The Everglades is more than just a Park; it is filled with endless activities and programs for visitors to partake in to learn more, experience more, and help more. Also, there are programs in the Park that are led by researchers, scientists, and experts to find out more about the Park, help the Park thrive, and solve problems within the Park.
For this article, we wanted to share with you a few inventory and monitoring programs in the Park:
Aquatics Program – The South Florida Natural Resources Center monitors freshwater fish and invertebrates in the Park. The Shark River Slough is sampled once a year and the Rocky Glades area is sampled monthly. This program tracks seasonal and long-term changes in freshwater fish and invertebrate populations due to weather and water changes.
Wildlife Monitoring Program – This program has gathered critical information to the management of wading birds, eagles, ospreys, sea turtles, alligators, crocodiles, white-tailed deer, Florida panthers, and the Cape Sable seaside sparrow. This program monitors the population of many endangered species.
Hydrolic Monitoring Program – The park protects a large portion of freshwater marsh in the Everglades. In 2000, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was started and it was created to improve the future quality of the natural and human systems in south Florida including restoring, preserving and protecting the south Florida ecosystem. The restoration of these systems will be considered a success once the ecosystem begins to act like a wild system than as a set of managed and disconnected wetlands. Park hydrologists monitors freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater conditions through monitoring sites and stations. They also monitor and evaluate biological, chemical, and environmental factors affecting water quality. Hydrologists began monitoring precipitation in the park n 1949 and started to install stations to monitor water in 1952.
Come on down and visit this beautiful Park. Maybe once you’re down here, you’ll want to volunteer and help the Park become restored once again!
Looking for a fun way to experience the Everglades? Book a trip for a once-in-a-lifetime experience on an airboat, by calling 800-368-0065 or visiting our Everglades Airboat Tours page. We are open seven days a week 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If paying by cash, adults cost $40 (plus tax) and children 12 and under cost $20 (plus tax. If paying by credit card, adults cost $45 (plus tax) and children cost $25 (plus tax).
