The Everglades’ Seagrass is Disappearing

seagrassYou might know that there’s a lot of seagrass around Florida and throughout the Everglades.; there’s 7 kinds of seagrass in Florida to be exact. But, did you know that this seagrass is dying? Much of the beautiful green, flowering seagrasses in the waters of the Everglades are turning brown and dying off. Last year, National Park Service researchers discovered a 40,000-acre section of seagrass in Florida Bay that is dying. Seagrass provides food and shelter for many different species for marine life, while also maintaining water quality. If this grass dies off, animals, fish, and even humans will be impacted negatively.

Why is the seagrass dying? There are a few reasons that attribute to the decline in this grass. Human development over the past 100 years has disrupted the natural flow of water in the Everglades. Between roads and homes, the ecosystem has been altered, which has resulted in declines in plant and animal life. Another cause of the seagrass’s decline is climate change. Climate change is causing the sea level to rise, which has increased the salinity of the water. Many droughts throughout the years have also caused stress on the seagrass.

In Florida Bay, sport fishing is popular and is a billion-dollar business, which will be disturbed if the seagrass continues to disappear.

The only way to combat this die off is through the work of restoration efforts in the Everglades to restore the natural flow of fresh water. Florida Bay, like most of the Everglades, needs fresh water to flow north to south from Lake Okeechobee to thrive and survive.

If the seagrass dies, not only will it take away a food and shelter source for many creatures, it will begin to release nutrients that will feed into algae blooms, which will take over the water and basically suffocate any remaining seagrass in the water as they have become blocked from the sunlight.

And it isn’t just the Everglades, seagrass decline is a world-wide problem. Since the late 1800s, seagrass has declined by 29 percent.

Right now, restoration efforts are being done to lift up 2.5 miles of the Tamiami Trail that is blocking the natural water flow southward. It is believed if this road is lifted, the water flow will return to its original state. This is set to be completed by 2020.

The Everglades is a delegate ecosystem; the seagrass produces oxygen and is a food and shelter source for so many livening organisms. It helps keep the water clean by trapping sediments, as well. If you’re interested in seeing this vital plant and the rest of the majestic Everglades, a great way to explore is on an airboat. Join Captain Mitch on an airboat tour! He’s been bringing people around the Everglades for decades. It’s an experience you’re sure to never forget. To book an airboat trip, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 

Ribbit, Ribbit: Frogs and Toads of the Everglades

frogsDo you know the lovely creatures that sing their song at night in the Everglades? Frogs and toads! These amphibians are no strangers to Florida, and can be spotted all over the Everglades. The wetland is home to many different species of frogs and toads, including:

 

 

 

Florida cricket frog
Greenhouse frog
Green treefrog
Squirrel treefrog
Cuban treefrog
Florida chorus frog
Little grass frog
Pig frog
Southern leopard frog
Oak toad
Southern toad
Eastern narrow-mouth toad
Eastern spadefoot toad
The Everglades is a perfect environment for frogs and toads to live in. Amphibians like both dry and wet areas; when laying eggs, they remain close to bodies of water, which are abundant in the Everglades. Adult amphibians spend most of their adult life on land, while their babies and young grow and live in bodies of water.

Here is some more information on a couple of the frogs listed above. The pig frog’s croak sounds similar to the sound of a pig’s grunt, hence where the frog got its name. These frogs are brown and gray in color when they are adults. Their bellies are a yellow/brown pattern. Their skin is permeable and actually reflects toxins in the ecosystem.  They are similar looking to both green frogs and bullfrogs. They can grow up to 6 inches in length. In the Everglades, scientists are studying the pig frog, because of their importance in the food chain in the wetland; they believe these frogs can tell them a lot about the overall health of the Everglades. In the Everglades, they can be found by marshes and ponds. Their breeding season is from later spring to August.

The Florida chorus frog can be found in many parts of Florida, including the Everglades. They are smaller in size and grow to be 1.25 inches. Their coloring depends on the weather. When it’s warm, they appear to be a light gray color with dark gray spots and when it’s colder, they are a darker gray in color, and their spots aren’t noticeable. The Florida chorus frog can be found in near the edges of water sources or near grass clumps. They also frequent marshes, ponds, and drainage ditches. This frog’s breeding season is dependent on the rain, so in the Everglades this stretches from late spring to the fall.

