55 Reasons Why the Florida Everglades are Special
A RIVER OF GRASS. NATIVE AMERICANS LIVING AROUNG THE EVERGLADES CALLED IT PAHAYOKEE (PAH-HIGH-OH-GEH) MEANING, ‘GRASSY WATERS.’ IMAGE: NPS THANKS TO BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE.
Editor’s note: The Florida ‘glades is one of our favorite winter get-aways. This article was first published in December 2019 and updated for you today.
DESTINATION: WILDLIFE EDITOR, LES MEDLEY
✓ Travel Tips
Try the western “glades” and discover Fakahatchee Strand Preserve for a “road-less-traveled experience, or Big Cyprus National Wildlife Preserve with a guide looking for Florida panther tracks or ghost orchids.
by Les Medley
Native Americans living around the Everglades called it Pahayokee (pah-High-oh-geh), which means "grassy waters." But these waters are not just grassy; they are extraordinary.
It is easy to see why people come from all over the world to visit this river of grass. With its unique vegetation and wildlife, the Everglades is a fantastic place to spend a few days. And although the Everglades have gotten more press lately, there is still much to learn about the ecosystem, its wildlife, and its impact on South Florida.
THERE ARE NO OTHER EVERGLADES IN THE WORLD. … THE MIRACLE OF LIGHT POURS OVER THE SAWGRASS AND THE WATER, SHINING AND SLOW MOVING BELOW… IT IS A RIVER OF GRASS. MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS FROM THE EVERGLADES: RIVER OF GRASS. IMAGE: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE THANKS TO EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK FACEBOOK.
The Greater Everglades Ecosystem
WE KNEW WE HAD ARRIVED IN THE EVERGLADES WHEN WE SAW OUR FIRST ALLIGATOR. BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE. IMAGE: ©LES MEDLEY
THE EVERGLADES IS A RIVER. MAP: THE FLORIDA CENTER FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Before there was an Everglades National Park, there was Everglades, the ecosystem. This Everglades has been around for 5,000 years!
The Greater Everglades Ecosystem is a region of tropical wetlands beginning at the headwaters of the Kissimmee River. The Kissimmee drains into Lake Okeechobee, which would periodically spill over its southern banks during the wet season, sending fresh water south to Florida Bay. The Everglades was once a vast, shallow, and free-flowing river of grass.
1. The Everglades cover over 1.5 million acres. 1,508,538 acres are currently protected, but this is less than 50% of the 4,000 square miles (10,350 square kilometers) originally covered by the Everglades.
2. The Everglades is a river. Often called a "swamp," the Everglades is, in reality, a giant, slow-moving river. Water slowly drains north to south from Lake Okeechobee, forming a shallow river sixty miles wide and a hundred miles long.
Everglades SUNSET. WE TOOK THIS PHOTO WHILE HAVING DINNER ON THE DECK AT THE CAMELLIA ST. CAFE. EVERY MINUTE IS BEAUTIFUL IN THE EVERGLADES. IMAGE: ©R. KRAVETTE
3. The water is shallow. The average depth of water in the Everglades is only 4-5 feet, and the maximum depth is usually about 9 feet.
4. Most of the Florida Everglades is freshwater. It is not saltwater, as many assume. But the combination of fresh, brackish, and salt waters in one reason the Everglades are a refuge for such a wide variety of wildlife.
5. The Everglades area was once an arid prairie. Up until approximately 6,500 years ago, the Florida Peninsula was an arid landscape consisting of desert and prairie habitats.
THERE ARE ONLY 6 SPECIES OF SPOONBILL ON THE PLANET AND THE ROSEATE SPOONBILL IS THE ONLY ONE OF THEM IN THE AMERICAS. FUN FACT: AS THEY GET OLDER, THEY CAN GO “BALD” JUST LIKE HUMANS. IMAGE THANKS TO BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE
6. It's the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist. Both crocodiles and alligators live in the Everglades. Crocodiles exist in much smaller numbers and tend to remain in brackish water near coastal areas. Alligators prefer to stay inland, near freshwater. The Everglades ecosystem provides a natural habitat for both, and it is the only place in the world where these reptiles coexist in the wild.
