1. Natural Area Teaching Lab Erica Van Etten NATL graduate TA

2. 60 acre natural area on campus

3. 4 ecosystems Wetlands NATL west NATL east

4. Upland Pine Upland pine ecosystem restored (1995-date) As illustrated and described elsewhere, NATL's upland pine ecosystem was choked with laurel oaks in 1995. By 2004, after six prescribed burns and the cutting or killing of hundreds of the invading oaks, the ecosystem was once more hospitable to the germination of the seeds of longleaf pines and the growth of their seedlings. elsewhere 15 acres 13 being restored since 1995 2 left unburned

5. Old-field succession must be periodically interrupted to prevent the succession from reaching its endpoint, i.e., a self- sustaining community (hammock or upland pine in this case). The succession area is subdivided into plots (see map) that will be cleared and cultivated at 1-, 10-, or 40-year intervals. Units with the same period of rotation will be cleared and cultivated out of phase. For example, every five years one of the two 10-year plots will be cultivated. The 1-year plot will be cultivated only during years that none of the other plots is cultivated. This schedule will produce five representative successional states at all times.map Old Field Plots 6 acres 3 tilling schedules 1, 10, & 40 year rotations 5 succession stages

6. Hardwood hammock 21 acres in NATL west Ephemeral ponds

7. SEEP – Stormwater Ecological Enhancement Project Retention basin re-contoured for SEEP (1998) BEFORE

8. SEEP restoration 1998

9. SEEP today Boardwalk trail completed 2008

10. Nature trails & kiosks Basic & advanced trail guides

11. Teaching facilities Academic pavilion Natural Area Park

12. NATL west academic area 22 acres closed to public guidelines available online Student projects Short & long –term Research

13. NATL EAST added in 2005 11 acres ALL academic use only Central marsh

14. Looking north from C10 50-meter grid & photos Grid-based photographic record of vegetation (1997, 2007-08) In January 1997, a photographic record was made of NATL by taking pictures to the north, east, south, and west at each grid intersection. This was repeated for NATL-west in 2007 and NATL-east in 2008. photographic record N-S-E-W grid photos NATL west photos 1997 & 2007 NATL east photos 2008 19972007

15. GIS Maps & photos – all online Grid-based record of soils (2000) Dr. Mary E. Collins LIDAR Elevation Contours Aerial photos All pines mapped!

16. Species lists online Surveys of biota (1995-date) Higher plants, vertebrates, and many groups of invertebrates that occur in NATL have been surveyed and the results posted.results posted Gryllus firmus

17. Mini-grant program Two $500 grants available –Individuals or groups –Enhance informational infrastructure –Research projects Vegetational history Species surveys

18. Questions? http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/ ericavanetten@gmail.com