Want a glimpse of some of these frogs up close? A great way to see these amphibians and other creatures in the Everglades is on an airboat! Come join Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours for an adventure through a mystical place that you’ll never forget. To book a trip, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 

The Consequences of Invasive Species in the Florida Everglades

invasive speciesThe Florida Everglades have long been a popular tourist destination for visitors from around the United States and around the world. It is easy to see why so many people make this a must see place on their “bucket lists” since it is a unique, one of a kind landscape that gives you access to an incredibly diverse and sensitive environment. The Everglades is a wilderness preserve like no other, allowing visitors a chance to experience flora and fauna that can’t be seen many (if any) other place on earth.

However, there has been consequences from urbanization and tourism. As population has grown, the Everglades have been encroached upon more and more. Some of the swamps were drained to make way for residential, commercial, or industrial complexes as the nearby cities demanded more jobs and places to live. Now, thankfully, what remains of the Everglades is protected and kept as safe as possible from further encroachment or pollution.

It isn’t just people that have been trying to worm their way into the Everglades and snuff out the native species that once thrived there. Foreign plants and animals, often referred to as invasive species, pose, perhaps, an even graver threat to the health of the ecosystem than humans do, though they would never have been a problem had it not been for humans.

When we began to trade further and further from our own shores, with those goods we asked for, came things we didn’t. As trade expanded, new plants and animals that hitch rides across the sea via trade cargo boats, landed on the shores and began to take over, as they didn’t face the native predators in this new place that they did at home. Many of these species quickly took advantage of their new environment and spread rapidly and aggressively.

A lot of the native plants and animals are specialists, which means they require a pretty stable and exact ecosystem to thrive or even survive. As invasive species have made their way into sensitive areas like the Everglades, the native plants find their nutrients and food sources dwindling and can often not compete with the foreign invaders. It often doesn’t even take very long for these invaders to almost completely push out the native flora and fauna, leaving behind a very different landscape.

It is for this reason that there are such staunch rules about the importation of plants and animals from abroad. It is helpful to be cognizant of this problem if you plan to visit the Everglades and it is advised that you take steps, especially if you are visiting internationally, to ensure that you do not bring any potentially harmful spores, seeds, or bugs to the sensitive landscape.

Looking to explore the Everglades? Go for a ride in an airboat tour with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours. Here, you’ll be able to see both the native and invasive species up close. To book a tour, click here or call 800-368-0065.

Seasons of the Everglades

seasonsThe rest of us may have four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter), but did you know the Everglades only has two seasons? The Everglades seasons don’t go by the temperature, but rather the water levels in the wetland. The two seasons are known as: the Wet Season and the Dry Season.

The Everglades’ wet seasons runs from April to November. During this time, the area experience intense storms and rains. The Everglades gets about 60 inches of rain per year. The Dry Season begins in November and ends in April. There is little rain during the dry season, usually only around a quarter of the yearly rainfall occurs during the dry season.

The Everglades’ water levels aren’t just determined by the rainfall in the Everglades, but in other parts of the state of Florida, as well. Why? Well, there are so many different bodies of water that flow into the Everglades. Rain in Central Florida makes its way down into Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay, which lead into the Everglades.

Since humans have disrupted the natural flow of water in the Everglades (water has been diverted), animal and plant life populations have changed and declined. Naturally, the water levels in the Everglades change month to month, but the animal life and plant life that are native to the area are accustomed to these water changes. In fact, they expect and depend on the water levels to change.

For example, some birds will only nest if the water level is at a certain height; if it’s not, the birds will be hesitant to settle down to nest. There are many reasons birds fly to the Everglades during the winter.  Since it’s the dry season in Florida, it’s not only warmer than the North, but the dry weather makes it easier for the birds and their offspring to find food. Birds, like the Wood Stork and Anhinga breed, need shallow water to find fish and other food sources faster and easier. When the water levels change, the birds will start to look for other places to nest or won’t breed at all.

The ecosystem of the Everglades is delicate. It requires an ideal balance for the animals and plants to be happy and thrive. Unfortunately, humans, storms, climate change, and invasive species can wreak havoc on this balance. If there is too little or too much water in the Everglades, animals will move elsewhere, plants will die off and slowly more and more negative changes will begin to snowball. This water affects breeding, drinking, growing, and provides homes and shelters.

