Florida Project Research Articles

Doing Justice to Solidarity: How NGOs Should Communicate

Much NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) fund-raising and publicity concern disasters, emergencies and the immediate relief of suffering. Donations and support may follow but they are prompted all too often by a superficially informed compassion or guilt with donors having little understanding of the results of their action. For all their impact, such campaigns can amount to demagogic sentimentalism leading to ‘compassion fatigue’ and lack of sustained support once media attention moves elsewhere. They thus undermine the unique mission of NGOs themselves. This paper urges a different and more strategic approach to communication by NGOs, one which takes account of their unique status and their mission to promote solidarity. It argues that as well as solving problems of underdevelopment, NGOs need to remain independent and to shape public opinion if they are to flourish. And for this they need stable funding from informed donors giving in a spirit of solidarity to support development carried out explicitly in the name of human solidarity. The paper sets out guidelines for NGOs to communicate in ways likely to gain the support of such donors. And it describes the la Florida project in Columbia as an example of how the beneficiary can — in the spirit of solidarity — be brought to the centre of NGO action and communication.

Detention/Retention for Citrus Stormwater Management

Circular 1405 addresses the critical aspects of detention/retention for citrus stormwater management. Authored by experts in agricultural and biological engineering, soil and water science, and the Florida Department of Agriculture, this publication offers guidance on surface water management regulations, soil and vegetation considerations, floodplain encroachment, off-site discharge planning, and permit requirements for agricultural projects in Florida. The document emphasizes the importance of balancing water resource management to protect Florida's water resources while supporting agricultural development.

Development of Aerial Releases of Diachasmimorpha tryoni (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Parasitoid that Attacks the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Weidemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in the Guatemalan Highlands

A braconid parasitoid, Diachasmimorpha tryoni (Cameron), was released from the air into Guatemalan coffee plantations that contained Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Weidemann). Parasitoid adults were chilled, placed in paper bags, and dropped from an altitude of 100 m and at an airspeed of ~ 130 km/h. Releases were made at four different densities over a period of two years. At the higher release rates parasitism levels reached as high as 84%. The feasibility of using a more technically sophisticated aerial release technique, the auger sterile-insect release machine utilized in C. capitata sterile-fly aerial eradication projects in California and Florida, was also examined. Chilled D. tryoni either alone or in combination with chilled, sterile C. capitata , were dropped over target areas and the released parasitoids examined for mortality and damage. Samples of released parasitoids were taken and tested for 'flight ability'; i.e. flight response after an opportunity to recover from chilling. There was no evidence of significant mortality due to aerial release, and the flight-ability of insects released at various rates and altitudes did not significantly differ from chilled controls that were not released from an airplane.

The dissemination and utilization of welfare-to-work experiments in state policymaking

Abstract This paper reports the results of a telephone survey of state-level officials as to the influence of evaluations of three state welfare innovations: California's GAIN, New York's CAP, and Florida's Project Independence. The three experiments were known to those interviewed, yet they did not have dramatic, decisive effects on policymaking. However, GAIN and CAP appear to have influenced policymaking in less dramatic and more subtle respects. Much more important than empirical findings about the effects of tested programs was information about how these programs actually operated in the field along with evidence that the policies tested in welfare-to-work experiments were logically consistent (that is, there was no obvious reason to think that they would be unsuccessful), could clear federal waivers, and would not encounter major political resistance. © 2000 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

The Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Review Study: Restoring the Everglades

The Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Review Study: Restoring the Everglades

Ecological Restoration : Old Fort Bayou Tract Near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, U.S.A.

The Old Fort Bayou Tract near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, is a restoration project by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) that aims to recreate a wet prairie habitat and attract Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, as well as reestablish the plant communities that weredamaged or destroyed on the site. The project involves the use of prescribed fires to maintain the restored habitat. The Hall Branch River restoration project in Florida aims to recreate a riverine headwater forest on land that was previously surface-mined for phosphatic ore. The project involves the use of fertilizers and herbicides to establish the forest, as well as the introduction of native plant species. The restoration of the Sangai deer habitat in Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur, India, involves the creation of artificial floating islands to provide additional habitat for the deer, as well as the control of fishing and grazing in the area. The ultimate goal of the restoration project is to increase the population of the critically endangered Sangai deer.

