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FWC Biologist Kipp Frohlich Receives Rodney Barreto Employee of the Year Award for Imperiled Species Work

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The nonprofit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida has announced Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist Kipp Frohlich as its 2017 – 2018 Rodney Barreto FWC Employee of the Year.

The award was presented to Frohlich at the FWC’s public meeting on Feb. 7. 

“We are honoring Kipp Frohlich today for many reasons, including his effective work over the past year bringing forward for Commission approval a plan to create 13 new Critical Wildlife Areas for protection, and improve five existing areas,” said Foundation Board Chair Richard A. Corbett. “These fragile nesting and roosting colonies for pelicans, herons, egrets, terns, plovers and other colonial shorebirds are located around the state and have been stressed by nearby human activity. Kipp and his FWC colleagues held 14 public workshops, working with federal agencies and many local stakeholders to strike a balance between conservation and nearby recreation. Formal designation and management improvements for all 18 were approved unanimously by the Commission.” 

During his 30-year career, Frohlich has worked to resolve potential conflicts regarding the management of imperiled species. This includes representing FWC on Manatee Recovery Teams, working to improve stakeholder and partner participation in sea turtle conservation, and representing FWC on the Panther Recovery Implementation Team. While working to achieve consensus on these often-contentious conservation issues, Frohlich has earned the respect and trust of stakeholders and partners.      

As deputy director of the FWC’s Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, Frohlich played a key role in developing FWC’s scientifically robust Imperiled Species Management Plan for 57 priority rare and endangered species in Florida. Development of the ISMP required involvement of diverse stakeholders and wide-ranging partner engagement. He was intricately involved in the legal and policy elements of the plan, and continues to support implementation of the plan. 

“I’m very honored to receive this award,” Frohlich said. “FWC is a family and everything cited by the Foundation required the teamwork of many passionate people with whom I’m honored to work.”

The Rodney Barreto FWC Employee of the Year Award is named for its first recipient, Miami native and entrepreneur Rodney Barreto, who served as chair of the FWC for seven of his 10 years as Commissioner. Mr. Barreto currently serves on the Board of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida and other conservation organizations.

The nonprofit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida supports the work of the FWC and other public and private conservation organizations, with offices in Tallahassee and St. Petersburg. The Foundation has raised and given away more than $26 million for conservation and outdoor programs for youth since its founding in 1994. For more information about the Foundation, visit wildlifeflorida.org and our social media sites.

FWC approves guidelines for conserving 8 imperiled species

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Tricolored Heron. (FWC photo)

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today approved Species Conservation Measures and Permitting Guidelines for eight state-threatened species that are among the 57 species in the agency’s Imperiled Species Management Plan.

Each of the eight species – Barbour’s map turtle, Big Cypress fox squirrel, Black Creek crayfish, blackmouth shiner, Florida burrowing owl, Florida pine snake, saltmarsh topminnow and Santa Fe crayfish — now has its own Species Conservation Measures and Permitting Guidelines.

The species guidelines are designed to be a tool for landowners, consultants, agency partners and other interested parties on how to conserve these eight imperiled species.

“Landowners will have predictability, can avoid pitfalls and can avoid the taking of wildlife,” said Chairman Bo Rivard. “These guidelines will really help.”

The guidelines offer options for avoidance, minimization and mitigation of take of the species. They provide species-specific information on key issues relevant to real-world conservation, including:

  • Essential behavioral patterns,
  • Survey methods,
  • Recommended conservation practices,
  • Exemptions or authorizations for take,
  • Coordination with other regulatory programs, and
  • Permitting options for achieving conservation or scientific benefit.

During 2017, the FWC reached out to stakeholders on multiple occasions, through meetings, workshops and webinars, to discuss and get input on the development of the species guidelines.

“Our goal is to keep all of these species around for current and future generations,” said Brad Gruver, who leads the FWC’s Species Conservation Planning Section. “These guidelines will greatly benefit our efforts in doing so.”

For an overview of how Florida conserves imperiled species, go to MyFWC.com/Imperiled.

Imperiled Species Management Plan rule changes are in effect

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The Imperiled Species Management Plan rule changes are now in effect, including changes in listing status for many species. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved the groundbreaking plan in an effort to achieve conservation success with dozens of imperiled species throughout the state. The plan outlines the steps to conserve 57 species along with the broader vision of restoring habitats essential to the long-term survival of multiple fish and wildlife species.
“Florida is charting an ambitious new path for wildlife conservation success on a statewide scale,” said FWC Chairman Brian Yablonski. “Seeing a roseate spoonbill wading in shallow waters, a black skimmer resting on the beach or a Big Cypress fox squirrel sitting in a pine tree is an essential part of the Florida experience. This innovative plan is designed to keep imperiled species like these around for many generations to come.”
Nine rules were revised in support of the ISMP, focusing on changes to listing status, adding authorizations in a management plan or Commission-approved guidelines, preventing possession of species coming off the list, and accomplishing overall rule cleanup and clarification. Among the nine rules, one rule affecting inactive nests of non-listed birds is still pending.
Under the rule change that updates species’ listing status:

  • Fifteen species will no longer be listed as imperiled species because conservation successes improved their status: eastern chipmunk, Florida mouse, brown pelican, limpkin, snowy egret, white ibis, peninsula ribbon snake (lower Keys population), red rat snake (lower Keys population), striped mud turtle (lower Keys population), Suwannee cooter, gopher frog, Pine Barrens tree frog, Lake Eustis pupfish, mangrove rivulus and Florida tree snail. These species still are included in the plan for guidance in monitoring and conserving them.
  • Twenty-three species are newly listed as state Threatened species, a change from their former status as Species of Special Concern: Sherman’s short-tailed shrew, Sanibel rice rat, little blue heron, tricolored heron, reddish egret, roseate spoonbill, American oystercatcher, black skimmer, Florida burrowing owl, Marian’s marsh wren, Worthington’s marsh wren, Scott’s seaside sparrow, Wakulla seaside sparrow, Barbour’s map turtle, Florida Keys mole skink, Florida pine snake, Georgia blind salamander, Florida bog frog, bluenose shiner, saltmarsh top minnow, southern tessellated darter, Santa Fe crayfish and Black Creek crayfish. Threatened species have populations that are declining, have a very limited range or are very small.
  • Fourteen species keep their state Threatened status: Everglades mink, Big Cypress fox squirrel, Florida sandhill crane, snowy plover, least tern, white-crowned pigeon, southeastern American kestrel, Florida brown snake (lower Keys population), Key ringneck snake, short-tailed snake, rim rock crowned snake, Key silverside, blackmouth shiner and crystal darter.
  • Five species remain Species of Special Concern: Homosassa shrew, Sherman’s fox squirrel, osprey (Monroe County population), alligator snapping turtle and harlequin darter.These species have significant data gaps, and the FWC plans to make a determination on their appropriate listing status in the near future.

Important things to know about the Imperiled Species Management Plan:

  • It includes one-page summaries for each species, including a map of its range in Florida and online links to Species Action Plans. The 49 Species Action Plans contain specific conservation goals, objectives and actions for all 57 species.
  • It also has Integrated Conservation Strategies that benefit multiple species and their habitats, and focus implementation of the plan on areas and issues that yield the greatest conservation benefit for the greatest number of species.

Learn more about the plan at MyFWC.com/Imperiled.