1999 Base Line Report for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Table of Contents. Introduction... 1

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2 Table of Contents Introduction Lake Okeechobee Phosphorus Levels St. Lucie Estuary Oyster Beds St. Lucie Estuary Phosphorus Levels Lake Okeechobee and East Coast Water Supply Restrictions Florida Bay and Gulf Coast Roseate Spoonbills Everglades Tree Islands Total Wetland System Wood Storks Florida Bay Seagrass Beds Fresh Water Lost to Tide Commercial Pink Shrimp Harvest on the Tortugas Summary... 24

3 Introduction Issued: May 2000 A newly created Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) has been designed for the restoration of the greater Everglades and to meet water supply and flood protection needs in the urban and agricultural regions of south Florida. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will be implemented over the next 30 years with joint support from the State of Florida and the Federal Government. The magnitude of the restoration program and the political and financial commitment that will be needed to see it through to completion require that the people of Florida and the nation be regularly informed on the progress being made towards meeting the plan s goals and targets. To provide this measure of success throughout the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, an annual CERP Report Card will be issued. The primary objectives of the Report Card are to describe how the natural and human systems are responding to the influences of the Comprehensive Plan, and to explain why the observed responses are occurring. To meet these objectives, the Report Card will use a set of key indicators of environmental health for both natural and human systems in south Florida as a way of informing the public and decision-makers on the success of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The Report Card will provide an annual grade for the condition of each of the key indicators as a means of tracking the progress of the Comprehensive Plan. These grades will be based on assessments of the status of each of the key indicators during each year of the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. These assessments are compared to historical and pre-project conditions, and to the targets set by the plan. For some key indicators one or more interim or benchmark targets may also be shown. These benchmark targets have been established to show the level of improvements that are expected at appropriate intervals during the implementation of the plan. The following document describes in more detail the format for the Report Card. It also describes an initial set of ten key indicators of success that are being proposed for inclusion in the annual Report Card. As a means for illustrating this format, and to explain the significance of the initial set of proposed key indicators, the base line (i.e., pre-cerp) status and trends for each of these key indicators is described below using the same format as will be used in the Report Card. The initial set of key indicators used to illustrate the Report Card have been selected from a much larger number of technical performance measures used by the Restudy team to design and evaluate the Comprehensive Plan. Overall, the key indicators will show how the natural and human systems are responding to the changes brought about by the Comprehensive Plan. The specific criteria that were used for selecting these initial key indicators were that each must, (1) measure an element of the natural or human system that the Comprehensive Plan is expected to improve, (2) reflect 1

4 the overall health of all or a portion of the regional system, and (3) be an element of the regional system that is both important and relevant to the public and decision-makers. The annual report card will briefly review the status of the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, and will include a separate report for each key indicator. An introductory section will review the progress that has been made in implementing each of the scheduled components of the plan. Each key indicator report will provide information under four headings: Comprehensive Plan Target, Significance and Background, Recent Status and Trends, and Indicator Grade. These four sections, respectively, will briefly describe, (1) the final and interim target(s) that have been established for each key indicator, (2) the rationale for selecting the indicator as representative of a region or subregion of south Florida, (3) the historical and current conditions for the key indicator, and (4) the current grade for the key indicator. The annual grade provided for each indicator can be used to make comparisons among years in the progress of the plan in improving the environmental health for the regions of south Florida that are destined to be improved by the Comprehensive Plan. The condition of each key indicator will be graded as green, yellow, or red. A grade of green means that the condition of the key indicator has reached or closely approached its planned target; yellow means that the health of the indicator is degraded and that recovery is either uncertain or has not reached the target; and red means that the indicator is seriously degraded and is showing little or no recovery. Other influences besides those produced by the Comprehensive Plan will be affecting the key indicators. These influences include short-term events such as hurricanes and other exceptional weather events. Long-term events will also influence the success of the Comprehensive Plan. Long term events may include the effects from sea level rise along our coasts, unpredicted changes in human population demographics, and the effects from unnatural patterns of fire and the stresses caused by exotic plants and animals. The role that these outside influences have on the success of the Comprehensive Plan will be assessed in the annual report cards, as these influences become better known. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Report Card will be issued annually as a product of the multi-agency RECOVER team. It is anticipated that the Report Card will contain a larger number of key indicators than are included in this initial base line report. Additional key indicators will be selected to provide improved balance among the restoration targets that have been established for the natural and human systems by the Comprehensive Plan. The final number of indicators may number between The 1999 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Base Line Report The initial base line report for the Comprehensive Plan is for the year This base line report describes the status and provides a grade for ten key indicators of the 2

