1) early flooding, ample rain, and a large land area
 covered by water during the summer and fall prior
 to nesting so that reproduction and growth of fish
 are maximized;

 S2))cessation of rains no later than October so that
 drying commences in early winter (if the dry-down
 begins too late or progresses too slowly, the birds
 start their reproductive activity so late in the
 season that summer rains interrupt the nesting
 effort by expanding the water and allowing fish to
 disperse. The reduction in fish density causes
 adults to abandon their young, resulting in
 death of the nestlings).

 3))few or no heavy rains during the winter and early
 spring (untimely rains also cause fish populations
 to spread out and not be accessible to Wood Storks-;
 consequently rookeries and young are abandoned);

 (4) a mild winter (storms and freezes cause heavy
 \ /mortalities in the rookeries).

 The level of fledgling production in successful

breeding seasons and the frequency with which successful

breeding seasons must occur to assure the perpetuation of

the species are dependent upon intrinsic characteristics of

the population such as survival rates, life expectancy, and

age of first breeding. Banding of Wood Stork nestlings in

rookeries at Everglades National Park has been carried out

since 1974 by John Ogden, research biologist of the

National Audubon Society, but it will be many years before

banding returns provide needed demographic information.

Meanwhile, the small amount of data available on Wood

Storks and information on related species must be used to

formulate initial estimates to use in predictive models.

 A sole record from the wild indicates that a Wood

Stork lived at least 11.7 yrs (Kahl, 1959). Another Wood