7. The Everglades consist of 8 distinct habitats. The Florida Everglades is an intricate system of wetlands, lakes, and rivers, and it is this complexity that makes it so spectacular. Eight distinct habitats are found here, including hardwood hammocks, coastal lowlands, and marine waters. But the Everglades is best known for its mangroves, sawgrass prairies, and freshwater sloughs that draw water from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay.
BABY ALLIGATOR TAKES IN THE SCENE AT EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. IMAGE: EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
8. There are only two seasons here: wet and dry. South Florida's subtropical to tropical climate has a seven-month-long "wet season" from April through October. Only a quarter of yearly rainfall takes place during the "dry season" (November-March).
9. The Everglades receives an average of 60 inches of rain a year. To put that in perspective, Seattle, Washington, gets a little less than 40 inches per year.
10. Fire is common in the Everglades – and essential. During the dry season, weather patterns create drought-like conditions perfect for fires. And fire is critical to several of the unique habitats found in the Everglades.
CONTROLLED FIRES, LIKE THIS ONE , IS HELPFUL IN ELIMINATING INVASIVE SPECIES. IMAGE: LARRY RICHARDS, USFWS FOR FLORIDA PANTHER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
11. It is called sawgrass for a reason. Dense sawgrass covers much of the Everglades, and while it may look soft, the razor-sharp blades of grass up to 6 feet tall can cut through your clothing.
12. Mosquitos are welcome. Although they can be a bother, especially during the wet season, mosquitos are essential to the food chain in the Everglades. Mosquito larvae provide food for the fish that are the primary food for the birds of the Everglades.
Why the Everglades Ecosystem is Important
SHRINKING HABITAT, VEHICLE ACCIDENTS AND THE EVERGLADES ITSELF CREATE A HARD LIFE FOR THE ENDANGERED FLORIDA PANTHER. FAKAHATCHEE STRAND PRESERVE. SAYS JAY STATON, THIS POWERFUL ENDANGERED FLORIDA PANTHER IS SPORTING SEVERAL DEER FLIES, AND ITS FACE IS SHOWING MANY MORE SIGNS OF FLIES EXTRACTING THEIR TOLL. IMAGE THANKS TO ©JAY STATON AND HIS PANTHER CAM.
The Everglades provides crucial habitat for numerous species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther. The park has long been a birder's paradise -- it is the winter home of more than 360 different species of birds. But this unique ecosystem is essential to humans, too.
13. It is the largest subtropical wetland in North America. The Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland ecosystem in North America. The water moves from the Kissimmee River to the shallow Lake Okeechobee, and then flowing across the Everglades saw grass and toward the mangrove estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico.
THE EVERGLADES MINK (Mustela vison evergladensis), A SUBSPECIES OF THE AMERICAN MINK, IS FOUND ONLY IN SHALLOW FRESH WATER MARSHES OF EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PARK AND THIS ONE IN FAKAHATCHEE STRAND PRESERVE. IMAGES: THANKS TO ©JAY STATON PHOTOGRAPHY
14. The Everglades ecosystem is home to 36 endangered and threatened species. 36 threatened or endangered species call the Everglades home. Included in the list are both the elusive Florida panther and the American crocodile.
15. The Everglades is home to the Florida panther, one of the most endangered species on earth. There are currently less than 100 remaining.
16. There are over 800 wildlife species in the Everglades ecosystem. While famous for alligators, the Everglades features over 350 species of birds, 300 species of both fresh and saltwater fish, 50 reptile species, and 40 mammal species.
17. The Everglades ecosystem is on the edge - of wildlife habitats. This ecosystem is considered an "edge" area of the northern and southern limits for many species creating a unique mingling of diverse temperate and subtropical species.
BLACK BEAR ARE FLORIDA’S LARGEST LAND-BASED MAMMAL. THESE cubs WERE CAUGHT BY TRAIL CAM IN FAKAHATCHEE STRAND PRESERVE BY ©JAY STATON AND HIS PANTHER CAM.
18. Nearly 8-million Florida residents rely on the Everglades for their daily water supply. The Everglades slow-flowing water recharges the Biscayne aquifer, which provides drinking water for one out of three Floridians.