The water in the Everglades even affects humans’ drinking water. As water flows into the Everglades, it gets soaked into the limestone underground and gets stored into aquifers (caves). Aquifers are fresh water sources. The Biscayne Aquifer provides the clean drinking water for southeast Florida.

A proper balance of water is essential in the Everglades, as well as the water’s timing and quality and where it ends up.

If you’d like to get a chance to fly through some of the Everglades’ waterways, book a trip on an airboat with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours. Click here or call 800-368-0065 to book an airboat tour adventure today.

Research in Everglades National Park

research in the evergladesThe Everglades National Park may be full of plants, animals, birds, insects, fish, and water, but it’s also home to many different research programs. The South Florida Natural Resources Center (SFNRC) conducts research that informs the management of the south Florida parks pertaining to wildlife, restoration, water quality, hydrology, and invasive plants and animals.

Here is a list of some of the research groups, monitoring programs, natural resources management and restoration assessments going on in the Park.

  • Ridge and Slough Ecology Program
  • Ecological Modeling Program
  • Hydrologic Modeling Program
  • Hydrologic Monitoring Program
  • Wildlife Monitoring Program
  • Aquatics Program
  • Invasive Plant Program
  • Invasive Animal Program
  • Marine and Estuarine Resources Management
  • Modified Water Deliveries Project
  • Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Project
  • Tamiami Trail Next Steps Project

Below, we wanted to share a little more detail about what a few of these programs do, so you can have a little insight into the science, research, and work happening in the Everglades.

  • Wildlife Monitoring Program – This program has been around for quite some time and has been able to gather information critical to the management of wading birds, sea turtles, alligators, eagles, Florida panthers, and more.
  • Aquatics Program – In this program, freshwater fish and invertebrates are monitored to track for season and long-term changes due to natural weather patterns and water management.
  • Modified Water Deliveries Project – This project began in 1992 and is almost completer; this project will allow an incremental increase in water flow into the Northeast Shark River Slough. With the increased water flow and quality, the habitat is expected to improve, which would bring more species back to the area.
  • Marine and Estuarine Resources Management – In this program, marine habitats and organisms are monitored to track gamefish populations based on what fisherman are catching. They also monitor fish populations (in general) and their habitats.

To learn more about any of the above programs, click here.

 

If you’d like to explore the Everglades, book an airboat tour. Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours will bring you all around the Everglades where you can get once-in-a-lifetime views of animal and plant life. To book an airboat tour, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 

Photo courtesy: www.nps.gov

The Everglades’ Old Ingraham Highway

One of the oldest and most historic roads in the Everglades is Old Ingraham Highway.  Work began on this road in 1916 and it was completed in 1922. The road was named after James E. Ingraham, who was the president of the Model Land Company and vice president of the Florida East Coast Railroad. Since this road goes through Royal State park and Florida East Coast Railroad helped making Royal Palm a State Park, it made sense the road was named after Ingraham.

This road was created to be a way to access the Flamingo area. People would drive their vehicles down to visit areas along Florida Bay. It was built on piles of limestone. The old road still exists from the Anhinga Trail to Snake Night. This road is no longer open to cars or bikes, and is considered a wilderness area.

If you’re looking to hike this road, please note there is little shade and it is around 10 miles, 20 miles round trip. Wear sunglasses, hats, and apply sunscreen. This takes around 5 hours to complete, one way. This is an easy to navigate path. The pavement has disintegrated, and the road is mostly gravel or potholes these days. Since it is a wilderness area, the trail isn’t maintained like some other trails in the Park. Be aware there could be a few plants or branches that you may have dodge.  You will come across mangroves and sawgrass, along with endless other plants.

Along the trail, there is a canal where birds and alligators can be spotted, especially during the dry season. The trail is open year-round.  There are also entrances to old campsites on the trail, but they are no longer in use.

