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.

.