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Thank you for visiting my website. Here you will find information about my research, past and present, as well as details about myself. Please feel free to comment. Email me at hadar.stewart@gmail.com if you have questions about research topics or are interested in collaborating. You can also follow my work on social media.          Cheers, Heather

The red mangrove fringe forests of Hurricane Hole, St. John U.S. Virgin Islands has changed drastically since Irma and Maria hit in 2017. Without the shade of the canopy, algae is taking over habitat where corals once thrived. In a survey this weekend we observed a trunkfish eating a sea hare. Sea hares and other marine herbivores are important to keep algal under control. Apparently they are also tasty according to the local fish community. Hurricanes Irma and Maria have left scars in the ecosystems of the USVI. Four years later, the skeletal red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) forests are beginning to get new recruitment of white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa) moving in while marine debris still covers the landscape. This weekend our small team of volunteers removed 3,440 pounds of debris in just 0.25 miles of mangrove shoreline during the St. John Great Mangrove Cleanup. Our neighborhood native River Otter "playing" with the non-native Muscovy ducks. We were on a walk and saw this otter was killing and eating an adult duck which it took with it into the sewer pipe. It quickly reemerged to scout out the pond which currently has many ducklings and native Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) chicks. When the otter came to shore near a nesting colony of native Boat-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus major), the grackles began to chase after the otter to protect their nests. The Deering Estate is one of the few remaining Environmentally Endangered Lands in Miami-Dade County and is part of a system of protected aquatic preserves in Florida. This area has been a conservation target because it has some of the highest quality and most diverse natural resources remaining in area. The surrounding Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve provides refuge for a wide variety of marine species including several of Florida’s imperiled species, such as the American crocodile, the smalltooth sawfish, the west Indian manatee, and Johnson’s seagrass. The seagrass beds along the shores of the Deering Estate are important feeding areas for wading birds and vital nurseries for juvenile fish. This area is part of the Biscayne Bay IBA (Important Bird Area) and Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail and over 170 species of birds can be seen at the Deering Estate, including rare species such as Mangrove Cuckoo, Black-whiskered vireo, and White crowned pigeon which are restricted to the mangroves of Southern Florida. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) takes a bath in the mangrove saltwater lagoon while standing on a shallow sand bar. Mangroves are recognized and celebrated for their ability to protect inland ecosystems from storm surges and hurricane winds. However, in protecting us, mangroves suffer defoliation of their canopy, breaking of their branches and trunks, and some are completely uprooted by hurricane winds. Despite all that, the sediment deposited on the mangroves from these storms are the biggest issue and can end up suffocating their roots causing delayed mortality. For example, mangroves in the Lower Florida Keys suffered 19% mortality 2-3 months after Hurricane Irma but then 9 months post-storm there was 36% mortality. Satellite and lidar imagery collected before and after Hurricane Irma estimates that 62% of mangroves in southwest Florida suffered canopy damage with the most severe damage occurring in tall forests. Since mangroves rely so heavily on water flow and drainage, well-drained stands recovered by 83% within a year while poorly drained stands suffered one of the largest mangrove diebacks ever recorded (10,760 hectares) with trees dying 9 months post-storm. The next generation of HERpers. One of my greatest passions is teaching young girls about herpetology and seeing the joy it brings them. No snakes were injured in this experience. Another wonderful adventure with my little friend. The Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus woodi) is one of our endemic species meaning it has a range restricted entirely to Florida. Due to urban development, they went locally extinct in many areas, including our county in 2005. However, in 2019 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reintroduced 100 lizards (50 male/50 female) to the Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area (100 acres of natural area along U.S. 1). The population is being monitored and is growing. Long-term survival of the Florida scrub lizard is dependent upon preservation of sufficient scrub habitat through growth management (prescribed burns). It is always a joy to see one of them.

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