FISC Highlights
 

On the Air: City Television channel in Tallahassee, Florida, is airing an episode of City Talk, featuring USGS scientists Brian Katz, Hal Davis and Dale Griffin, with cooperator Jamie Shakar, of the City of Tallahassee.  During the 30 minute program the group is interviewed by the moderator and discusses a  research project that involved looking at the fate and transport of nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and microbiological organisms as they migrated from a treated wastewater sprayfield (16-18 mgd) downgradient toward the Gulf coast and Wakulla Springs. Movie goers may recall Wakulla Springs from films like "Tarzan", "Creature from the Black Lagoon", and "Airplane" which were filmed there. The episode of City Talk featuring the researchers was filmed on June 28, 2007. The program has been airing periodically during the month of September.  Publication: Hydrogeologic Investigation, Water Chemistry Analysis, and Model Delineation of contributing Areas for City of Tallahassee Public-Supply Wells, Tallahassee, Florida  2007-5070. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5070/ (Gary Mahon/850-942-9500 ext. 3023/glmahon@usgs.gov)

Seminars on Ocean Research: Dale W. Griffin participated in the Florida State University Department of Oceanography seminar series on September 27, 2007. Griffin's presentation, "Wastewater and African Dust in the Florida Keys: What do they have in common?" was attended by student s and faculty. (Dale Griffin, 850-942-9500 x3062, dgriffin@usgs.gov)

Invited Lecture: Dale W. Griffin was an invited lecturer for the Florida State University Environmental Science Department,  on  September 27,2007, where his lecture was attended by students of the Environmental Science course, and faculty. His lecture topic was Water quality and Florida's beaches.   (Dale Griffin, 850-942-9500 x3062, dgriffin@usgs.gov)

USGS at American Fisheries Society (AFS): From New List of Imperiled Fish Species to Fish and Natural Hazards and Contaminants

Editors and Reporters: AFS will hold its 137th annual meeting in San Francisco, Sept. 2-6. For more information about the AFS Conference, please go to http://web.fisheries.org/sf/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

American Fisheries Society Honors Dr. Walt Courtenay:  The American Fisheries Society recognized Dr. Walter Courtenay with the 2007 William E. Ricker Resource Conservation Award on September 8, 2007 at the annual meeting in San Francisco, California.  William Franzin of Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans presented Dr. Courtenay with the award at the opening plenary session, citing his many contributions to conservation to benefit native aquatic communities.  The Ricker Award is presented to an individual or organization for outstanding accomplishment or activity in resource conservation that is significant at a national or international level. Dr. Courtenay was recognized for his tireless work for more than 30 years, conducting research, educating students, and raising public awareness of the environmental threats posed by invasive species. read more

New Tally of Imperiled North American Freshwater Fishes: Report of the American Fisheries Society's Endangered Species Committee. The American Fisheries Society's Endangered Species Committee estimates that about 700 North American freshwater fishes are imperiled—regarded as vulnerable, threatened, endangered, or extinct. The new tally is nearly double that of the 1989 American Fisheries Society estimate of 364 taxa. The AFS Endangered Species Committee is composed of 3 U.S. Geological Survey scientists and 13 other colleagues. The increase in numbers of imperiled taxa results, in part, from increased taxonomic knowledge of the North American freshwater fish fauna. Increases in imperiled species over the past two decades corresponds to a revolution in the study fishes: advances in biological methods and concepts have significantly furthered knowledge of North American fishes, especially Mexican species.  Also, the remarkable progress in biomolecular techniques is enabling scientists to document biological diversity at smaller scales with increasing precision.  Examples of this are recognition of threatened and endangered salmon populations on the Pacific coast. The majority of taxa on the new list are species or subspecies; only 12 percent are distinct populations. The greatest cause of imperilment indirectly results from increases in the human population of North America. Humans are changing the landscape at the greatest rate of any time in recent human history.  Many North American fishes simply did not evolve with the ability to adapt to relatively rapid changes to aquatic habitats created by modification, alteration, or transformation of landscapes. Because the current estimate is the third AFS list of imperiled North American fishes, the Committee is able to analyze trends in the data.  The great majority of imperiled taxa, 80 percent, are endemic--restricted to one ecoregion or less (a single drainage, river, creek, lake or spring); 90 percent of taxa are restricted to two ecoregions or less.  The Tennessee, Mobile, and Lerma-Chapala ecoregions  have the greatest number of imperiled fishes. By threats, the major causes of imperilment are habitat loss and interactions with introduced fishes, both consequences of human activities. The current rate of extinction exhibits a positive linear trajectory, but the present decade is not over, and there are a significant number of highly vulnerable species that could disappear in the next several decades.  Howard Jelks and Noel Burkhead. Howard Jelks will be presenting the research on Sept. 5,  8 a.m., Golden Gate A2. (Noel Burkhead: 352-264-3499; nburkhead@usgs.gov/ Howard Jelks, 352-264-3492, hjelks@usgs.gov )