Walking around the Everglades is a truly magical experience; however, it can also be extremely hot, tiring, and buggy. If you’d like a cooler, less exhaustive and equally-as-fun way to get around the Everglades, jump on an airboat tour with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours. Captain Mitch has been people around around the Everglades for decades. To book an airboat tour, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 

photo courtesy: npplan.com

 

Burmese Pythons in the Everglades

burmese pythonOne of the biggest threats to a balanced ecosystem in the Everglades is the Burmese pythons. These snakes are an invasive species in the wetland. The python happens to love the Everglades, but this wetland cannot handle its presence. Pythons prey on almost anything in their path, and have been known to cause a large depletion in the rabbit, opossum, wading birds, racoons and other small populations population in the area. Its only predators are the American alligator and the Florida panther. However, these pythons can put up a fight and a recent video take by someone in the Everglades showed an alligator losing a fight with a python in water.

The state of Florida currently pays $8.10 per hour for people to hunt the Burmese pythons living in the Everglades. Up until June 1, there were 25 hunters killing pythons in the Everglades. These hunters use traps, dogs, public round ups, and radio-tracking implants to find and capture these snakes.  According to the South Florida Water Management District, there could anywhere from 10,000 to even more than 100,000 pythons slithering around the Everglades; they are not easy to find. The District is paying $50 for every snake caught, and an additional $25 if the snake is more than 4 feet in length. In April, the 50th Burmese was caught. The hunt began on March 25.

With each capture, the District and hunters hope the populations of other species from birds and small mammals to deer will begin to rise. Not only to these pythons’ lower animal populations by eating them, but they harm the population who eats them! These snakes’ bodies hold high levels of mercury, which can poison any animal or reptile that eats them. The pythons’ presence in the Everglades is changing the entire ecosystem.

Earlier this year, the 2016 Python Challenge occurred from January 16 to February 14; it was held by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.  106 pythons were turned in.

Unfortunately, these pythons found their way into the Everglades after being released by many people who had them as pets; they are native to Asia. If you want to participate in next year’s challenge, click here. There are plenty of things you need to know and do before going python hunting.

If python hunting isn’t your thing, visit the Everglades in a much more relaxing way… on an airboat tour! This is your chance to see the Everglade’s wonderful wildlife that is still around, despite pythons and climate change issues. To book a tour, click the Captain Mitch’s Everglades Airboat Tours page or call 239-695-3377.

Bird Watching in the Everglades

Bird watching is a relaxing, slow-paced, way to enjoy nature and animals. There is something very exciting and rewarding about picking out that bird in the sky and being able to find out what it is from a birding book or website. It’s a bit like ecological detective work.

Bird watching is a popular past time for people across a wide range of ages and interests. Everglades National Park is a great place to bird watch in southern Florida, giving you the opportunity to see some 350 species of bird that call the Everglades home.

Birding takes a variety of forms and Everglades National Park boasts three main types of bird groups depending on which you prefer to view. These groups include: wading birds, land birds, and birds of prey.

Wading birds are the most prevalent in the Everglades, followed by land birds, and finally the elusive birds of prey.  There are a variety of rare and beautiful birds that can be seen in the Everglades, such as the roseate spoonbill, Green-backed Heron, Great Blue Heron, wood stork, white ibis, and more. These wading birds can be found in a variety of places within the mangroves and estuaries.

Land birds are the next most common category of birds found in the Everglades and these come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. There are tons of different types of sparrows, jays, buntings, wrens, cardinals, and more. These birds tend to be most heavily located in the wooded and piny areas of the park.

The most common birds of prey in the Everglades belong to the falcon family. A variety of different breeds of falcon, eagle, osprey, and even kites make their home in the Everglades. These birds are found throughout the varied sub-biomes of the Everglades, often seen soaring about the tree tops looking for food. Seeing these creatures in their natural landscape is a honor and an experience of a lifetime for a bird lover.

For the avid bird watcher, the Everglades is a rich and variety ecosystem that boasts a ton of different bird species. The most commonly seen types of birds include wading birds, land birds, and birds of prey. These birds make their home in the varied environments of the Everglades. Birding-oriented tours will take visitors to the locations where they are most likely to catch a peek at one of these amazing creatures. With patience and diligence, you can enjoy the varied aviary life the Everglades has on offer.

Come check out some birds on an airboat ride with Captain Mitch. Click here or call 800-368-0065 to book an airboat tour in the Everglades today.