19. The economic influence of a healthy Everglades ecosystem is substantial. Recreational fishing alone generates approximately $1.2 billion a year in economic activity in the 13-county Everglades Region.
The Everglades National Park
“Here are no lofty peaks seeking the sky, no mighty glaciers or rushing streams wearing away the uplifted land. Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last receiver of it.”
— President Harry Truman ”
MARJORY STONEHAM DOUGLAS (1890 - 1998) JOURNALIST, CONSERVATIONIST, WOMAN’S RIGHT’S ADVOCATE, WROTE THE EVERGLADES: RIVER OF GRASS AND IS CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURE IN SAVING IT FROM OBLITERATION BY DEVELOPMENT. IMAGE: JIM KERLIN/AP and EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK.
20. The Everglade National Park protects an ecosystem. Most national parks protect geographical or cultural features, but the Everglades NP protects an actual ecosystem – this is one of the most critical ecosystems in the US and contains a wide range of flora, fauna, and wildlife.
21. December 6th is the Park's birthday. Congress established Everglades National Park on December 6, 1947 to conserve the natural landscape and prevent further degradation of its land, plants, and animals.
NATIVE TO FLORIDA, SWAMP LILY IS A POPULAR GARDEN PLANT, BUT ITS BEAUTY SHINES IN ITS NATURAL HABITAT. AT FAKAHATCHEE STRAND PRESERVE. IMAGE: THANKS TO FRIENDS OF THE FAKAHATCHEE
22. The Everglades National Park is the 3rd largest national park in the lower 48. Ranking behind Death Valley and Yellowstone, Everglades National Park, at 1.5-million acres, is still larger than most National Parks in the lower 48. It is also the largest national park east of the Rocky Mountains.
23. The park protects only a small portion of the original Everglades. The Everglades ecosystem started near Orlando, at the headwaters of the Kissimmee River and covered over 11,000 square miles (28,500 square kilometers). The Everglades National Park protects the southern 20 percent of the Everglades drainage basin.
24. Everglades National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Everglades National Park became a World Heritage Site on October 26, 1979. Numerous factors lead to the designation, including the combination of temperate and subtropical species and habitats, the large number of bird and reptile species, and the unique threatened species that reside in the there.
25. The park makes up a significant portion of the Everglades & Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve. Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks were jointly designated an International Biosphere Reserve on October 26, 1976. International Biosphere Reserves are a project of the Man and the Biosphere Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Reserves are protected samples of the world's major ecosystem types.
WEST INDIAN MANATEE, THOUGHT TO BE THE INSPIRATION OF OLD MERMAID “SIGHTINGS”, THESE GENTLE “SEA COWS” ARE IN CONSTANT DANGER FROM BOAT PROPELLERS. STAY WELL BACK FROM MANATEES. TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE AND LET THE CURIOUS MAMMALS COME TO YOU. Image: MY FWC FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
26. The park is also a Wetland of International Importance. The Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. On June 4, 1987, Everglades became one of 1,929 wetland sites listed by the convention.
27. Everglades National Park contains the largest contiguous stand of protected mangroves in the western hemisphere. Mangroves help clean water while also providing shelter to marine organisms. During the dry months, wading birds congregate here to feed and nest, and the mangroves provide the first line of erosion defense against the winds and waves of tropical storms and hurricanes.
AN AMERICAN CROCODILE IN THE 10,000 ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE RESERVE. FOUND MOSTLY IN SALT OR BRACKISH WATER, THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY LIVING DINOSAURS. IN THE UNITED STATES, THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES IS THE ONLY PLACE TO SEE THEM IN THE WILD. IMAGE: MARK DANAHER, USFWS.
28. Everglades National Park is the only North American subtropical preserve. There are 95 national parks, seashores, lakeshores, and preserves administered by the National Park Service, but only one is considered subtropical - the Everglades.
29. The Everglades is the largest wilderness of any kind east of the Mississippi River. 1,296,500 acres (2,025.8 sq mi; 5,246.7 km2) of Everglades National Park - 86% of the park's total area - is set aside as a designated wilderness area. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness is named for a prolific writer, suffragist, and civil rights champion who was closely associated with efforts to conserve the area.
