This data layer represents a potential Conservation Target (CT) for PFLCC's Priority Resource (PR): High Pine and Scrub. The potential CT shown here is the Florida Scrub Jay. The Florida Scrub Jay is the only species of bird that is unique to Florida. Scrub Jays are cooperative breeders that inhabitat the highest and driest areas of Florida -- xeric oak scrub and scrubby flatwoods. They do best in areas with large quantities of oak shrubs that average 3-6.5 feet. The Florida Scrub Jay is a federally threatened species. The Primary threats are habitat destruction, fragmentation, and degradation from development and agriculture. As an important species of the scrub portion of this PR, it may be an important Conservation Target. Thay are intensively studied and respond to management, additional characteristics of a good CT. The layer included in this dataset was created for an initial investigation of potential CTs suggested by stakeholders during brainstorming workshops. The initial investigation entails locating available datasets to address the suggested CT as closely as possible and performing minimal analyses to determine their usefulness. The final set of CT's and their associated datasets will be chosen after targets (e.g., endpoints) are established as a threshold for achieving a conservation success for that CT.
The input for this analysis in addition to the Priority Resource layer is the predicted habitat distribution for Scrub Jays created for the Wildlife Habitat Conservation Needs in Florida (WHCNiF) project. WHCNiF (2009) is an assessment of the protection status of Florida's biodiversity. The authors used predicted habitat distributions for focal species, along with conservation lands and population-viability modeling techniques, to determine security of each focal species. The data used in this preliminary investigation of a potential CT is a 2016 update of potential habitat, using the same methodology on updated habitat and conservation lands data. For details of the methodology used to develop the Scrub Jay predicted distribution, see the WHCNiF final report (2009) (http://myfwc.com/media/1205682/TR15.pdf).
To evaluate the data for this exercise, the pixels from the predicted habitat distribution were extracted using the High Pine and Scrub Priority Resource layer as a mask. For preliminary summaries of the extracted values, see also the 'High Pine and Scrub' webinar (in pdf form) located within this gallery.
If Scrub Jays are chosen as one of the final Conservation Targets, additional occurrence and monitoring data, are available from a variety of sources for a more detailed assessment of Scrub Jays within our PR. FWC gathered some occurrence data in 2011 from a variety of sources. FWC maintains a database of monitoring on Wildlife Management areas under its jutisdiction. USFWS also monitors Jays, and the Audubon Society maintains a program called Jay Watch. Additional data may come from Cornell's 'E-bird' website, the USGS BISON website (Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation), and FWC's WildObs! database. All sightings of Scrub Jays can be extracted from FNAI's element occurrence database as well.
