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the species can adapt to changed conditions. The following

recommendations are directed at assisting the birds in

maintaining and increasing their population.



 71) Minimize the construction of new canals in all
 I- areas of southwest Florida;

 2) Develop and implement a regulation schedule
 e- for Lake Okeechobee that will insure good
 feeding conditions for Wood Storks and other
 wading birds in the shoreline seasonal marshes
 during the years of Wood Stork nesting;

 3) Insure the preservation of other major feeding
 areas for Wood Storks and other wading birds
 in southwest Florida, including upper Corkscrew
 marsh, the Okaloacoochee slough, the marshes of
 south-central Lee County, and the Fahkahatchee
 strand;

 4) Take advantage of opportunities to create feed-
 ing habitat for Wood Storks and other wading
 birds when water impoundments are planned for
 private or public lands. One such area is the
 "Holy Land"'on the northern border of Conser- -
 vation Area 3A, proposed as a water storage area
 for runoff from the Everglades agricultural
 region.


 Some suggestions to improve feeding conditions for

Wood Storks at Corkscrew marsh are:


 1) Increase the ratio of pond area to marsh area
 by digging shallow seasonally-drying ponds at
 several elevations in Corkscrew marsh;

 2) Enlarge some of the deeper, permanently-wet
 ponds such as Mud Lake Pond, increasing size
 and diversity of winter habitat for fish to
 improve the survival of local populations of
 sunfish.

 3) If Mud Lake Pond is not enlarged to increase
 survival of sunfish, then let the pond dry
 completely to eliminate local populations of
 predator fish, rather than pumping water into
 the pond during droughts.