Establishing a protective phosphorus target for big cypress national preserve, western everglades restoration the goal of this project is to conduct a study to establish a protective total…

Establishing a protective phosphorus target for big cypress national preserve, western everglades restoration the goal of this project is to conduct a study to establish a protective total phosphorus target for big cypress national preserve (bicy), western everglades region, in relation to the U.S. Army corps of engineers implementing a restoration project at the headwaters to bicy to deliver new water from land upstream that has higher levels of nutrients than the natural ecosystem. This study is designed to establish water quality standards for total phosphorus (p) that will enable resource managers to ensure that water flows into bicy canals do not exceed protective p target needed to sustain the parks natural resources. The public will benefit from this research long-term since establishing a protective p target for big cypress waters will facilitate p limit enforcement at the federal and state levels. Maintaining surface water p concentrations below the limit will support the longevity of bicy natural resources, which also benefits recreation and public use. Additionally, the scientific community and researchers external to NPS will gain new knowledge from the research results through journal publications. Finally, we are incorporating indigenous technical ecological knowledge into this project development with the support of the local miccosukee tribe of indians of florida promoting diverse and inclusive methods in science and technology.