Observations of Mixed-Phase Precipitation within a CaPE Thunderstorm

Abstract Various procedures for inferring hydrometeor characteristics from polarimetric radar data have indicated that regions with echoes exhibiting relatively high linear depolarization ratios along with relatively low differential reflectivity contain wet graupel or hail. Such particles could be found either in a melting zone below the 0°C level in a cloud or in a region of wet growth where the rate of supercooled cloud water accretion overwhelms the rate at which the latent heat associated with complete freezing can be dissipated. In subtropical clouds such as those studied in the Convection and Precipitation/Electrification (CaPE) project in Florida, at the −5°C level or higher, neither condition is obtained. Yet similar polarimetric radar signatures were nevertheless observed at such levels during CaPE. Examination of in situ observations by the T-28 aircraft in the Florida clouds, along with results from previous laboratory and theoretical studies, suggests that the signature regions were character...

How Reporters React to Knight-Ridder's 25–43 Project

Knight-Ridder's ambitious 25/43 Project in Florida helped newspapers focus on the need to better serve readers. But the journalists involved have mixed feelings.

Florida Learn & Serve 1995-96: What Were the Outcomes?

This article is taken from a report on the second year of research on quantitative outcomes of K-12 students who participated in service learning projects in Florida in 1995-96. The study involved 29,000 students in 107 subgrants. It illustrates what one state has been able to accomplish.

Teaching/Learning/Leading: Synonyms for Change

The purpose of this paper is to describe our approach to teacher leadership that is far from an oxymoron. Instead we believe that teaching, learning, and leading are synonymous. We will support our views with related data from a school improvement project in central Florida. Our data reveals multiple manifestations of teacher leadership embedded within the landscapes of inquiry, collaboration, and research and that there are easily-identified dilemmas associated with being identified as an Academy Scholar teacher leader. We claim that teaching, learning, and leading are inextricably linked and that facilitating this linkage supports sustainable changes that assist schools to find ways to meet the needs of all students. The successes of this Academy cadre of teachers, who we believe represent a significant and often untapped reservoir of educational leadership, are evident as they provide direction and vision for their classroom, school, and district efforts to improve.

Water Table Effects on Histosol Drainage Water Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus

Water table (WT) levels in Histosols may influence release of nutrients such as C, N, and P into drainage water. This study examined the effects of water table level on redox potential; C, N, and P release; and inorganic and organic P concentrations in soil columns from an Everglades Histosol. Soils were from two fields of Pahokee muck (euic, hyperthermic, lithic Medisaprists) in the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project in Florida. Soil columns were subjected to four WT levels: 0 (flooded), 10, 20, and 35 cm below the soil surface. Each 30 d for 5 mo, porewater was drained and columns were leached with deionized water, followed by reestablishment of water table levels. Redox potential tended to stabilize 6 to 10 d after onset of each flooding-drainage cycle and displayed substantial spacial heterogeneity below WTs. Release of NH 4 + -N and TKN were not influenced by WT depth, but release of NO 3 substantially increased with increasing WT depth in both soils. In soil from a previously flooded field, total P release increased with increasing WT depth. With soil from a previously drained field, total P release decreased with increasing WT depth. Differences in P release response appeared to be related to previous flooding-drainage history of the site fields. Fractionation of soil P following the study revealed that labile pools of P were influenced by WT depth but sizes of bulk inorganic and organic P pools were not. From <0.7 to 2.3% of total soil P was leached.

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION MEASUREMENTS AND MODELING FOR THREE WETLAND SYSTEMS IN SOUTH FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: At the Everglades Nutrient Removal project in south Florida, three lysimeters were installed to measure daily evapotranspiration (ET) rates from cattails (Typha domingensis), mixed marsh vegetation, and an open water/algae system. The cattail lysimeter began operation in February 1993. The mixed marsh vegetation lysimeter began operation in January 1994, and the open water lysimeter with occasional algae cover began operation in December 1993. The mean measured ET rate was 3.6 mm, 3.5 mm, and 3.7 mm per day for the cattail, mixed marsh vegetation, and open water/algae system, respectively. High resolution weather data were continuously measured at the site. Six models were applied to estimate daily ET rates of the three systems. The Penman‐Monteith equation best estimated ET of cattail and mixed marsh vegetation, and the Penman Combination equation was most suitable for the open water/algae system. Empirical equations based on solar radiation and maximum temperature produced estimates of daily ET from the three systems that are comparable to models that require many more parameters. In cases where limited data is available, the calibrated simple models can be used to estimate ET from wetlands in south Florida.