Airboats Promote Eco-Tourism in the Everglades

airboats eco-friendly evergladesThe Everglades is a unique and dynamic landscape that is home to a whole host of different plant and animal species. It is a one-of-a-kind ecosystem that is as breathtaking as it is bursting with life. However, it should be noted that the ecosystem of the Everglades is a sensitive and precarious ecosystem and even minor changes or damage to the Everglades can have dramatic consequences on the heath of the overall ecosystem.

Tourism is a great way to promote the Everglades and to encourage conservation as well as a general love for the unique landscape. But the problem is, tourism can actually wreak a lot of havoc on a sensitive environment like the Everglades. This has led to the increase of what is called “eco-tourism.” This is environmentally-friendly tourism options that seek to minimize damage and negative impacts on the environments they seek to promote.

One of the best way to explore the Everglades is also the most eco-friendly: the airboat. Not only is this the most eco-friendly way to traverse the Everglades, it is a safe way as well. Alternative means of transportation such as a kayak or inflatable watercraft is not nearly as stable and secure as an airboat. These watercraft also do minimal damage to the surrounding environment.

Airboats ride one top of the water and the propeller is actually above the waterline. This means that aquatic plants and animals that call the waters of the Everglades home are not threatened by propellers tearing through the water. If the airboat comes into contact with a larger animal, it is most likely to slide right over it, leaving the animal and passengers of the boat unharmed. It is a great way to see the beautiful landscape without leaving permanent damage in your wake – something that is incredibly important in such a delicate ecosystem.

The Everglades is a unique landscape that is unmatched anywhere else in the world. Here you will see an ecosystem unlike any other and will come into contact with plants and animals that are found few other places. This is a dynamic and sensitive ecosystem whose health relies on a balance that humans can so easily throw off. This is why eco-tourism, such as with airboats, is highly recommended. It allows you to witness this pristine environment and leave it no worse off than you found it. Airboats are an excellent way to see a one-of-a-kind environment, without leaving a huge ecological footprint in your wake.

Jump on an eco-friendly airboat ride with Captain Mitch’s Airboat tours in the Everglades today. Click here or call 800-368-0065 to book a spot today.

The Vital Importance of the Unique Everglades Ecosystem

Everglades National Park ecosystem

Everglades National Park.

Throughout the world, there are places of unmatched beauty, biodiversity, and uniqueness of landscape. The Everglades is just one such place. The ecosystem of the Everglades is diverse, sensitive, and almost timeless, but humans have, over the centuries, continued to encroach upon this unique landscape. Waters were diverted for human purposes and land reclaimed, continually shrinking the size of the once-massive Everglades to the smaller, at-risk environment we see today. A variety of factors have led to the dramatic decrease in the size of the Everglades.

The Everglades once stretched some 11,000 square miles. In the 20th century, land was reclaimed so as to allow for settlers to build homes, reducing the size of the Everglades bit by bit. As time and human presence increased, water from the Everglades began to be diverted for human and agricultural use. This has caused a dramatic decrease in the size of the Everglades of the centuries. Protections are finally now in place to help save what is left of a unique and important ecosystem.

Countless plant and animal species make the Everglades their home and the more we have encroached upon the wilds, the more competitive and tentative the survival of all species in the ecosystem becomes. Resources are more scarce and competition is more fierce as displaced creatures try to find a niche for themselves in the smaller territory.

Not only are there many plants and animals that are unique to the Everglades, there is also a vast amount of human history in the Everglades as well. Seminole and Micosukee Everglades Native Americans once called this unique ecosystem home and thus, have a rich cultural heritage. A variety of different tribes inhabited this region until they began to be pushed out in the sad sequence of events that culminated in the Trail of Tears.

The Everglades are a beautiful and important ecosystem. It is a diverse and dynamic ecosystem that has hosted a variety of plant, animal, and even human life over the centuries. This once huge ecosystem has slowly been reduced to the much smaller tract of land that is today encompassed by the Everglades National Park. This is a sensitive landscape that should be enjoyed without undue stress put on the natural balance of the environment. The part still boasts a wide range of different types of plants and animals, as well as exhibits that document the Native American culture and influence on these unique lands.

Want to explore this beautiful ecosystem first hand? Come out on the water for an airboat ride with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours. You’ll experience this area like never before. To book a ride, click here or call 800-368-0065.