5 environmental health of south Florida. These key indicators are, (1) phosphorus levels in Lake Okeechobee, (2) extent of oyster beds in the St. Lucie estuary, (3) phosphorus levels in the St. Lucie estuary, (4) the number of drought-induced water restrictions in the Lake Okeechobee and East Coast Service Areas, (5) number and location of nesting Roseate Spoonbills in Florida Bay and along the southwest Gulf coast, (6) health of tree islands in the Everglades, (7) number of nesting Wood Storks in the total wetland system of south Florida, (8) extent of seagrass beds in Florida Bay, and (9) total volume of freshwater lost to tide annually (10) commercial catch rate for pink shrimp on the Tortugas banks. The color grade (red, yellow, or green) given to each of these indicators for 1999 conditions is shown on the map on the cover of this report card and is summarized at the end of the full report. The basis for each grade is explained in each of the key indicator reports. The initial base line report is being issued prior to the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. The grades for the key indicators shown in this report are for pre- CERP conditions, and as such, show a starting point level of health of natural and human systems in south Florida. These grades should be compared to future grades as a means for measuring the progress made by the Comprehensive Plan in improving the health of these systems and of reaching the restoration targets established by the plan. Comments and questions pertaining to this initial base line report for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan should be directed to jogden@sfwmd.gov and amclean@sfwmd.gov 3

6 Lake Okeechobee Total Phosphorus Concentration Concentration (ppb) Target Year

7 Oysters as a Measure of the Health of the St. Lucie Estuary Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: Increase the areal extent of healthy oyster beds in the St. Lucie Estuary by approximately 4.5 times their current extent. A healthy oyster population in the St. Lucie Estuary is only possible if a more stable salinity regime can be established. The target is based on a with Comprehensive Plan analysis that identified all areas of the estuary with suitable substrate and potentially appropriate salinity ranges to support healthy oyster beds. II. III. IV. Significance and Background: The American oyster is an almost exclusively estuarine bivalve mollusk. Because they are sessile throughout most of their life cycle, they have adapted to a range of conditions. The range of salinity needed to sustain a healthy oyster population varies geographically and seasonally in the estuary. This range is referred to as the salinity envelope. A thriving oyster population indicates that the quantity and timing of freshwater flows into the estuary have been restored. The ecological importance of the oyster is as a filterfeeding primary consumer, as prey for numerous higher consumers, and as a habitat former. Development and modification of the St. Lucie Estuary watershed over the last 100 years has led to the degradation of the estuary by altering the quantity, quality and timing of freshwater entering the waterbody. Large volumes of nutrient laden water along with warm temperatures and long photoperiods during the summer season contribute to ecologically damaging algal blooms. The inability of the waterbody to assimilate this overabundance of algae is compounded by the decreased filtering of the water caused by the low numbers of healthy oysters and other bivalves. Recent Status and Trends: A field survey conducted in 1997 identified approximately 209 acres of oyster beds remaining in the St. Lucie Estuary. Large freshwater discharges from the watershed create stressful conditions for the remaining oysters on an almost annual basis. Regulatory releases from Lake Okeechobee, which can turn the estuary into a virtually freshwater system and kill up to 90% of the remaining oyster beds in the mid-estuary, occur on an average of every 6-7 years. Base Line Indicator Grade: No elements of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan have been implemented, and no increase in oysters has occurred. The oyster grade is red. 6

