Use of least-cost pathways to identify key road segments for Florida panther conservation

Roads fragment wildlife habitat, and the vehicles that travel them are often a source of wildlife mortality. Often, wildlife populations can absorb this unnatural mortality without suffering declines, but for endangered large mammals like the Florida panther, if their remaining habitat is fragmented or their mortality is increased in other ways (e.g., roadkill), their existence may be imperiled. A landscape approach is critical to identifying key road segments that are important for maintaining unimpeded panther movement. Least-cost pathway (LCP) modeling considers elements within the landscape that facilitate movement and minimize impediments when an animal travels from one area to another. Our analyses identified the most likely LCPs for panthers to use in moving between six major use areas in southwest Florida, and we identified 16 key road segments where these LCPs intersected improved roadways. These intersections correlated well with documented panther roadkill locations and overlapped fixed-kernel panther home ranges. One of our LCPs coursed through an area dominated by citrus groves; this area is strategically located between large blocks of panther habitat, which explains the cluster of panther roadkills at this location. Our analyses supported the habitat stewardship areas of the 2002 Collier County Rural Lands Stewardship Plan; however, we recommend additional protection for the pathway north of County Road 858 and west of State Road 29. We believe that by using a landscape approach, panthers and their habitat can be protected as current road networks are improved, new roads are constructed, and existing panther habitat is altered or disturbed. We did not attempt to map all possible panther–road conflict areas; however, this technique could be applied to other areas, such as possible panther reintroduction areas, as needs arise

Using NANDA, NIC, and NOC (NNN) language for clinical reasoning with the Outcome-Present StateTest (OPT) Model

Abstract: PURPOSE. To analyze the degree to which standardized nursing language was used by baccalaureate nursing students completing Outcome-Present State-Test (OPT) model worksheets in a clinical practicum. METHODS. A scoring instrument was developed and 100 worksheets were retrospectively analyzed. FINDINGS. NANDA nursing diagnoses were correctly stated in 92% of the OPT models. Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) outcomes were explicitly stated in 22%, and implied in 72%. Interventions matched appropriate Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) activities in 61%. CONCLUSIONS. NANDA, NIC, and NOC (NNN) language was used inconsistently by students in this sample. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE. If NNN language is to advance nursing knowledge, its promotion, representation in curriculum development, and active use is necessary. Educational research is needed on the facilitators and barriers to NNN language use

Wildlife habitat conservation needs in Florida: updated recommendations for strategic habitat conservation areas

In 1994, researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) completed a report, entitled Closing the Gaps in Florida’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation System, assessing the security of rare and imperiled species on existing conservation lands in Florida. The biologists that authored this report used species occurrence data, habitat data, and the analytical capabilities of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the protection afforded to 62 focal species on lands managed for conservation and to identify important habitat areas in Florida that have no conservation protection. These areas, known as Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas (SHCA), depict areas needed for protection and serve as a foundation for conservation planning in Florida. Since 1994, landscape-level habitat changes, transfer of land from private to public ownership, and changes in land use have reduced the appropriateness of using the findings from the 1994 report to accurately assess Florida’s current biodiversity and wildlife conservation status. Advances in technological capabilities, revised habitat data, and more extensive species-occurrence data allowed us to reassess Florida’s biodiversity protection status. Additionally, advances in population-viability modeling techniques allowed us to examine the security of species given their current distribution, habitat needs, and the amount and distribution of habitats currently protected. We identified SHCA for a new selection of focal species, including many species that were in the original report. This project will help determine how habitat-protection needs have changed since 1994 and where protection efforts should be focused to ensure the long-term conservation of Florida’s wildlife

Environmental planning in Florida: Mapping wildlife needs in Florida: the integrated wildlife habitat ranking system

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is responsible for performing environmental reviews of major land developments in Florida that impact fish and wildlife resources and their habitat. In an effort to improve the efficiency and accuracy of these assessments, and to improve the coordination between agencies, the FWC developed a GIS-based habitat model that incorporates a wide variety of land cover, and wildlife species data. The Integrated Wildlife Habitat Ranking System ranks the Florida landscape based upon the needs of wildlife as a way to identify ecologically significant lands in the state, and to assess the potential impacts of land development projects. The IWHRS is provided as an ArcView (ESRI, Redlands, CA) project on a compact disc, which includes the results of the model, all of the data layers that went into the model, a wide variety of wildlife species location data, and a Florida landcover image. By using the capabilities of GIS, users can perform specific queries and investigations of the model results, the data layers that comprise the model, and the additional data provided on the CD, enhancing the utility of the model

Environmental planning in Florida: Mapping wildlife needs in Florida: the integrated wildlife habitat ranking system

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is responsible for performing environmental reviews of major land developments in Florida that impact fish and wildlife resources and their habitat. In an effort to improve the efficiency and accuracy of these assessments, and to improve the coordination between agencies, the FWC developed a GIS-based habitat model that incorporates a wide variety of land cover, and wildlife species data. The Integrated Wildlife Habitat Ranking System ranks the Florida landscape based upon the needs of wildlife as a way to identify ecologically significant lands in the state, and to assess the potential impacts of land development projects. The IWHRS is provided as an ArcView (ESRI, Redlands, CA) project on a compact disc, which includes the results of the model, all of the data layers that went into the model, a wide variety of wildlife species location data, and a Florida landcover image. By using the capabilities of GIS, users can perform specific queries and investigations of the model results, the data layers that comprise the model, and the additional data provided on the CD, enhancing the utility of the model

Prioritization of statewide black bear roadkill

Florida’s population growth and tourism have created a demand for highway improvements that can seriously impact important habitat resources and fish and wildlife populations. This paper presents results of a cooperative effort by our agency in prioritizing the importance ranking of black bear roadkill areas for use by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in siting wildlife underpasses on a statewide basis, and for impact avoidance and mitigation. Our agency documented 729 known locations of black bear roadkills in Florida from 1976 through 1999. A GIS analysis revealed that approximately 34 percent of the roadkills were clustered at 15 chronic problem areas located in seven counties. We prioritized these problem areas by analyzing and evaluating the density, sex and age, and current history of bear roadkills. Landscape level habitat quality also was measured by creating a new statewide bear habitat map that represents a composite score for various GIS data layers depicting public lands, land cover types, habitat composition within large roadless areas, proximity to existing conservation areas, and habitat diversity. The roadkill problem area highway segments were digitized, and a 30-km-wide buffer zone was created and overlaid on the habitat map to determine a mean score. The values for the seven roadkill and habitat parameters were normalized and a total score was determined to compare and rank the 15 roadway segments. State Road 46 in Lake County was ranked as the highest priority in the state for the placement of a wildlife underpass, followed by SR-40 in Marion County in the Ocala National Forest, and US-98 in Jefferson County near the Aucilla River in North Florida’s Big Bend region