The Florida Everglades Everglades National Park

The everglades is an area of marshland in the southern region of Florida. Its northern border is Lake Okeechobee and extends south to empty into Florida Bay. A part of the everglades was protected from development and turned into a national park in the 1930s. Everglades National Park is working to preserve the southern portion of the everglades, south of the Tamiami Trail. The Everglades National Park is around 1.5 million acres although this is only about 20% of the original wetland area. Highway access to the central portion of the Everglades National Park is limited to Florida State Road 9336.

It was on May 30, 1934 that the now Everglades National Park area was authorized as a national park. The Everglades National Park was fully established on December 6, 1947. Everglades National Park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 24, 1979.

There are many species currently in the Everglades National Park. Some of them are native while others are not. Some of the native plants include live oak, wild lemon, wild orange, cucumber, pawpaw, custard-apple and wild rubber trees. The melaleuca tree, which is not native to the everglades, is a thirsty tree. Its seeds were originally meant to soak up water to make the everglades ready for development. It has since become an issue. Its natural oils and tendency to soak in moisture increase the chance of wildfires. The Brazilian Pepper, or Florida Holly, is another non-native species that has been causing trouble and is rather difficult to exterminate. This plant spreads fast and crowds out native species. Birds also eat the plant's small red berries and this, of course, helps the brazilian pepper to spread even farther.

There is also an abundance of animal life in the everglades. The wading bird population is of particular interest to both tourists and those studying the everglades. One characteristic that all wading birds have in common are long legs which are used to wade into the water to catch their food. Hence the term: wading birds. Currently living in the everglades are sixteen different species and they all have a different method for catching their food. One of the major problems that the wading birds have is that the natural water flow of the everglades has been disrupted due largely to development. This, along with the plume hunters, has caused several of them to become endangered. In the 1930s about 250,000 wading birds nested in Florida. By 1990 scientists approximated that the population had dropped to 2,200 living in Everglades National Park. Scientists are currently studying the everglades trying to restore the natural flow of the wetlands in the hopes that it will help to restore the wading bird population as well as help the other wildlife affected. Wading birds currently living in Everglades National Park include the white ibis, wood stork, various types of herons and egrets, as well as the Caribbean flamingo.

Land birds and birds of prey also reside in the everglades. The land birds are mostly migratory living north or south of the everglades and stopping in as food and weather mandates. The birds of prey that reside in the everglades include the red-shouldered hawk, barred owl and osprey.

There are many other animals living in Everglades National Park including otter, alligator, crocodile, deer, bobcat, and bear. Everglades National Park is also home to many endangered species including the Florida Panther, West Indian Manatee, Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly, Wood Stork, Snail Kite, Leatherback Turtle and many more.