8 7 Oysters in the St. Lucie Estuary Acreage Historic 1999 Target

9 Phosphorus Loading as a Measure of the Health of the St. Lucie Estuary Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: Approximately 30% of the surfacewater runoff that can be controlled from the St. Lucie Estuary watershed will be treated by facilities constructed by the Restudy. These facilities will reduce the amount of phosphorus in the treated runoff by 80%. The overall result of this treatment will be a target phosphorus load reduction of 24% to the Estuary. The target reduction of loading for the Estuary is 40%, therefore, an additional 16% of the phosphorus loading reduction must be accomplished with the use of Best Management Practices within the watershed. II. III. IV. Significance and Background: The St. Lucie Estuary has had poor water quality for many years as the result of anthropogenic activities including drainage projects and urban and agricultural practices. One indication of this poor water quality is the frequent blooms of algae within the estuary. These algal blooms cause stress and potentially cause death to estuarine biota. It is assumed that an excessive amount of nutrient loading to the Estuary is the major cause of this problem. A target concentration of phosphorus of 90 parts per billion (ppb) has been established at the Roosevelt Bridge and this concentration has been related to the loading of phosphorus from the watershed. It is assumed that if the Comprehensive Plan infra-structure reduces the loading of phosphorus from the watershed that other important nutrients such as nitrogen will also be reduced proportionally. The result of these reductions in nutrients will be reflected in a dramatic reduction in algal blooms and increased water quality in the St. Lucie Estuary. Recent Status and Trends: For the period of record for 1979 to 1998 the average annual loading of phosphorus (529 lbs /1000 ac ft) has been high. These high loadings have resulted in average concentrations of phosphorus of 225 ppb at the Roosevelt Bridge. The trend for the last 20 years has been consistent high loadings. Base Line Indicator Grade: No elements of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan have been implemented, and no decrease in phosphorus has occurred. The phosphorus loading grade for the St. Lucie estuary is red. 8

10 9 Annual Average Pounds of Phosphorus \ 1000 ac ft of Discharge St. Lucie Estuary Phosphorus Loading and Target Loading with Restudy Facilities Year Historical Canal Loading Target Loading Average Target Historical Target Loading

11 Drought-Induced Water Restrictions as a Measure of Urban and Agricultural Water Supply Performance in the Lake Okeechobee and East Coast Areas Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: The planned target is to meet urban and agricultural water supply needs in all years up to and including those years with droughts with a 1-in-10 year return frequency. II. III. IV. Significance and Background: A regional water supply system can be evaluated on how well it meets reasonable and beneficial urban and agricultural demands even in drought years. Although droughts are determined by the amount of rain that falls annually and by the amount of water available in regional water storage facilities, local variations in these two measures make it difficult to define the level of a drought at large regional scales. In 1997, Florida established a water supply planning goal to provide water to all users during droughts up to the level of severity of a 1-in-10 year frequency of occurrence. This requirement has been interpreted to mean that the planning goal should assure at least a 90% probability that during any given year that all of the needs of reasonable, beneficial water uses will be met while also not causing harm to the water resources and related natural environment. Hydrological modeling by the Comprehensive Plan Team predicts that the currently existing regional water management system would not meet the 1-in-10 year target. Recent Status and Trends: For the most recent 19-year period, the regional water supply system was unable to meet all reasonable, beneficial demands, and water use restrictions were imposed, in 5 years in the Lake Okeechobee and Upper East Coast Service Areas, and in 4 years in the Lower East Coast Service Area. Although rainfall deficiencies during some of these years were at levels that were more severe than a 1-in-10 year frequency event, the total number of years with water restrictions was greater than the targeted frequency. Base Line Indicator Grade: Interpretation of the most recent 19-year period of years is made uncertain by the fact that some years during the early 1990s experienced very low rainfall amounts, and by the difficulties in determining the level of a drought at large regional scales. Also, a 19-year period is insufficient to show the full range of water supply conditions that may exist with current management practices. Never-the-less, the 19-year record and the modeling predictions suggest that the current water supply system is not meeting the 1-in-10 year level of service target in some areas. At this time, the uncertainties in assessing water supply performance due to the difficulties in measuring the levels of regional drought, and the identified need for additional storage, prompt an initial water supply grade of yellow. 10

12 11 Water Restrictions in the Lake Okeechobee and East Coast Areas (Water Years - Oct. 1 to Sept. 30) SFWMD Service Area Lake Okeechobee Lower East Coast Upper East Coast X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

