Monitoring small egret and heron nesting in florida BAY, everglades national park programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research,…

Monitoring small egret and heron nesting in florida BAY, everglades national park programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the national park system. The study units facilitate multi-disciplinary science and integrated information products across multiple geographic regions of the national park system. This project is to document peak nesting effort of small egrets and herons nesting on islands throughout florida BAY, anticipated over a five (5) year period to obtain enough nesting data to allow for a formal accounting of nesting effort increases or decreases in florida BAY as comprehensive everglades restoration plan (cerp) brings more fresh water to florida BAY. The recipient, national audubon society, will conduct on the ground monitoring efforts that will occur each year, during each breeding season from november-july and data cleaning and analysis will occur august-october. A report will be produced after each breeding season to detail nesting efforts for any of the species nesting. These findings will be shared with the public through presentations and online reporting. The insights gained through this research will be disseminated among various stakeholders involved with cerp, including state and federal wading bird conservation agencies, as well as other non-profit organizations engaged in natural resource restoration efforts.