Lysimeter Study of Evapotranspiration of Cattails and Comparison of Three Estimation Methods

A lysimeter was designed and installed in a cattail marsh as part of the Everglades Nutrient Removal project in South Florida (26 38 N, 80 25 W) to measure evapotranspiration (ET) of cattails (Typha domingensis). The fully automated lysimeter with a surface area of 9.8 m2 was located inside the marsh to measure cattail ET in a marsh environment with sufficient fetch and minimum oasis effect on the lysimeter. The average measured ET rate was 3.9 mm per day for the period of 12 February to 19 December 1993. The Penman-Monteith equation was applied to estimate daily ET using physically based resistance parameter estimates and high resolution weather data. Also, average albedo (0.17) was computed for the vegetation for possible future computation of net radiation from solar radiation data. The Penman combination model was applied with new wind function coefficients developed for the study site and the Priestley-Taylor model was applied with an estimated average coefficient (a) value of 1.18. Seven-day mean of measured and estimated data were compared. The Penman-Monteith method had the least error of estimation of 0.39 mm day1 with an r2 value of 0.89 while the Penman combination equation had an error of estimation of 0.57 mm day1 with r2 value of 0.86 and a least intercept of 0.03 mm. The Priestley-Taylor method with an a value of 1.18 had standard error of estimate 0.53 mm day1 with an r2 value of 0.79. The Priestley-Taylor method has the potential to estimate ET in south Florida when climatic data is limited. More data is needed to evaluate each equation to estimate ET of wetland features in humid areas such as south Florida.

Active and passive microwave remote sensing of precipitating storms during CaPE. Part I: Advanced microwave precipitation radiometer and polarimetric radar measurements and models

The Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR), an across-track scanning, four-channel (10.7, 19.35, 37.1, 85.5 GHz) total-power radiometer system, was instrumented aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft during the 1991 CaPE (Convection and Precipitation/Electrification) project in central Florida. At a 20 km flight altitude, the AMPR provides fine-scale microwave imagery of Earth surfaces and its atmosphere, and is well-suited for diverse hydrological applications. During overflights of precipitation, coincident ground-based radar measurements were taken with the NCAR CP-2 dual-frequency, dual-polarization radar system. After remapping the radar data into a format compatible with the AMPR scanning geometry, the radar-derived profiles of rain, melting, and frozen hydrometeors are compared against the AMPR equivalent blackbody brightness temperature (TB) imagery. Microwave radiative transfer modeling procedures incorporating the radar-derived hydrometeor profiles were used to simulated the multifrequency AMPR imagery over both land and ocean background ER-2 flights. Within storm cores over land, columnar ice water paths up to 20 kgm−2 gradually depressed the 85 GHzTB as low as 100 K. The presence of tall vertical reflectivity columns encompassing > 20 kgm−2 columnar ice water path often produced 37 GHzTB<85 GHzTB directly over the core. Over ocean, the 10 GHz channel provided the clearest correlation with the rainfall amounts, whereas the 19 GHz channel saturated near 260 K past 10–15 mm hr−1 rain rate as determined by radar. Scattering by ice and melting ice at 37 GHz producedTB ambiguities over both raining and clear-ocean regions. Sensitivity to the columnar mixed phase region via the intermediate frequencies (19 and 37 GHz) is demonstrated and explained with the radar-derivedTB modeling. By superimposing vertical profiles of cloud liquid water (which this radar cannot measure) upon the radarinferred hydrometeor structure, additional information on the location of the peak cloud water and its amount relative to the vertical ice structure can be noted, along with a possible inference of the dominant ice particle size within the upper storm core.

Missions to the Calusa

Finally, a comprehensive set of translations now exists for the enigmatic Calusa. Hann and Marquardt have assembled an exhaustive and diverse set of documents which locates the Calusa in their rightful place of importance in North American ethnography. -Randolph Widmer, University of HoustonWhen Europeans arrived in southwest Florida in the early sixteenth century, they encountered a complex and powerful society. The Calusa, subject of this study by two of Florida's most eminent scholars, pose an enigma to anthropologists and historians. Their high political development--marked by class distinctions, a special military force, and an elaborate belief system--is typical of many agricultural societies. But the Calusa, a fisher-hunter-gatherer people, raised no crops.The work provides missing information on the ethnography of the Calusa, a society that inhabited the area of Florida now known as Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. The compilation of historical documents includes many reports never before translated into English, including letters from Pedro Menendez, reports from governors, bishops, soldiers, and King Charles II, and eyewitness testimony from priests and laypersons about mission efforts from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries.Hann introduces Spanish contact with the Calusa from the early seventeenth century, focusing particularly on the ill-fated Franciscan attempt in 1697 to convert the Calusa to Christianity. His documentation for this effort, more voluminous than for any other Spanish mission to Florida, is particularly valuable for its description of the role played by the Crown in instigating the mission despite little enthusiasm from religious authorities.Over two centuries the Calusa's relations with the Spaniards changed from wariness and hostility to a solid alliance with them against other Europeans. During the final fifty years of Calusa existence as a culture, other Native Americans, acting as agents of European opportunists, literally pushed the Calusa into the sea.John H. Hann, historical sites specialist for the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, Florida Department of State, is the author of Apalachee: The Land Between the Rivers, winner of the 1988 Rembert W. Patrick Memorial Book Prize for best book on Florida history. William H. Marquardt is associate curator in archaeology and director of the Southwest Florida Project at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus. He also directs The Year of the Indian, an archaeology/education project that includes volunteer-assisted excavations at archaeological sites in southwest Florida.

