine – 26 years, 6 months (Law Enforcement)
Wendy Nakamaru – 7 years, 9 months (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)
Rita Meng – 6 years, 8 months (Information Technology)
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