Climate Change Research on Salt Marsh and Estuarine Communities in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

Thursday, October 27th
5:00 PM at the Cedar Key Public Library
Dr. Franklin Percival, USGS Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Sponsored by the Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWR

A team of researcher with Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Florida will describe their research in the Lower Suwannee NWR estuary for the last 2 years. H. F. Percival, W.M. Kitchens, M.S. Allen, C. Zweig, and M. Desa are using a combination of small mammal, salt marsh, fisheries and regional climate data to understand current population patterns and how climate change may affect the system.

They will also describe how they are establishing baseline vegetation information to better evaluate any climate changes. Because of the Suwannee River`s discharge effect on the fisheries, they will monitor various river flow scenarios as to fishery estuary health.