The Croc Docs
American Alligator Distribution, Size, and Hole Occupance and American Crocodile Juvenile Growth and Survival
Information
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) as a framework for modifications and operational changes to the Central and Southern Florida Project needed to restore the south Florida ecosystem. Provisions within WRDA 2000 provide for specific authorization of an adaptive assessment and monitoring program. A Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) has been developed as the primary tool to assess the sustem-wide performance of the CERP by the REstoration, COordination and VERification (RECOVER) program. The MAP presents the monitoring and supporting enhancement of scientific information and technology needed to measure the responses of the South Florida ecosystem.
The project objectives are separated by species. The objectives for alligators are: 1) Design and develop a monitoring program for relative distribution, size (condition), nesting and hole occupancy rates of the American alligator in response to CERP projects as specified in the MAP. The monitoring program and procedures developed will provide the baseline for future comparisons and an effecive means for evaluating restoration success for the American alligator in the Greater Everglades ecosystem; 2) Monitor changes in alligator populations due to restoration over short (body condition), medium (distribution, hole occupancy) and long (nesting) temporal and spatial scales. The objectives for crocodiles are: 1) Design and develop a monitoring program for growth and survival of crocodiles in areas that will be affected by CERP projects; 2) Surveys for crocodiles will be conducted as expressed in the MAP following methods described by Mazzotti and Cherkiss (2003). Monitoring surveys will be separated into subtasks based on geographic area. In all areas, crocodile surveys and monitoring will include nesting effort and success and will focus on growth and survival of juvenile crocodiles.
The project objectives are separated by species. The objectives for alligators are: 1) Design and develop a monitoring program for relative distribution, size (condition), nesting and hole occupancy rates of the American alligator in response to CERP projects as specified in the MAP. The monitoring program and procedures developed will provide the baseline for future comparisons and an effecive means for evaluating restoration success for the American alligator in the Greater Everglades ecosystem; 2) Monitor changes in alligator populations due to restoration over short (body condition), medium (distribution, hole occupancy) and long (nesting) temporal and spatial scales. The objectives for crocodiles are: 1) Design and develop a monitoring program for growth and survival of crocodiles in areas that will be affected by CERP projects; 2) Surveys for crocodiles will be conducted as expressed in the MAP following methods described by Mazzotti and Cherkiss (2003). Monitoring surveys will be separated into subtasks based on geographic area. In all areas, crocodile surveys and monitoring will include nesting effort and success and will focus on growth and survival of juvenile crocodiles.