13 Roseate Spoonbills as Measures of the Health of Florida Bay and SW Gulf Coast Estuaries Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: The Roseate Spoonbill has a two-part restoration target. (1). Recover and stabilize the Florida Bay nesting population to at least1000 pairs annually distributed throughout the Bay, including doubling of the number of pairs nesting in northeast Florida Bay from the current 125 to 250 pairs. (2). Recover some level of nesting by spoonbills in the coastal zone of the southwestern Gulf coast between Lostman s River and the Caloosahatchee River estuary. II. III. IV. Significance and Background: The Roseate Spoonbill is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Although the number of nesting spoonbills in extreme south Florida increased from 15 pairs in late 1930s to peak of 1254 pairs in 1979, numbers in the 1990s have fluctuated between pairs. Considerable reduction since the late 1970s in the numbers of nesting birds in once-large nesting colonies in northeastern Florida Bay has been due to deterioration in important feeding grounds in mainland estuaries between lower Taylor Slough and Turkey Point. Recovery of nesting in northeastern Florida Bay may depend on more natural flow volumes and patterns of freshwater into adjacent estuaries. Recovery of long-abandoned spoonbill nesting colonies along southwestern Gulf coast is more problematic but freshwater flows necessary to recover historical salinity patterns may be essential. Recent Status and Trends: While lower than the peak number of nesting spoonbills in the late 1970s, the number of nesting birds in Florida Bay has fluctuated in the range of pairs during most of the 1990s, with no obvious trend either of increase or decline. No nesting spoonbills have returned to the southwest Gulf coast. Base Line Indicator Grade: No elements of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan have been implemented, and no improvements in nesting patterns by spoonbills are apparent. The number of spoonbills nesting in extreme south Florida has improved since the 1940s due to protection of nesting colony sites, but the restoration targets have not been reached. The Roseate Spoonbill grade for Florida Bay is yellow. The spoonbill grade for the Gulf coast is red. 12

14 13 Trends in Florida Bay Roseate Spoonbills 2500 Number of Nesting Pairs Target

15 Tree Islands as an Indicator of the Health of the Everglades Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: A tree island health index that varies from zero (death is imminent) to one (completely stress-free) is based on tree island canopy, exotic plant density, and tree growth. The target for Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3 is a health index of 0.90, and a recovery of 90% of the acreage and number of islands present in A benchmark target for the year 2020 is a 20% improvement in the general health index, and no further loss in the total number of tree islands. II. III. IV. Significance and Background: Tree islands occur throughout the Everglades marshes. These islands are small, isolated topographical high spots, which historically have provided essential habitat for a wide variety of terrestrial plants and animals. The islands serve as places of refuge for animals during periods of high water. They are sources of food and cover for wildlife, and provide nesting sites for wading birds and freshwater turtles. Tree islands are highly important to the culture of both the Miccosukkee and Seminole tribes. Hunters, fishermen, and recreational visitors into the Everglades consider tree islands to be symbolic of the health of the entire ecosystem. Because the maximum elevation of the highest tree islands is only slightly above the mean annual maximum water levels in the surrounding marshes, tree islands with their less flood-tolerant vegetation are very sensitive to unnaturally deep water. Water management practices have substantially increased the frequency and duration of unnaturally deep water in Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3, resulting in the loss or degradation of many of the islands. Tree islands also have been destroyed by fires that were set by man or were unnaturally severe because of water management practices. Recent Status and Trends: Comparisons of the number, size and distribution of tree islands between 1940 and 1995 in Water Conservation Area 2A show that only 4 of the original 58 tree islands have survived during these 55 years. Similar comparisons for Water Conservation Areas 3A and 3B show a reduction from 1,041 to 577 tree islands, and a reduction in total acreage of tree island habitat of 61%. Base Line Indicator Grade: High water conditions in 1999 continued to stress tree islands. There is no evidence of recovery of existing tree islands in Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3. The tree island grade for the central Everglades is red. 14

