Next Horizon: Everglades National Park

With a week scheduled in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, we planned several activities with our good friends Nancy and Verlin, who were escaping the winter snows in PA and visiting Florida family and friends.
Nancy and I met as college roommates (50 years ago – yikes!) and have remained “forever friends”.

Dinner with Verlin and Nancy

We decided to include in this visit a side trip to the Everglades National Park (NP). The Everglades NP is enormous. The largest NP in the eastern US, it is 3^rd largest in the lower 48 states. However, it doesn’t have the geological features we have seen in areas designated NPs in the West (Arches, Canyonlands, Zion and Bryce), nor is there evidence of ancient human life, as seen at Mesa Verde.

First view of the Everglades

Humans have known about and used these everglades for thousands of years. When driven from their traditional homelands in the 1800s, some SE tribal people chose finding a new lifestyle in the everglades versus being forced to distant lands far to the west. Relics of some of these people were discovered on hammocks - slightly higher elevations with trees - surrounded by the moving waters. The highest elevation in the park is only about 8-10 feet!

The everglades water comes from fresh water (rain) into the Kissimmee River basin, traveling south into Lake Okeechobee, and from there flowing southward through the Everglades to the bay or Gulf. With many people “discovering” southern Florida during the last century, much of the water flow was blocked or diverted. However, as early as the 1930s, changes to the Everglades became a concern to many living or visiting in the area. They began to recognize the massive human activities were resulting in negative effects on the “river of grasses”.

One of the key conservationists was Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a writer and reporter, who published a book “The Everglades: River of Grass” in 1947. That was the year that President Truman dedicated the status of National Park to the Everglades (actually the NP protects about 20% of the original everglades area).

Nancy and I with bronze sculpture of Ms Douglas at park in Coral Gables

And Ms. Douglas continued her interest in the Everglades, forming the “Friends of the Everglades” and supporting efforts to control the needed water system till her death in 1998 at age 108!!

Commemorative Plaque

So, why worry about a shallow (1-3 feet in most places, some less), slow flowing river? Why make it a national park? This was the first location chosen as a NP to protect a threatened ecosystem. Not only is the Everglades the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, it is also recognized as a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Preserve and a Wetland of International Importance.

For our visit, we first went to the Shark Valley visitor’s center located on the northern border of the NP. There, 2-hour tram rides take visitors on a guided tour into the glades. The guide was very knowledgeable of the history, species and seasonal changes in the glades. He and the tram driver were also very good at sighting wildlife.

Bundled up for the open air tram ride

This NP remains the most significant breeding grounds for tropical wading birds.

Great Blue Heron

Many tropical wading birds were spotted as we learned more about their threatened environment and the continuing need to provide appropriate water levels for their existence.

Black-crowned night heron

Alligator mating season was about to begin and, even though the day was very cool and windy, we did see some of the local reptiles out and about.

Male and female getting acquainted

About halfway on the tram ride we had a break from the wind and walked out to an overlook, with a tall observation deck (though the last flight up to the deck was closed to public).

There are many, many species of animals and plants that live in the everglades, and many of those are protected or threatened. Invasive plants, including large trees, are competing with native species for water and nutrients.

The endangered Florida Panther (known as the Cougar/Mountain Lion in our SW homeland) has populations so low in the everglades that several other panthers were moved to the NP to help keep the local panther gene pool healthy. A dead panther recently discovered was found to have died from mercury poisoning; the source of the mercury is not yet known. Very sad…

And, as mentioned in the national news the past few years, human-released pythons (probably pets that became too large) are a huge nuisance to the park and other aquatic areas of FL. Rangers have noticed that the numbers of several species of small mammals have dwindled (and some are no longer seen at all). Even the deer populations are gone. Now, I could not imagine a snake eating a deer – but our guide stated that a very large python, with a huge “bump”, was killed and opened. Inside was found a 75 pound deer!! I like snakes, but do not wish to encounter a python. No wonder the state is having python hunts!

After the tram ride we drove to the eastern entry to the park, near Homestead, FL. The Visitor’s Center there had great displays on the park inhabitants. From there we went to the Anhinga Trail – actually a boardwalk along the waters and small “islands” where we encountered many other species of birds and reptiles.

Looking down into the shallow waters

Nancy and Verlin enjoying the sunshine

We really enjoyed watching the Purple Gallinule. With its wide spread long toes, this bird actually walks on the lily pads (the tram driver says it's nickname if the "Jesus Bird - since it walks on water").