Ochopee, Fla. - On July 10, 2024, we celebrated the groundbreaking of the first major feature of the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP). These L-28 Culverts will provide hydration to an area starved of water, which has resulted in a shift in plant species from marsh to forest.
Pictured from L-R: Board Member Ben Butler, SFWMD; Curtis Osceola, Chief of Staff, Miccosukee Tribe; Director Drew Bartlett, SFWMD; Diamond Bergeron, Bergeron Everglades Foundation; Board Member "Alligator Ron" Bergeron, SFWMD; Superintendent Pedro Ramos, Everglades National Park; Col. James Booth, USACE - Jacksonville District; Secretary Shawn Hamilton, DEP; Chairman Chauncey Goss, SFWMD; Rep. Lauren Melo; Violet Osceola, Student Business Council Chairwoman, Miccosukee Tribe; Chairman Talbert Cypress, Miccosukee Tribe; Board Member Charlette Roman, SFWMD; Ellin Goetz, Vice-Chair, The Everglades Foundation Board of Directors; Paul Backhouse; Seminole Tribe of Florida; Petties Osceola, Jr., Lawmaker, Business Council, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida; Incoming Col. Brandon Bowman, USACE - Jacksonville District; Maj. Cory Bell, USACE - Jacksonville District
The culverts are part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and will restore and reconnect Water Conservation Area 3A with Big Cypress National Preserve and Lostmans Slough. This project is located in an area of South Florida where Water Conservation Area 3, Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park as well as the Miccosukee Alligator Alley Reservation all come together.
The goal of installing these culverts is to improve the timing and distribution of water to re-establish ecological connectivity and restore hydrologic conditions in Big Cypress National Preserve and western Everglades National Park.
Our Board of Directors Vice-Chair Ellin Goetz, a resident of Collier County, delivered remarks and celebrated this critical milestone along with members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, Everglades National Park, the South Florida Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other partners.
“Seeing this project get off the ground, once again, reinforces the importance of working together to pave the way for a resilient and thriving Everglades watershed,” said Goetz.
In the News- read more about the project:
Comments