The reintroduction team has a slightly different challenge in the recovery process than the south Florida group. We used the same planning tool provided by the Nature Conservancy, however we are dealing with habitat issues in areas of the country where there is currently no breeding population of panthers. Every prerequisite and pitfall, which bears on reclassification or recovery and delisting, was on the table.

The discussion included the elements of populations and their size and locations. Again the questions of range, prey base, the ability of the cats to adapt, and community tolerance and support were addressed. Local and regional concerns, which would inevitably affect the success or failure of the program, were sifted and weighted. Land uses such as agriculture, livestock production, recreational activities, and hunting present challenges for the reintroduction of any endangered species. We can learn from the Panther Reintroduction Feasibility Study and from other predator recovery programs such as the gray wolf in the west and southwest and the red wolf in the Carolinas and the black bear reintroduction in Louisiana.

Two things were apparent throughout the meeting. One, the reintroduction site must be carefully chosen and two, significant preparation is needed to build the base of support in the communities in order to assure success. It is obvious that the non-government organization's presence and their commitment to the process will be a key element in the development of community support. The agencies, both state and federal, have the tools to achieve recovery of Puma concolor coryi, the southeastern panther, but will require the American public to show its support in the political sense.

I believe that the National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, and Nature Conservancy are strongly committed. Smaller organizations and individuals must show their support in every way that is available to them by writing and speaking with agency representatives, political figures, community leaders and even our neighbors so that the process will move forward.

You can help by writing a letter in support of re-establishing panther populations in appropriate portions of their historic range.

Send your letter to:

July, 2001- The new Florida Panther Recovery Team (FPRT) met for the first time to revise the Florida Panther Recovery Plan (FPRP). Fourteen years ago, 1987, is the last time an FPRT met to revise the Plan in full. Previous teams consisted of only 4 members: representatives from the main agencies involved. Not this time. The new team, headed by the USFWS, has 32 members representing various groups with interest in what will be done to achieve panther recovery. The idea is to include all stakeholders in the process from the beginning. The people will also get to have their say when a draft plan is released for public review next summer. For now, your voice is represented by FPS. We aren't the only ones there speaking up for what we believe full recovery means, and together we weren't going to let this meeting close without mention of establishing other panther populations within its historic range of the southeastern United States. Yes, the words were finally spoken, and the FPRT is now talking Reintroduction! Feel free to stand up and do your victory dance….then sit back down with us, because there is a lot of work to do to achieve this long overdue goal.

In order to meet Endangered Species Act requirements for recovery plans, ESA Sec.4f1B, the team needs to identify 'Objective, measurable criteria, which when met, would result in a determination, in accordance with the provisions of this section, that the species be removed from the list'. This is accomplished through Threat Analysis and Recovery Criteria/Actions that are broken down into five factors. This alone is a big part of the revision. Then comes the job of estimating time and cost requirements to carry out these recovery measures. The team will be broken down into two sub-teams to address specific issues in the south Florida population and Reintroduction issues in the southeastern U.S.

After a draft plan is released and reviewed by the public next fall, and then finalized by the FPRT, it will need to be signed by the USFWS, and that could take time. Then an EIS will need to be done, taking approximately 2 years. This is the time frame we are looking at for even starting the process of physically putting panthers on the ground somewhere in the southeast. So, what do we do in the meantime? A-ha! We do what FPS has been working on all along, increase public awareness of the panther, only this time we extend our efforts throughout the panthers historic range.

The recovery plan was partially revised in 1995 to include the Genetic Restoration Program that, now complete, has successfully restored historic gene flow between Texas cougars and Florida Panthers, giving the isolated population a much needed boost of genetic vigor. Now the estimated number of cats in south Florida is 50 to 70. An unfortunate side effect to this success is the slightly higher number of cats being hit and killed by cars. This is also affected by the increased loss of panther habitat in south Florida. Young male cats in search of new territory are crossing the Caloosahatchee River and meeting the same demise, death by vehicle. Panther habitat north of the river isn't much more plentiful, though it may contain important linkages between large areas of land that may be used to increase the carrying capacity of the south Florida population. The MERIT subteam of the south Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan (MSRP) is developing maps of potential panther habitat in those areas. Their work on the panther component of the MSRP will be integrated into the FPRP.

The Florida Panther Society is mainly concerned with full recovery, and to us this means reintroduction. Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina state wildlife agencies are all on the FPRT, as well as National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Quality Deer Management Association, International Paper, and the National Association of Homebuilders. (Please note: the opinions expressed in this article are that of FPS only, as we cannot speak for any other group on the team.) This is where we will begin to talk about the specifics of establishing other breeding panther populations. The next FPRT meeting is scheduled for October.

While the FPRP mainly deals with the biological, scientific and physical needs of recovery, it is not designed to meet the needs for increased public awareness throughout the southeast. In August, The National Wildlife Federation held the first workshop in a series, designed to complement the FPRT meetings, to address this need. We heard from people involved in Red Wolf Reintroduction, Louisiana Black Bear Recovery, Selway-Biterroot Grizzly Bear efforts, and Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction. We learned specific ways in which agencies, Non-Government Organizations (NGO's), and private landowners can work together to resolve the social and economic issues around reintroduction. This is a landmark time in panther recovery, marking the start of a new era, one where everyone is involved in achieving full recovery.

JAMES J. CLOSE AWARD