Alexis Cardas, graduate student, with a Florida Scrub-Jay

Translocation has been considered as a conservation tool to increase the population of threatened and endangered species, especially in areas that have been recently restored, and where small, isolated populations reside and are unlikely to increase naturally through dispersal.  Most translocation research has focused on the success at recipient sites, while the impacts associated with the donor population have not been rigorously monitored. Ocala National Forest is home to the largest remaining population of federally threatened Florida scrub-jays.  As the goal of any translocation is to have a positive impact on the species population, it is imperative that costs to the donor population are minimized to the greatest extent possible. Alexis studied nesting success and productivity at donor sites to assess the impact of translocation. The project goal was to determine whether the removal of helpers from family groups of Florida scrub-jays is a viable option for future translocations. The results suggest that the presence of non-breeding helpers has less of an effect on nestling mass, productivity, and nest success than the factors of year and linear date within season. The data also suggests that removing helpers is a viable option for future translocation efforts of Florida scrub-jays. In addition to concurrent research conducted at the recipient sites, this will be an important first step towards the initiation of a statewide translocation protocol for Florida scrub-jays.