THE MARJORIE STONEHAM WILDERNESS AREA IS NTHE LARGEST SECTION OF THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. IT IS VITAL FOR FLORIDA’S WATER SUPPLY, A NATURAL DEFENSE AGAINST TROPICAL STORMS, AND IS A KEY NURSING GROUND FOR NUMEROUS AQUATIC AND BIRD SPECIES. AS WLL AS BEING CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT. THANKS TO THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK FACEBOOK PAGE FOR IMAGE AND INFORMATION. IMAGE: DENISE DIAZ
30. Everglades National Park is the most important tropical wading bird breeding ground in North America. The park provides critical foraging and breeding habitat for 16 species of wading birds. Species include roseate spoonbills, great egrets, white ibises, tricolored herons, wood storks, great and little blue herons, and snowy egrets.
31. In 1946, Humble Oil Company discovered oil in the Shark Valley Region of the Everglades. To get to it, they built a seven-mile raised path out of ground dug from a trench. The oil turned out to be sub-standard, and Humble Oil abandoned the project. But the track and the channel remain, and you can walk, bike, or ride a tram along the loop road while viewing some of the park's best wildlife concentrations.
TURTLE HATCHLING IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. NUMEROUS SPECIES OF TURTLES POPULATE THE WATERS OF THE EVERGLADES, INCLUDING SEA TURTLES LIKE THE ATLANTIC LEATHERBACK AND HAWKSBILL, AND THE FLORIDA SOFTSHELL, FLORIDA SNAPPING TURTLE, FLORIDA CHICKEN TURTLE, AND STRIPED MUD TURTLE, PENINSULA COOTER AND THE LOWLY STINKPOT. IF YOU WERE WONDERING ABOUT THE STINKPOT, IT GETS IT’S NAME FROM THE PARTICULAR SKUNK-LIKE SCENT IT GIVES OUT WHEN AGITATED OR THREATENED. IMAGE COURTESY THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
32. Everglades National Park is the 24th most visited national park. Although the park receives over one million visitors per year, it is not heavily visited compared to other parks. Considering it is one of the most well-known protected areas in the United States and parts are within an hour of Miami, it is surprising that it does not receive more visitors.
33. The park supports approximately 900 jobs. These jobs were created by or sustained by Everglades National Park because of initiates in 2005 and 2006 to improve visitor attendance.
A RELIC FROM THE COLD WAR, THE NIKE HERCULES MISSLE BASE, CALLED ALPHA BATTERY OR HM69, IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK IS SEASONALLY OPEN FOR TOURS LEAD BY V MILITARY VET. VOLUNTEERS. IMAGE: EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
34. There is still a Nike Hercules Missile Base housed in the heart of Everglades National Park. The site remains virtually unchanged from when it was an active military post during the Cold War. Park visitors can take guided tours of the base and occasionally meet soldiers who were stationed there during the conflict with the Soviet Union.
Humans in the Everglades
Evidence of human settlement in Florida's southern tip dates back thousands of years. From the original Archaic period settlements to the modern tribal communities of the Miccosukee and Seminole Indians, the region has a rich history of human culture. And some unique parts of this history are readily found with a visit to the Everglades National Park.
SEMINOLE INDIAN, TOMMY TIGER, GIGGING FROM A DUGOUT [CYPRESS] CANOE IN THE FLORID EVERGLADES . THE SEMINOLE PEOPLE TYPICALLY USED POLES NOT PADDLES, IN THE EVERGLADES. IMAGE: THANKS TO THE STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA MEMORY
35. The first human inhabitants made arrived in the Everglades approximately 15,000 years ago. These early inhabitants were probably following large game, and they found an arid landscape similar to modern prairies.
36. The Everglades once served as a boundary between two Native American tribes - the Calusa and the Tequesta. The Calusa territory was centered on modern-day Ft. Myers, and the Tequesta lived on the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula around what is today Biscayne Bay and the Miami River. Although both societies were well adapted to live in the Everglades, and their people often traveled through the heart of the Everglades, they rarely lived within it.
