Summary of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge 2004 Science Workshop

Prepared by: Laura A. Brandt, A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, January 2005

Executive Summary

(Note: entire PDF is available for download below)

In May 2004, a science workshop was held with the purpose of provid ing a forum for discussing A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge science needs as well as providing an overview of research already being conducted on the refuge. Objectives of the workshop included: making a broader audience aware of the mana gement issues on the refuge that need science support; illustrating current research on the refuge, and opportunities for others to conduct research on the refuge; and beginning (or continuing) dialog among researchers and refuge staff to provide a foundation for future collaboration and partnerships. The workshop consisted of plenary sessions, a poster session, and several breakout sessions. Over 60 people from eleven different groups attended. All who responded to the evaluation questionnaire indicated that the workshop met the stated objectives and that they would definitely (20) or probably (1) come to next years workshop.

The plenary provided background about the refuge and described general management needs. The poster session provided information to researchers on current research and monitoring at the refuge being conducted by refuge staff and others. The breakout sessions (General, Water Management, Lygodium) provided a forum for more structured discussions and resulted in information on what studies are being done that might help to address refuge management needs, and what additional studies were needed. In all cases, the information compiled provides a starting point for better addressing refuge science needs. Summaries provided here should be used by managers and researchers to facilitate future discussions.

In addition to providing information that can be expanded upon to meet needs at A.R.M. Loxahatchee NWR, the workshop provided valuable information on developing and conducting future workshops. The most substantive comments revolved around workshop content. It was clear from the comments that more information should be provided to the participants, facilitators, and note-takers on refuge goals and objectives, and on the desired outcomes of the breakout sessions. In addition, in future workshops, more time may be necessary to answer multiple focus questions and it may be better to more narrowly focus topics for discussion in order to achieve specific objectives and products.

The information gathered in this workshop will be presented at the 2005 A.R.M. Loxahatchee NWR Science Workshop. The 2005 workshop will be general in nature with the objective of providing a forum for communication. Additional workshops may be scheduled as follow ups to issues relating to water management and Lygodium discussed at the 2004 workshop. In addition, the lessons learned will be applied to development of workshops to address management oriented science needs at other refuges. It is anticipated that a workshop revolving around hydrologic issues at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge will be conducted in 2005.

Download PDF of entire summary report (1.5 MB) (You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the file.)

Table of Contents:

• Executive Summary
• Overview
• Program and Abstracts
• Session Summaries
• Recommendations for future workshops
• Appendix 1. Background for general session. Research and Investigations from 2003 Annual Narrative.
• Appendix 2. Background and management issues from A.R.M. Loxahathcee NWR 2004-2009 Inventory, Monitoring, and Research Plan.
• Appendix 3. Background for water management session. Biological indicators and Water management poster.
• Appendix 4. Background for Lygodium session. A.R.M. Loxahatchee NWR Lygodium management and Lygodium maintenance control diagram.
• Appendix 5. List of pre-registered attendees
• Appendix 6. Summary of evaluation forms

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