Gulf Sturgeon in the Suwannee River; Population and Mortality Estimates. Twenty years of tagging efforts in the Suwannee River, Fla., have allowed USGS researchers to determine population estimates for this imperiled species. From 1995 to 1999, USGS researchers conducted a population census by netting, tagging, and recaptures. Scientists repeated this census in 2006 and 2007. Preliminary results of this work are that the population appears to be stable at about 7,000 fish (of net-vulnerable size) and possibly increasing slightly. Michael Randall, Sept. 6, 4 p.m., Golden Gate C1, 352-264-3521, mrandall@usgs.gov

Critical Winter Habitat of Juvenile Gulf Sturgeon. By using a network of automated sonic receivers and sonic-tagged sturgeon, USGS researchers assessed overwintering habitat use of juvenile Gulf sturgeon in the Suwannee (2005-06) and Appalachicola (2006-07) estuaries to help determine critical winter habitat. The scientists found different habitat use in the estuaries of the two rivers. In the Suwannee, a more natural river, the fish were solitary and stayed in the in-shore area, moving frequently into areas that contained potential prey food. In contrast, in the Appalachicola estuary area, a large seafood-production area, Gulf sturgeon gathered to feed in areas where seafood-processing occurs and where food is readily available. They also fed in larger numbers underneath a bridge in the estuary where seabirds congregate and where, presumably, guano is enriching the substrate, enhancing food production. Kenneth Sulak, Sept. 5, 2:20 p.m. Golden Gate C1, 352-264-3500, ksulak@usgs.gov

Week Of June 25, 2007

Exploring the Gulf of Mexico: Christina Kellogg, an environmental microbiologist with the Florida Integrated Science Center, is currently participating in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration exploration cruise in the Gulf of Mexico (June 4 - July 6) as part of the Minerals Management Service-funded CHEMO III (chemosynthetic environments of the deep slope) project. The web site tracking this cruise has biographies of the scientists and daily logs about the scientific research they are conducting: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/07mexico/welcome.html. To learn more about Kellogg's work please visit the blog she will post on the website during the cruise.  (Christina Kellogg/ckellogg@usgs.gov)

Snakeheads on National Geographic Channel: Biologist Walt Courtenay, a noted authority on snakehead fishes, did a video taped interview for Michael Hoff Productions TV, on May 9th at the USGS facilities in Gainesville. The interview will be part of an upcoming National Geographic Channel special on snakehead fishes that will air Fall 2007. Filming also took place in Thailand, on the Potomac River, and in Pennsylvania.  (Walt Courtenay/wcourtenay@usgs.gov/ 252-264-3519)

Honoring the Commitment to Excellence

USGS hydrologist Dr. Kim H. Haag received the Distinguished Service Award of the North American Benthological Society (NABS) during the opening ceremonies at the Society's annual meeting on June 3, 2007, in Columbia, S.C. This award recognizes a member who has made a genuine and lasting contribution to the betterment of the Society. (Kim Haag/(813) 975-8620 ext.168/ khhaag@usgs.gov)