37. The Calusa people created large structures from shells. The Calusa created mounds when they piled discarded shell tools and leftover shells emptied of foodstuffs. Later, they began to build larger well-planned structures called "shell works" by piling shells and earth upon each other. The Calusa used shells to form high ridges, mounds, platforms, canals, and courtyards. Visitors can still find the remnants of these structures in the Everglades.
rEMAINS OF A SHELL MIDDEN BUILT BY THE CALUSA PEOPLE IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES. THESE PILES OF SHELLS COULD BE FORMED INTO SHELL WORKS OF RIDGES, PLATFORMS, CANALS, & COURTYARDS. imAGE: (C) ROBERTA KRAVETTE, DESTINATION: WILDLIFE.
38. Early Everglades inhabitants built one of the first canoe trails in North America. One of only a few surviving prehistoric canoe trails in North America, The Mud Lake Canal extends 20-30 ft across in most places and averages about 2 feet deep. It is associated with the Bear Lake Mound Group; a site thought to have been a Tequesta village.
39. By 1800, the two original tribes were virtually wiped out by Spanish settlers and the diseases that they brought. Historical records indicate that survivors of war and disease were transported to Havana with Spanish colonists in the late 18th century.
40. Early white settlers were known as "Gladesmen." They explored south Florida's natural landscape, exploiting its abundant fish, game, and plant life.
Conservation in the Everglades
In 1845, when Florida first became a state, the legislature took the first steps to drain the Everglades. And this sensitive ecosystem has been under human-made environmental pressures ever since.
41. Development pressures from agriculture, industry, and urban areas have destroyed more than half of the original Everglades. Ever-increasing population growth along with industry in south Florida has resulted in large metropolitan areas and rising pressures on the surrounding natural environments. And much of Florida's agriculture takes place on drained land within the Everglades.
42. Phosphorus in agricultural and stormwater runoff has degraded water quality in the Everglades since the 1960s. The Everglades' famous plants and animals evolved under very low phosphorus conditions. High phosphorus causes the loss of the natural communities of algae that are critical to the Everglades' habitat and leads to a reduction in dissolved oxygen needed by fish. High levels of phosphorus also produce changes in the habitat that result in a loss of the open water areas needed by wading birds to feed.
43. In many Everglades areas, less than half as much water on average flows through the River of Grass as did 100 years ago. On the whole, water is insufficient in the Everglades ecosystem, and what is there often flows to the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong amounts. So the vast wetland produces far less life than it used to.
44. Invasive species are threatening the Everglades ecosystem. Burmese pythons have dominated headlines in recent years, but other invasive species, such as sailfin catfish, wild boar, and Mayan cichlid, have also taken hold. While the park service and environmental groups continually pursue eradication measures, detection rates, and a lack of natural predators give invasive species an advantage over native wildlife in the Everglades.
INVASIVE BURMESE PYTHON, PROBABLY A BY-PRODUCT OF THE EXOTIC PET TRADE. OVER 2600 HAVE BEEN REMOVED SINCE 2017. TOM RAHILL OF THE VETERAN’S GROUP, “SWAMP APES,” HOLDS THE GROUP’S 1000TH CAPTURE. IMAGE: MYFWC FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE
43. Invasive exotic plants are also disrupting the Everglades. Invasive plants like the Brazilian pepper and Australian pine are also displacing native plants, which in turn changes the habitat required by the native wildlife.
46. Over the past 100 years, the Everglades has lost over 90% of its wading bird population. Ecologists consider this loss of the hallmark bird populations the best single indicator of the ecosystem's poor health.
WADING BIRDS, LIKE THIS WHITE IBIS, ARE OFTEN BAROMETERS OF A WETLAND’S HEALTH. THE EVERGLADES HAS LOST OVER 90% OF THE IT WADING BIRD POPULATION. IMAGE: COURTESY BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE.
47. Over 1-million acres of the Greater Everglades ecosystem is under health advisories for mercury pollution. Everglades NP and the surrounding South Florida region have extremely high levels of mercury contamination. Some of the contamination is related to nearby agriculture, but much of the pollution is from commercial and industrial uses such as municipal waste incinerators in South Florida.
48. Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program is working to restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem, which extends beyond the park's border. This vast environmental undertaking is critical to the area's biodiversity, flood control, and freshwater supply. The Everglades restoration has the potential to restore the park and the pristine blue water that encompasses its southern boundary with an almost endless amount of clean, freshwater.
on our recent trip we saw restoration projects all through the everglades and surrounding areas, like this one at big cypress national Preserve . image: ©roberta kravette, destination: wildlife.
Fun in the Everglades
Exploring the third-largest national park in the lower 48 states can be easy.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU MIGHT RUN INTO AT EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. EXPLORE BY yourself or TAKE A PARK RANGER ESCORTED 15-MILE BIKE TOUR AROUND SHARK VALLEY TRACK, BUILT IN 1946 than abandoned by HUMBLE OIL (ESSO/EXXON) . IMAGE: THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
49. Everglades National Park is its busiest in December to March each year. There are fewer mosquitos, and it is usually not as hot at this time of year.
HIKE, BIKE, CANOE, KAYAK, OR JOIN ONE OF THE MANY VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES, LIKE THESE FOLKS WHO SPENT THE DAY CLEANING CAPE SABLE BEACH TO HELP THE NESTING SEA TURTLES. AT THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
50. Watch the locals - Extraordinary wildlife viewing in the Everglades National Park. Shark Valley, the Anhinga Trail (at Royal Palm), and Eco Pond (one mile past the Flamingo Visitor Center) are good for viewing alligators, wading birds, and other freshwater wildlife. Canoeists can paddle into Snake Bight (near Flamingo) and Chokoloskee Bay (Gulf Coast) before low tide to witness large numbers of water birds feeding in the shallows and on the mudflats. A productive freshwater canoeing area is Nine Mile Pond and adjacent borrow pits (11 miles, or 18 km, up the road from Flamingo).
51. Everglades National Park has interesting trails for everyone. The Anhinga Trail is a smooth paved and decked trail to spend an hour or two on, and you are pretty much guaranteed to see alligators, birds, fish, turtles, and more.
THE ANHINGA TRAIL IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO GET TO KNOW AND PHOTOGRAPH SOME OF TTHE EVERGLADES UNIQUE FLORA AND FAUNA. IMAGE: ©JASMINE STANOVICH AND EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
52 There are hundreds of miles of water trails in the park. Visitors can paddle through freshwater marsh, mangrove forests, and the open waters of Florida Bay.
53. You can get off the beaten track. Experience a side of the Everglades that most people never see. Join a ranger-led hike called slough slogging -- where you'll be waist-deep in the pristine Florida swamp.
SUPERINTENDENT PEDRO RAMOS LEADS A GROUP OF STUDENTS FROM HIS ALMA MATER, UMASS AMHERST, THROUGH THE SLOUGH AND INTO THE CEDAR DOME IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. AIR PLANTS AND SPIDERWEBS ADORN THE CYPRESS TREES, FRESHWATER INSECTS AND FISH ABOUND, BIRD SONGS ECHO IN THE SKY, AND THE RIVER OF GRASS FLOWS ALL AROUND YOU. IMAGE AND DESCRIPTION THANKS TO EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
54. You can bicycle the heart of the Everglades. Shark Valley is by far the most popular destination for bicyclists. The 15-mile paved scenic loop provides excellent opportunities to view wildlife.
55. You can join a Ranger-led program to learn more about the park. These programs range from early morning birding to hands-on history. Each of the three separate entrances to the park (Homestead, Miami, and Everglades City) offers unique programs focused on its surrounding resources.
SAYS RANGER PATRICIA PALMER, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO WHEN I’M AT FLAMINGO [VISITOR CENTER] IS TO PEER INTO THE WATERS OF FLORIDA BAY AND SEARCH FOR BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS …AS A NATURALIST I’M DRAWN TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THEIR NATURE: THEIR PLAYFUL INNOCENCE, THEIR SOPHISTICATED HUNTING TECHNIQUES; THEIR TACTICAL DECEPTION…. IT SEEMS THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE ISN’T SO DISTANT FROM THE NATURAL WORLD AS WE’D LIKE TO BELIEVE. WE AGREE. IMAGE AND QUOTE FROM EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK FACEBOOK.
Does the River of Grass sound like a place you would like to visit? Contact us to arrange your tailor-made tour of the Everglades.
