Date: March 11, 2000
To: Florida
Bay HTL Researchers
From: Joan Browder
Thanks for participating in our recent Higher
Trophic Levels Meeting. We hope you
will help us put together an integrated approach to describing and conducting
HTL Science for Florida Bay. Over the
next few months, we must put together an HTL Science Plan, as well as planning
an integrated HTL presentation for the 2001 Florida Bay Science
Conference. Your input is needed to
help determine the freshwater flow needs of Florida Bay and to prepare a strong
scientific rationale for those needs to the planning groups and managers
involved in the Comprehensive Plan for Ecological Restoration of South Florida
(through reconfiguring the Central and Southern Florida [water management] Project).
Attached are materials that I hope will
provide more perspective on performance measures and why they are needed for
Higher Trophic Levels. These include
(1) the performance-based conceptual model that has been prepared for Florida
Bay by the PMC and a group of willing experts for use in the Restudy and (2) a
matrix of performance measures that were used in the Restudy.
Indicators and performance measures provide
the vital link between the understanding achieved through research conducted in
Florida Bay and planning and implementation activities occurring in the
Comprehensive Review Study of the Central and Southern Florida [Water
Management] Project. Performance
measures were used in the initial phases of the Review Study in the formulation
and selection of a “preferred” plan among several alternatives. Monitoring programs designed to monitor the
effects of implemented projects at every stage in the implementation process
will be developed based on performance measures. Performance measures will be used to improve the Project
throughout the design and implementation process. Performance measures are the variables that will be carefully
watched to ensure that the project is achieving expected results and not having
unforeseen consequences. The planning and design groups pay attention to areas
and entities for which performance measures are available and ignore everything
else. You may find this hard to
believe, but I have been involved in the process for over 5 years and I can
assure you that it is so. It is really
important to have good performance measures for Florida Bay and to get them
into the planning, implementation, and monitoring process.
To be sure, performance measures developed in
the absence of “understanding” aren’t worth very much, probably won’t help the
Bay, and may even harm it.
Furthermore, thankfully, they probably won’t endure in the restoration
process. Developing an understanding
the processes and communities of the Bay and how they are affected by fresh
water inflow and other variables should be the objective of all our
research. But, in order for this
information to be communicated to others, we need to think in terms of
performance measures.
For research in the South Florida Restoration
Initiative to be relevant it has to be linked to the planning and
implementation process of the C&SF Restoration process. The link is through performance
measures. It is important for you to be
able to define performance measures based on your research or show how your
research will enhance the understanding or development of certain performance
measures. Performance measures are
always in terms of an indicator–preferably, a biological indicator.
The PMC has told us what is needed from us
for the next Florida Bay Science Symposium.
At the meeting we proposed a
time line of products and due dates on how to get there. I have modified this slightly to ensure that
we can build on each product. I hope it
will work with your schedule. Please
let us know. The proposed September
meeting date is approximate and can be firmed up this summer when we all know
our fall schedules better.
Please try to think of your project in terms
of how it is linked to an overall Florida Bay HTL Science Program, in terms of
performance measures, and in terms of the available conceptual models that
relate to HTL research in Florida Bay.
Help us see it in that context by providing to us the information
requested in the following list of suggested meeting and due dates
Suggested Meeting and Due Dates
March 15, 2000 Comments
on Science Panel Report
March 20, 2000 Ideas for
incorporation into new HTL model diagram
March 31, 2000 Strawman
HTL model diagram to be distributed for further input
April 15, 2000 Draft
new HTL model prepared from strawman and comments to be distributed.
April 30, 2000 Provide
a diagrammatic and written perspective on your project that includes : internal linkages and links to other
projects. Relate to the overarching HTL
conceptual model diagram. Relate to
draft new conceptual model diagram.
Also relate to the standing Florida Bay Conceptual Model that was
prepared by the PMC. Articulate the
biological indicators and performance measures that are being developed in your
Project or supported by your project..
May 31, 2000 Final model
diagram completed with concensus (phone conference?)
June 30, 2000 Revise
your Project Context Diagram and write-up based on final model diagram.
September 15, 2000 Draft HTL
Integrated Strategic Plan
October 15, 2000 HTL
Mini-conference
January 15, 2001 HTL
Project Progress Reports
March 1, 2001 Visuals
for presentation, as requested by presenter
April, 2001 Integrated
1-hr presentation on HTL program and results at next Florida Bay
Conference. Posters on individual
projects.
.