Everglades
The Everglades is a 1.5-million-acre subtropical wetland ecosystem in South Florida, protected within Everglades National Park. Often called the "River of Grass," this World Heritage Site features sawgrass marshes, mangroves, and diverse wildlife, including alligators and endangered species. It provides vital water for the region and offers activities like airboat tours, hiking, and kayaking.
The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee. Water leaving the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river 60 miles (97 km) wide and over 100 miles (160 km) long, flowing southward across a limestone shelf to Florida Bay at the southern end of the state. It flows very slow, 0.25 miles (0.4 km) per day. The oolitic limestone layer is 20-25ft thick so noone can sink in. The layer is covered wiht living mud which is called periphyton and is a mixture of tiny organisms, including bacteria, cyanobacteria, and green algae.
The Everglades experiences a wide range of weather patterns, from frequent flooding in the wet season to drought in the dry season
In 1947, Congress formed the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, which built 1,400 miles (2,300 km) of canals, levees, and water control devices. The Miami metropolitan area grew substantially at this time and Everglades water was diverted to cities. Portions of the Everglades were transformed into farmland, where the primary crop was sugarcane. Approximately 50 percent of the original Everglades has been developed as agricultural or urban areas.
With heightened awareness and appreciation of the region, restoration began in the 1980s however, development and sustainability concerns had remained pertinent in the region, and in 2000 the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was approved by Congress to combat these problems, which at that time was considered the most expensive and comprehensive environmental restoration attempt in history.
Large parts of the everglades are covered with sawgras, a very sharp cutting gras therefore the Author Majorie Stoneman Douglas came up with the name "river of gras".
The other parts of the ecosystem are Tropical hardwood hammocks west by Big Cypress Preserve wth Pine and Cypress covering over 2,400 square miles , and another 200,000 acres of Mangrove in the south by Key Large when the river flows into the ocean.
Plants you also find are two other types of gras besides the sawgrass, and those are Cattail and Needle Gras.
There are Bushes growing which are very typical in this eco system, the Pond Apple and the Cocoplum.
Controlling invasive species in 1,700,000 acres infested land in South Florida costs authorities $500 MIO a year.
More than 800 square miles (2,100 km2) of Florida Bay is protected by Everglades National Park
Water is the dominant force in the Everglades, shaping the land, vegetation, and animal life in South Florida. There is water all year round in the Everglades, but Water levels in the Everglades sawgrass marshes are typically shallow, averaging just 4 inches to 3 feet deep, but can be deeper in sloughs.
US Highway 41, known as the Tamiami Trail, is a scenic, historic two-lane road connecting Miami and Tampa (therefore the name Tamiami) directly through the heart of the Florida Everglades, and was east-west connection through the Everglades. When this road was built in 1928 people did not understand that the Everglades are a river and by building the road they cut off the natural flow of the Everglades. Later when realizing they constructed pump station, and now the effort is made to reverse the situation by building parts of the road on stilts and colums. This is a project financed 50% by the State of Florida and 50% from the US Government.
Building the road they had to higher the ground because otherwise during the raining season the road would be under water. For this reason the digged out sand and material from one side of the road to higher the road and that created a canal which follows the road all the way over to Naples.
On the Tamiami Trail when crossing Krome Avenue we enter officially the Everglades and also the indian reservation of the Miccosukee Indian Tribe where they operate their casino. Highway 41 goes in and out of the National Park and the Reservation and has a total lenght of 284 miles.
The Everglades is a unique, bio-diverse ecosystem home to thousands of animal species, including 36 protected species like the Florida panther, American Crocodile, and West Indian manatee. The mangove area by Key Largo where the water is brakish is the only place in North America where you still can find the American Crocodile. There are only 2,500 left and they are very protected. Aligators we have a lot in the Everglades, estimated 1.3 million alligators in the entire state of Florida. Difference between Aligator and Crocodile are, the color of the Aligator is darkgreen almost black and the crocodile is grey/green. The Aligator has a round snout the Crocodile a pointed one. Aligator attack only prey they can swallow as whole, the crocodile attacks also larger prey, pull them in a deathroll under water and tear it to pieces.The Aligator will try to avoid humans, and will move away, the crocodile will run towards you. In short, the Aligator is dangerous, but the Crocodile is much more dangerous.
There are may turtles in the Everglades most common ones are the Yellowbottom Turtle, the Snapper Turtle and the softshell turtle.
Over 350 bird species of birds call the Everglades their home. White Egret, Snowy Egret, Great White Heron, Great Blue Heron, Little blue Heron, Green Backed Heron, Osprey, Purple Gallenul, Cormoran, Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbills and wood storks to name a few.
there are 23 species of snakes in the Everglades but only 4 species are venomous. These are the Copperhead Rattlesnake, the Pigmy Rattlesnake the Coral Snake which is the smallest but most venomous, and the Cottonmouth Water moccasin the only venomous watersnake.
The biggest problem we have are the invasive Burmese pythons. It started when in the 80's it became popular to have snakes as pet. Pythons grow very fast and people than let them go in the Everglades. We had also a snkefarm in the Everglades by Homestead raising snakes for pet stores nation wide, and in 1992 Hurrican Andrew destroyed the farm and hundreds of those pythons got free in the Evergladess. These Burmese Pythons have no natural enemy in the Everglades, eating everything even Aligators, and multiply very fast, haveing 100 babies in an average yearly. The State has hired snake hunters to conter these epidemics and several methods are introduced to catch as many snakes as possible. Some animal species are already almost extinct becasue of this snake and it is a great problem.
There are also mamals in the Everglades hiding out during the day on these Hammock islands. We have racoons, Opossums, Florida panthers, white-tailed deer, black bears, and bobcats just to name the most important.
On May 11, 1996, ValuJet Flight 592 crashed in the Everglades killing all 110 passengers and crew. The cause was an in-flight cargo fire triggered by loose stored Ocxygen containers. The memorial to remember tis accident is on the Tamiami Trail just before the Miccosukee Indian village.
Fishing in the Everglades is permitted, but you need to have a freshwater license.
The Big Cypress Ranger Station is very interesting and there are always many Aligators and other animals there in the water which you will be able to observe from the boardwalk. In the Station beautiful movies of the Everglades are shown.