Identifying and prioritizing research needs and assessing population status for cape sable seaside sparrows in everglades national park.project date: 03 31 2025 - 12 31 2027CAPE sable seaside…

This Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the Cooperative Research Units (CFDA 15.812) federal grant program provides $100,000.00 in funding to the University of Florida to conduct research and monitoring activities focused on the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, an endangered species found in Everglades National Park.

The key objectives of this 3-year project (03/31/2025 - 12/31/2027) are to: 1) identify capture strategies that will minimize impact on existing wild sparrow populations, 2) implement in situ population monitoring, and 3) assess the current population status. These efforts are intended to help guide decision-making and planning for a captive breeding program aimed at bolstering the wild sparrow populations. The project will involve stakeholder meetings, structured decision-making workshops, and field monitoring activities, with deliverables including a workshop report, meeting notes, and up to two dissertation chapters related to sparrow population monitoring.

Identifying and prioritizing research needs and assessing population status for cape sable seaside sparrows in everglades national park.project date: 03 31 2025 - 12 31 2027CAPE sable seaside sparrow is an endangered species restricted entirely to the boundaries of everglades national park and exhibiting continued declines despite the protections of the ESA and extensive management effort in recent decades. In 2024 the USFWS, the NPS, the USACE, and others agreed to establish a captive breeding program to bolster wild populations status and potentially create new populations to enhance redundancy and resiliency for the species. One major concern for establishing a captive breeding program is minimizing impacts on the existing wild populations to no increase the risk of extinction in the wild in the short term. This project will help identify capture strategies that will minimize impact, will identify and implement in situ population monitoring strategies, and will assess current population status, to help guide captive breeding decisions and planning. Activities to be performed -stakeholder meetings and structured decision-making workshops and field monitoring of cape sable seaside sparrow populations. Deliverables and expected outcomes -workshop report meeting notes, and a dissertation with up to 2 chapter relating to csss monitoring. Intended beneficiary(IES) -state of florida, USFWS, USACE, usnps. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award -FWC is an expected collaborator, but no subcontracts are expected.