During the past 15 years, Haag has served as chair of three important Society committees: the Local Arrangements Committee for the 1992 annual meeting in Louisville, Ky.; the NABS Endowment Long-range Planning Committee in 1994; and the Board of Trustees for the NABS Endowments from 1995 to 1997. Elected society Treasurer in 1997, she was re-elected twice to serve in that position for a total of nine years. Her tenure as Treasurer was described as "exceptional" by all the Society's presidents who have worked with her.  She is currently an active member of the Finance, Endowment, and Conservation committees.

Haag has worked for the USGS for more than 15 years, and currently manages freshwater wetlands projects in central Florida. She is one of a number of USGS employees from across the nation who are active NABS members. Results of USGS scientific investigations are frequently presented at the annual meetings, and published in the Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

NABS is an international scientific organization whose purpose is to promote better understanding of the biotic communities of lake, stream and wetland bottoms and their role in aquatic ecosystems. Disseminating new investigation results, new interpretations, and other benthological information to aquatic biologists and to the scientific community at large is key to their mission. For more information on NABS visit their website www.benthos.org. To learn about Kim Haag's recent work please visit http://fisc.er.usgs.gov/haag/haag.html

Media: Hal Davis, Brian Katz, and Dale Griffin participated in a City of Tallahassee press conference on June 18, 2007, to discus the results of the recently completed City of Tallahassee-USGS project--"Delineation of Reclaimed Water Movement From the Southeast Farm Facility Through the Upper Floridan Aquifer, Leon and Wakulla Counties, Florida". Project discussion was in preparation for the City Council workshop held on June 19, 2007. Media in attendance included the Tallahassee Democrat, National Public Radio, local ABC TV affiliate Channel 27, and local CBS TV affiliate Channel 6. Interviews were broadcasted June 18, 2007 on both television stations, and on the morning of June 19, 2007 on NPR. (Gary Mahon/850- 942-9500 ext. 3023/ glmahon@usgs.gov)

Weekly Highlights February 2007

Setting the Standard on Safety: The Florida Integrated Science Center is hosting an Airboat Instructor Training Course in April 2007, which has generated interest by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in establishing a cooperative agreement with USGS to adopt this program as their official in-house airboat training program. Originally intended for USGS airboat users, the training manual written by Gary L. Hill, and instructor training program, have generated attention from non USGS airboat users. The St. Johns River Water Management District, Southwest Florida Water Management District and South Florida Water Management District have all expressed interest in adopting the airboat training program and establishing it as a "training standard" for airboat operators, especially within the state of Florida. Classes will be held in the Titusville, Fla., area April 9-13 and April 16-20, and will include students from across USGS, including the Co-Op units. (Gary L. Hill/727-803-8747 ext. 3004)

Planning for Florida's springs: Steve Walsh participated in the Silver Springs Basin Working Group meeting in Ocala on February 8. This meeting updated group members on a number of issues relevant to protection of the spring; including land acquisitions, legislative activities, DOT projects, water quality, and other projects underway or planned in the basin. Two individuals were present representing the Florida legislature, one from Senator Nancy Argenziano's (Fla. 3) office, the other from Representative Debbie Boyd's (Fla. 11) office. The congresswomen have submitted bills (currently in revision) that will provide legislative action to protect and restore selected spring resources. The working group plans to reconvene following the current legislative session to determine courses of action for proceeding on several management activities. The group is also awaiting final release of a 50-year retrospective study of the spring basin that was funded by the Florida Springs Initiative and conducted by Dr. Bob Knight (Wetland Solutions, Inc.) and several researchers from the University of Florida. (Steve Walsh/352-264-3512/swalsh@usgs.gov)

USGS cooperative research highlighted by partner: USGS hydrologist Sandy Kinnaman and others from the USGS Orlando office, are engaged in an ongoing research project with the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), that is currently featured in the District's quarterly newsletter,  Indian River Lagoon Update (Winter 2007)
http://sjr.state.fl.us/programs/outreach/pubs/irl_update/07win01.html