Taking Concerns Beyond the Campus: Statewide Evaluation of Student Financial Aid Administration

This article examines the administration of student financial aid programs at institutional and state levels. Drawing on the results of a project in Florida, the authors argue that a statewide evaluation involving institutional financial aid administrators, system-level individuals, and others may promote changes beneficial to students and administrators. Particular emphasis is given to the role that institutional financial aid administrators can play in a participatory state-level review process.

EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION RATE WITH RECLAIMED WATER ON GROWTH AND LEAF MINERAL CONTENT OF YOUNG CITRUS TREES

Highly treated sewage effluent water increasingly is being used for agricultural irrigation. This reclaimed water is presently being used in a large citrus irrigation project in central Florida. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of high application rates of reclaimed water on growth and leaf mineral content of young citrus trees. High application rates (1270 and 2540 mm per year) of reclaimed wastewater were compared to a normal recommended rate of 406 mm per year of either reclaimed or well water. Tree growth was greater at the higher application rates, but these rates also promoted greater weed growth. With reclaimed water, leaf Na, Cl, and K contents generally increased with increasing irrigation rate, but these levels remained well below levels that would cause plant damage. Leaf Cl accumulation was much higher in `Hamlin' orange than `Orlando' tangelo. Rootstock also affected leaf Na and Cl accumulation. Reclaimed water appears to be a useful alternative to well water for citrus irrigation.

Determining the Statistical Sensitivity of the Water Quality Monitoring Program in the Taylor – Nubbin Slough, Florida Project

ABSTRACT Reducing agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution by implementing best management practices (BMPs) throughout entire watersheds' is being studied in 20 Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP) projects throughout the United States. The Taylor Creek – Nubbin Slough RCWP Project area is located directly north of Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida. The watershed covers 110,000 acres of which 63,109 were identified as critical agricultural sources of phosphorus entering Lake Okeechobee. These sources were primarily improved pastures and dairies. The project has an extensive pre-BMP water quality data base for statistical comparison with post-BMP data. In addition, most of the BMP implementation occurred in 1985, 1986, and 1987, allowing for four to five years post-BMP water quality monitoring before the end of the project. Therefore, this project should be able to document land treatment effects on water quality. Water quality monitoring data from in-stream sampling was analyzed to determine the magnitu...

Establishment of Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Other Microorganisms on a Beach Replenishment Site in Florida

Beach replenishment is a widely used method of controlling coastal erosion. To reduce erosional losses from wind, beach grasses are often planted on the replenishment sands. However, there is little information on the microbial populations in this material that may affect plant establishment and growth. The objectives of this research were to document changes in the populations of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi and other soil microorganisms in replenishment materials and to determine whether roots of transplanted beach grasses become colonized by beneficial microbes. The study was conducted over a 2-year period on a replenishment project in northeastern Florida. Three sampling locations were established at 1-km intervals along the beach. Each location consisted of three plots: an established dune, replenishment sand planted with Uniola paniculata and Panicum sp., and replenishment sand left unplanted. Fungal and bacterial populations increased rapidly in the rhizosphere of beach grasses in the planted plots. However, no bacteria were recovered that could fix significant amounts of N(2). The VAM fungi established slowly on the transplanted grasses. Even after two growing seasons, levels of root colonization and sporulation were significantly below those found in the established dune. There was a shift in the dominant VAM fungi found in the planted zone with respect to those in the established dunes. The most abundant species recovered from the established dunes were Glomus deserticola, followed by Acaulospora scrobiculata and Scutellospora weresubiae. The VAM fungi that colonized the planted zone most rapidly were Glomus globiferum, followed by G. deserticola and Glomus aggregatum.

How well will problem-oriented records keep track of nurse-based case management?

PATRICIA M. PIERCE, PhD, RN, is Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Florida, and Associate Director of the Nursing REACH Project in Gainesville, Florida, and DENISE E. WEISS, MA, is Assistant Project Director.