Number: 1988-20
WHEREAS, the Big Cypress National Preserve (BCNP) represents one of two principal holdings of Federal land in south Florida; and
WHEREAS, the BCNP was purchased from Florida landowners specifically to aid in the maintenance and restoration of the Everglades ecosystem; and
WHEREAS, outdoor recreation such as camping, hunting and fishing within the BCNP are authorized by law and remain important to residents of Florida and the nation; and
WHEREAS, the endangered Florida panther is an important component of the south Florida ecosystem; and
WHEREAS, with proper habitat management, populations of prey species on which the Florida panther depends can be increased to benefit the panther; and
WHEREAS, buffering and protecting the Everglades National Park, preserving land uses of the area, and protecting the Florida panther requires multiple use management of the BCNP; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission is duly constituted as Florida’s wildlife management agency and has a shared responsibility with the National Park Service for the management and protection of wildlife resources in the Big Cypress National Preserve;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 17-20, 1988, in New Orleans, Louisiana urges (1) scientifically-based multiple use management of the Big Cypress National Preserve, (2) the Big Cypress National Preserve comprehensive management plan being developed by the National Park Service include management objectives for whitetail deer and other prey of the Florida panther, and (3) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s final Florida Panther Recovery Plan be modified so as to require the National Park Service to manage the Big Cypress National Preserve ecosystem with special consideration for the Florida panther; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Park Service and the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission fully cooperate and coordinate in all matters relating to the proper management of wildlife, including utilization of wildlife resources, law enforcement, and habitat management and research in the Big Cypress National Preserve.