Begoñe Cazalis | Resident Magazine, December 2, 2023
Less than one hour away from bustling Miami is Everglades National Park – a World Heritage Site, a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance. And there’s more. The greater Everglades ecosystem provides freshwater for 9 million residents of the fast-growing South Florida region and – when healthy – the vast expanse of vegetation sequesters carbon and provides resiliency.
When exploring the Everglades, you might encounter magnificent, rare orchids and unspoiled cypress hammocks, as well as more than 2,000 species of plants and animals. The region shares the same latitude as the Sahara Desert but receives upwards of 60 inches of rainfall yearly – all compressed into a six-month wet season. In other words, winter is the perfect time to visit.
Did you know that the Everglades is actually a slow-moving river?
As agriculture and development took hold in Florida during the 1940s, draining the Everglades became an unfortunate objective. A 2,000-mile spiderweb of canals, levees, spillways, floodgates, and pumps, was constructed to thwart the water's natural southward flow. Instead, this vital water was diverted out of Lake Okeechobee directly to the east and west coasts, harming those coastal estuaries and communities. Man's effort to replumb the Everglades left it in despair. The ecosystem no longer existed as a flourishing river of grass.
Read full article: https://resident.com/destinations/2023/12/03/explore-americas-everglades