In the U.S., the tree cactus lives only in the Keys, but its habitat is under stress.
BY GEORGIA TASKER
gtasker@MiamiHerald.com
Exploring South Florida and the Caribbean with his notebook and camera in the early 20th century, the botanist John Kunkle Small, with the New York Botanical Garden, hiked through vast areas of botanical richness. Among the tropical plants he photographed were ferns, orchids, trees and a thriving colony of tree cactus.
Today, nearly 100 years after Small snapped a picture of the Key tree cactus, it is federally endangered. It is so prized that Florida Communities Trust recently agreed to give the village of Islamorada $5.1 million to buy nine acres on Upper Matecumbe Key to preserve a small group of the plants and a hardwood hammock.
The Florida Keys are its only home in the United States, though a small group was documented years ago in Cuba.
''There are eight known small populations through the Keys, from Big Pine Key to Key Largo,'' said Steve Klett, manager for the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge in north Key Largo and an expert on endangered species. Four of the eight groups are protected in preserves; the others are on private land.
The cactus grows in the dappled light of tropical hammocks. Habitat loss to development and the destructive forces of hurricanes have slammed it for decades. While the federal government protected wetlands in the Keys, Klett said, uplands were typically developed. ``Over the years, we've lost . . . the majority of our hardwood hammocks.''
By 1984, the Key tree cactus was put on the endangered species list. And while endangered species are given management plans by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, plants don't get the same level of protection as animals, said Klett, who works for the federal agency. Endangered plants on private property can be cleared if their removal does not jeopardize the survival of the whole population. ''The only way to truly protect land is to own it,'' he said.
The group of tree cactuses on Upper Matecumbe Key is on property belonging to brothers Dan and Mark Cockerman. A road was cleared through the twin lots, and the land has been used to store such things as a life-size fiberglass gorilla that was once used at a tourist attraction.
Dan Cockerman, whose grandparents had a garage on Upper Matecumbe, said his late father built the marina next door. The brothers grew up across the street from the property. After their father died, the brothers sold the marina and but still owned the adjacent land.
''I was going to build a house on the property,'' Dan said. 'I have a permit to build there. The village [of Islamorada] contacted me and said, `We'd love to buy it.' ''
Just in the last decade, cactus numbers have dropped 80 percent, Klett said. Storm surges from hurricanes have increased soil salinity, seas are rising, and, in some cases, the trees around the cactuses are creating too much shade. Scientists at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden have identified another source of trouble: Key deer nibble on the cactus and rub their antlers against the trunks.
While Fish and Wildlife is supposed to maintain and improve habitat around the cactus, ''we don't know how to do that,'' Klett said.
So Fish and Wildlife awarded a grant to ecologists at Fairchild to determine why the plants are dying and to propagate them at the nursery for reintroduction to the wild.
''We've been working with the species for two years now,'' said Joie Goodman, a conservation ecologist at Fairchild.
The cactus are cylindrical, slender and upright, and have been know to reach more than 30 feet. Some have arms. A moth probably pollinates its white flowers, but no one knows which one.
While Fairchild is studying the biology of the plant, the Florida Communities Trust is taking steps to preserve its habitat. In August, the trust approved the $5.1 million grant to buy the Cockermans' land, not only for the cactus but also because of the high quality of the tropical hardwood hammock on it.
Backers of the purchase envision a number of improvements, including a kayak landing, public trails and an education kiosk.
Still ahead are a site visit by the trust, appraisals and then submission of the proposal to the Islamorada Village Council. Ed Koconis, deputy village manager and planning director, said council members are concerned about the cost of maintenance and improvements.
''Whether they're going to approve it or not, I don't know,'' Koconis said.
The Cockerman brothers have pledged to set up an endowment fund for maintenance.
The conservation organizations must raise another $80,000 to build the kayak landing and other improvements.
Says Joyce Maschinski, head of the Florida conservation program at Fairchild, ``With the great loss in the lower Keys, preserving a healthy Middle Keys population will help reduce the extinction risk of the species.''
source: Miami Herald
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