Central Florida Everglades
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| The Florida Everglades are a
subtropical marshland located in the
southern portion of Florida,
specifically in parts of Monroe,
Collier, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and
Broward counties. This
5,000-year-old geologic and
ecological formation comprises the
southern half of a large watershed
beginning in the vicinity of Orlando
known as the Kissimmee River system.
The Florida Everglades is a vast
wetland ecosystem encompassing over
4,500 miles of slow moving waters
feeding this forever changing
tropical habitat. The Florida
Everglades region begins in central
Florida, near Orlando, and ends near
the Florida Keys. Everglades
National Park is located at the
southern end of the peninsula. This
unique river of grass flows into the
tidal creek estuaries and into the
saltwater mangroves and saw grass
marshes shaping the Everglades that
we know and see today. The
Everglades were formed over
thousands of years. The Everglades
are ever-changing, formed by the
presence and quality of water, the
rock underneath, and the recurrence
and severity of fire. They provide
vegetation and homes to thousands of
animals, birds, fish, plants and
reptile species. The Everglades is
often referred to as one of our
national treasures with its wide
array of plant and animal life.
Visitors travel from near and far to
see America’s only sub-tropical
wilderness area and to experience
its natural beauty. It has such
diverse scenery ranging from pine
and freshwater cypress forests, open
prairie and tropical saltwater
mangrove swamps. It is a remarkable,
delicate ecosystem that encompasses
its own circle of life.
Approximately 50% of the original
Everglades have been lost to
agriculture and urban development,
today, most of the rest is now
protected in a national park,
national wildlife refuge and water
conservation areas. The Everglades
is crossed from west to east by a
toll road called “Alligator Alley,”
now part of Interstate 75. |
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