16 YEAR 0 Number of Tree Islands Number of Tree Islands Index of Forest Health? Acres 8,621 Acres 27,570 Acres? Acres? Acres? Acres 8,621 Acres 25,000 Acres Index of Forest Health (0-1) Trends in Health, Number and Acres of Tree Islands in WCA-2A and WCA-3 Note: Historic trends from 1950 to 1985 were estimated. Target

17 Wood Storks as a Measure of the Health of the Total Wetlands System of South Florida Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: Increase the number of pairs of nesting Wood Storks in the Everglades and Big Cypress basins to 4,000 pairs annually. The target is based on the size of the breeding population in 1950s-1960s, a reasonable goal in a region where the total extent of freshwater and estuarine wetlands has been reduced by about one-half. Because of expected lag responses in ecological improvements as more natural water patterns are established, an interim goal is for an annual nesting population of not less than 1,500 pairs by II. Significance and Background: The Wood Stork is listed as endangered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because storks forage extensively throughout the freshwater and estuarine wetlands of south Florida during the annual dry season, this species is an excellent indicator of the ecological health of the total wetland system. The number of nesting birds, and location and timing of nesting, are determined by the success that storks have in capturing small fish throughout the total system. Reduced flows of freshwater into the estuaries, and drainage of shorter hydroperiod and isolated wetlands in the Everglades and Big Cypress basins have caused delays in the initiation of nesting, and forced storks to relocate colony sites. Both of these changes have led to a reduction in numbers of nesting pairs, and to reduced nesting success. Traditional stork colony sites in the southern Everglades mainland estuaries are expected to become re-occupied once historical freshwater flows are recovered. The future of Big Cypress colonies is more problematic because of uncertainties about the long-term future of southwest Florida water resources. III. Recent Status and Trends: The number of nesting storks has been stable at 500-1,000 pairs since about This number is an all-time low for the south Florida stork colonies. IV. Base Line Indicator Grade: No elements of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan have been implemented, and no increase in nesting storks has occurred. The Wood Stork grade is red. 16

18 Target Trends in South Florida Wood Storks Years Everglades Big Cypress Number of Nesting Pairs

19 Seagrass Beds as a Measure of the Health of Florida Bay Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: This estimate of the overall health of seagrass beds in Florida Bay is based on a combination of the area covered by bay seagrass beds and the diversity of species of grasses in these beds. The target is a diverse seagrass community with moderate density of plants. Areas with no seagrass, only one species of seagrass, or extremely dense seagrasses are considered to be of lower quality than diverse, moderately dense beds. The restoration target includes a 65-70% overall coverage of high quality beds throughout the Bay. II. III. IV. Significance and Background: The seagrass beds of Florida Bay are the keystone of the entire Bay ecosystem. They provide critical food and habitat for shrimp, fish, and other estuarine organisms. The grass beds also stabilize the Bay s sediments, thus promoting clear water and helping to minimize ecologically damaging algal blooms. The first quantitative survey of Florida Bay seagrasses in 1984 revealed that the beds were already adversely impacted by the diversion of freshwater flows from the mainland Everglades and other human activities of the Twentieth Century. A large-scale die-off of seagrass started in Recent Status and Trends: Annual seagrass surveys began in Little improvement occurred until , when overall health the seagrass beds was better. The recent improvement included some recovery from the die-off, and was partly due to increased freshwater inflows from the mainland because of high rainfall and to improved water management practices in the C-111 and Taylor Slough basin. Base Line Indicator Grade: The current grade for the Florida Bay seagrass beds is yellow, based on improvements during the past two years including a Bay-wide coverage of approximately 40%. 18

20 19. Percent of sediment covered with high quality seagrass habitat tentative restoration target level % seagrass cover hypothesized natural condition 10 0 ~ Data Courtesy of J.Zieman, M. Durako, M.O. Hall, and J. Fourgurean.

