Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives (OERI)

The OERI has two main roles:

OERI & The Task Force

Leadership: The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1996 established the Task Force and requires the Secretary of the Interior to serve as the Chair. The OERI provides the support necessary to fulfill the Secretary’s role and responsibilities as Chair.

Support: The OERI manages the activities and responsibilities of the Task Force, its Working Group, Science Coordination Group, and advisory bodies, and works directly with their federal, state, local government, and Tribal members.

Reports: The OERI prepares a suite of reports for the Task Force, many Congressionally required.

Invasive Exotic Species: The OERI supports the Task Force’s efforts on invasive exotic species (IES), including developing the IES Strategic Action Framework and fulfilling additional responsibilities as delineated in WRDA 2020.

Meetings: The OERI coordinates all Task Force-related meetings, whether in-person or virtual. Public participation is an integral part of each meeting agenda.

Workshops: The OERI facilitates Task Force sponsored stakeholder engagement workshops to enhance public participation in restoration planning.

Website: The OERI developed and maintains the EvergladesRestoration.gov website. This website serves as the internet homebase of the Task Force and provides access to partner Everglades restoration programs and reports.

OERI & the U.S. Department of the interior

Coordination: The OERI, under the leadership of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, serves as the south Florida liaison for the Office of the Secretary in coordinating departmental and bureau-level Everglades restoration activities, projects, and programs.

DOI in South Florida: The Department manages nearly 2.5 million acres of land and water resources in the Everglades, has regulatory responsibility for 93 listed species in the Everglades, and produces much of the science that serves as the road map and accountability measures for the restoration program. The OERI coordinates with the following bureaus:

• The National Park Service (NPS) manages four national park units: Everglades, Dry Tortugas, and Biscayne national parks and Big Cypress National Preserve.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) manages 18 national wildlife refuges within the South Florida Ecosystem and is also responsible for the management of species protected by laws such as the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

• The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides key scientific research and support to DOI as well as to our restoration partners.

• The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) provides Tribal consultation and other specialized support in the collaboration and coordination of DOI’s restoration programs with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

CERP Implementation: In 2000, Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) to restore, preserve, and protect the South Florida Ecosystem, while providing for other water-related needs of the region. The WRDA 2000 also provides the Secretary of the Interior with a series of specific duties that are performed and facilitated by the OERI. These include developing the five-year CERP Joint Report to Congress with the Secretary of the Army and developing with the Secretary of the Army and the Governor of the State of Florida an independent scientific review panel to provide independent peer review of the CERP [e.g., the Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress (CISRERP)]. In addition, DOI and its bureaus routinely participate in CERP project delivery teams.