Central Everglades Planning Project Operational Plan 1.0 (CEPP Ops 1.0) Ecological Model Support, Round 2

Ecological models facilitate evaluation of alternative approaches to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model output and its use by decision makers. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) meets this challenge by providing ecological model output tailored to management decisions; ecological models were developed by JEM to evaluate potential effects of restoration projects on natural resources in the impacted areas. The purpose of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) Operational Plan 1.0 (CEPP Ops 1.0) is to provide operating criteria for CEPP infrastructure, while integrating operations of related Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and non-CERP projects that contribute towards achieving the goals, purposes, and benefits of CEPP. The CEPP Project Operating Manual will be updated and will change the Combined Operational Plan (COP) Water Control Plan (the current operating plan for the Everglades Water Conservation Areas, Everglades National Park, and South Dade Conveyance System) which went into effect in 2020. The following model outputs were provided by JEM to aid in evaluations of alternative restoration plans: (1) Marl Prairie Habitat Suitability Index, (2) Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper, (3) American alligator Habitat Suitability Index (HSI), (4) Small-sized freshwater fish density, (5) Days since drydown (DSD), (6) native Florida apple snail population model (EverSnail), (7) EverWaders wading bird occupancy model, (8) Everglades Vulnerability Analysis (EVA) vegetation types, (9) KiteNest habitat suitability model for endangered Everglades snail kite nesting, (10) Wader Distribution & Evaluation Modeling (WADEM), (11) Everglades Landscape Vegetation Succession (ELVeS), (12) EverSparrow probability of presence for endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, and (13) Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Viewer. This is Round 2 of CEPP Ops 1.0; JEM did not provide ecological model outputs for CEPP Ops 1.0, Round 1.