21 Reduction in Volume of Fresh Water Lost to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target. To capture and store most of the excess fresh water currently lost to the ocean and the gulf and deliver it when and where it is needed. This target takes into account the needed flows to estuarine systems. II. Significance and Background. With the existing C&SF Project, the availability of water from regional surface and ground water sources remains relatively constant. The growing demand for inexpensive, high quality water for agriculture, industry, and an increasing population could exceed the limits of readily available sources. When factoring in the needs of the natural system, upon which a good part of the region s economy depends, conflicts among water users may become even more severe. Additionally, the human community is fundamentally dependent on the project for public health, safety, and welfare. Excess fresh water discharged to the ocean and gulf through the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers is damaging to their respective estuaries and fisheries dependent upon a healthy estuarine ecosystem. The primary canal system drains too much water off the land too quickly, resulting in the loss of that water for later beneficial use. III. Recent Status and Trends. Currently, an average of 4,175,000 acre feet per year of fresh water is discharged to tide from the Lower East Coast canals and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers. While not all of this water is wasted (e.g., it helps prevent saltwater intrusion into the Biscayne Aquifer), a considerable portion is lost to beneficial use. IV. Base Line Indicator Grade. No elements of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan have been implemented, and no reduction in the volume of excess fresh water lost to tide has yet occurred. The grade for this indicator is red. 20

22 21 Reduction in Volume of Fresh Water Lost to Tide* Thousands of Acre Feet Per Year 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, Target * The Numbers on this graphic represent SFWMM simulations of the CERP 1995 Base, 2010 and 2015 case studies, and Alt D13R as the Target.

23 Pink Shrimp Commercial Harvest on the Tortugas Fishing Grounds Key Indicator Report I. Comprehensive Plan Target: The restoration target is in two parts. (1) Recover a long term average rate of commercial harvest of shrimp on the Dry Tortugas fishing grounds (catch per unit effort) that equals or exceeds the 600 pounds per vessel-day rate that occurred during the years to , and (2) increase the proportion of large shrimp (defined as fewer than 68 shrimp per pound) in the long term average catch to exceed 500 pounds per vessel. II. III. IV. Significance and Background: Pink Shrimp are important both economically and ecologically in south Florida. Until the decline of the Tortugas fishery, the pink shrimp was Florida s number one fishery species in terms of value, and the bulk of the landings came from the Tortugas. In addition, pink shrimp are a major link in the food chains of many fish such as Grey Snapper and other game fish species of coastal south Florida. Growth and survival of young pink shrimp are influenced by salinity. Shrimp abundance, as reflected in catch rates per unit of effort, is influenced by the quantity and timing of freshwater inflows to the southwest Gulf coast and Florida Bay nursery grounds. Restoration of flows more similar in relation to rainfall to those predicted by the Natural System Model should benefit the Tortugas pink shrimp fishery. Recent Status and Trends: A severe decline in Tortugas pink shrimp catches and catch rates occurred during the 1980s and 1990s. Landings declined sharply beginning in and remained at historic lows through Catch per unit effort was greater than 500 pounds per vessel-day in every year prior to , but, from through , the catch rate was less than 500 pounds per vessel day in five out of nine years. The average pounds of large sized shrimp declined from 480 pounds per vessel-day for the years to 340 pounds between The shrimp harvest partially recovered since the mid-1990s, probably in response to several years of above average rainfall. Base Line Indicator Grade: The current status of the pink shrimp harvest on the Tortugas fishing grounds represents the condition prior to the initiation of the Comprehensive Plan. Recent partial improvement in the harvest is due to higher than normal rainfall during several years since The current status, mid-way between the low harvests of and the higher harvests prior to 1984, is given a grade of Yellow. 22

24 23 Average Daily Catch of Pink Shrimp from the Dry Tortugas Pounds Per Vessel Day Target Year Total Average Catch Porportion Large Size

25 1999 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Base Line Report Summary Key Indicators Lake Okeechobee Phosphorus Level Extent of St. Lucie Estuary Oyster Beds St. Lucie Estuary Phosphorus Level Lake Okeechobee and East Coast Water Restrictions Numbers of Nesting Roseate Spoonbills in Florida Bay Nesting by Roseate Spoonbills on Southwest Gulf Coast Health of Everglades Tree Islands Number of Nesting Wood Storks in the Total System Health of Florida Bay Seagrass Beds Water Lost to Tide Tortugas Pink Shrimp Grade Red Red Red Yellow Yellow Red Red Red Yellow Red Yellow 24