Taylor Slough - Everglades National Park
Trees, rocks and solution holes- A slough like Shark
Slough, smaller yet critical...
Taylor Slough is the main source of freshwater for Florida Bay and
once provided essential habitat for Everglades plant and animal
communities. However, significant overdrainage has reduced water
levels over historic conditions. As a result, fires have increased,
plant communities and animal habitats have been degraded,
non-native tree species have invaded marshes and the freshwater
supply of Florida Bay has been greatly reduced.
(Numbers on photo correspond to images
below. Click on any image for a full-sized version.)
The critical issues are:
- Its headwaters located next to the L-31W canal and levee.
Taylor Slough has been over-drained for decades.
- Trees have spread from uplands, replacing marsh.
- Exotic plants have greatly expanded, threatening natural
ecosystems.
- Excessive fire destroys soils and tree islands.
- Solution holes once harbored aquatic plants and animals
but drainage has dried them out.
- System function has been lost- flows to Florida Bay,
support of wading birds, habitat for high species diversity.
Managers need to know:
- What are values of Taylor Slough beyond a water delivery
system to Florida Bay?
- What are indicators and yardsticks of restoration success?
Taylor Slough 1979
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Taylor Slough 1997
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Scientists seek to answer:
- What hydrological regime is needed to regain solution
hole function, and reverse changes in vegetation and exotic species invasion
- What is a science-based restoration goal?
- How can fire be used as a restoration tool?
- Can Taylor Slough's full system function ever be regained?
Next: Pinelands, Fire, and Biodiversity
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal Geology
This page is: http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/rooms/wild_wet_eco/river_grass/taylorsloughp.html
Comments and suggestions? Contact: Heather Henkel - Webmaster
Last updated: 11 October, 2002 @ 09:42 PM
(KP)
