Working Groups
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There are five Florida scrub ecosystem working groups, with members from county, state, and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations, as well as consultants and private landowners.
Working groups meet once a year, and meeting attendance averages between 20 and 50 members. All meetings are open to the public and anyone may join a working group. Over the years, the working groups have developed ideas that have spun-off into independent, successful programs including Ridge Rangers, Jay Watch, and the Florida Scrub-Jay Festival.
The Lake Wales Ridge Scrub Ecosystem Working Group was established in 1991. In 2006, The Southeast Florida Scrub Ecosystem Working Group was modeled after it. Between 2007-2008 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Statewide Florida Scrub-Jay Conservation Coordinator, Adam Kent, helped start the Northeast, Southwest, and West Central (now the Brooksville Ridge) Working Groups.
Florida scrub is an imperiled ecosystem, with over 60% of its original area lost. This ecosystem is home to many endemic species that are found nowhere else, and like the ecosystem they live in, many of these species are Threatened or Endangered. Managing scrub and the many species it contains is challenging and the working groups are an excellent forum for addressing conservation planning, habitat restoration and management, monitoring, and research. The working groups allow stakeholders to come together to share information and experiences, establish partnerships and collaborations, and address conservation issues at the landscape and regional scales.
Working groups meet between one and three times a year. Attendance at these meetings averages between 20 and 50 members. Over the years the working groups have developed ideas that have spun-off into independent, successful programs including Ridge Rangers, Jay Watch, and the Florida Scrub-Jay Festival. Additionally, working groups have hosted several successful land management field trips.
Regional Working Groups
Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Working Group
Protecting the native plants, animals, and natural communities of this unique region of Florida.