The article: Research reveals the secrets of waves in the lagoon, provides insight into this project which is designed to better understand the effects of seagrass beds on total suspended solids and wave-dynamics within the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). Located along the east coast of Florida, the IRL is considered one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in North America. Collected data are being used to calibrate a coupled hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and water quality model developed by the SJRWMD. (Sandy Kinnaman/407-803-5541/kinnaman@usgs.gov)

Cooperative connections—covering the state: James L. Pearman continues to meet with USGS cooperators across Florida to assess and plan data collection across the state. He will meet with Florida Department of Environmental Management personnel to discuss use and deployment of USGS velocity meters in determination of discharges of Florida streams in Orlando on February 20. Pearman met earlier this month with the City of Jacksonville Environmental Control Board to finalize the City's funding of groundwater data collection network (Feb 12); represented USGS at the Florida Coastal Ocean Observing System Caucus examining efforts to collect storm surge data across the State of Florida (Feb. 6, Gainesville, Fla.); and met with St. Johns River Water Management personnel to discuss site locations and changes in potentiometric surface water in the groundwater level network (February 7, Orlando, Fla.) (Leroy Pearman/407-803-5577/jpearman@usgs.gov)

Mapping the Florida Coast: A first of its kind workshop, Mapping of Florida's Coastal and Marine Resources--Setting Priorities, was held at the USGS office in St. Petersburg, February 7-8.  Sponsored by the USGS, Florida Department of Protection, and Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (a group from the Department of Defense), the workshop had participants from all of Florida's state agencies, and major federal, academic and industry partners. Participants established the priorities for mapping Florida's coast and shelf.  Discussions included mapping techniques; methods for sharing information on state and federal projects; and provided a general consensus of State agency mapping priorities. A white paper outlining recommendations and the next steps is forthcoming. (Lisa Robbins/727-803-8747 ext. 3005)

Planning for Florida's springs 2:  Steve Walsh met with Blue Spring Minimum Flow Interagency Working Group to discuss modifications and implementation of the Blue Spring Water Resource Value (WRV) Assessment Monitoring Plan in Gainesville (Feb. 7, 2007). The USGS will provide hydrologic monitoring; biological monitoring will be a cooperative effort but the responsibilities have not yet been finalized. Walsh provided input on the monitoring plan and next step is for the working group to finalize cost estimates and work assignments for implementing the monitoring program. (Steve Walsh/352-264-3512/swalsh@usgs.gov)

Collaborative Water Planning in Florida: On February 1, 2007, David Sumner presented "Evapotranspiration Measurement and Estimation - State of the Art and Future Directions" to staff of the Southwest Florida Water Management District in Brooksville, Fla. and, via teleconference, to the four branch offices of the District. The presentation discussed the role of the USGS in measuring evapotranspiration at about 15 stations in Florida and the means by which these surface-based measurements are linked to satellite-based measurements. This linkage leads to a database of daily evapotranspiration values that covers the entire state at 2-kilometer resolution. This database is expected to be used widely by water resources planners and regulators to provide estimates of evapotranspiration - the largest component of the water budget, aside from rainfall. This collaborative project involves the USGS, all five Florida Water Management districts, and researchers from four universities.  (David Sumner/407-803-5518/dmsumner@usgs.gov)

Weekly Highlights January 2007

Geologist Lisa Robbins, as a member of the Florida Oceans Research Council, received a 2006 Gulf Guardian Award--Certificate of Appreciation from EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program. The Council was recognized for "the valuable efforts to restore, protect and sustain the Gulf of Mexico's coastal and marine environment." Charged each year with developing priorities for ocean and coastal research, and establishing a statewide ocean research plan, the Council also coordinates public and private ocean research for more effective coastal management. (Lisa Robbins/lrobbins@usgs.gov/727-803-8747 ext. 3005)

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