Grit....

FOREVER THE EVERGLADES

There is, quite simply, no place on earth like the Everglades. Everglades National Park occupies more than a million acres at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Diverse habitats in the park range from marine, estuarine, and mangrove communities to pinelands, hardwood hammocks, and extensive freshwater sloughs and prairies.

Historically, shallow water moved slowly south through the sawgrass toward the mangrove estuaries, inspiring early conservationists to describe the Everglades as a "river of grass." Studies have revealed, however, that the Everglades are in great danger of being irreversibly destroyed. Restoration projects are attempting to reverse damage brought about by drainage for development and agriculture. But even with the damage, the Everglades National Park is one of America's most fascinating outdoor areas

Places of interest there include the Royal Palm Visitor Center, which includes the Gumbo Limbo Trail and the Anhinga Trail; Long Pine Key; Pa-hay-okee Overlook; Mahogany Hammock; Nine Mile Pond; and West Lake.

There's an incredible amount to see. Well-run sightseeing tours include a backcountry cruise through a mangrove forest; a tram tour through a tropical hardwood hammock; and a Florida Bay cruise. Deep wilderness cruises, beachcombing trips, birding cruises, sea kayaking, charter fishing, and houseboat rentals are also available. Flora and fauna encounters can be astounding, with the sightings of unique plants, raccoons, turtles, snakes, bobcats, herons, hawks, terns, bald eagles, egrets, pelicans, cormorants, ibis, ospreys, roseate spoonbills, alligators, crocodiles, manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks.

iking is quite popular in the Everglades, in places such as Eco Pond, the Coastal Prairie Trail to Clubhouse Beach, Christian Point Trail, Rowdy Bend Trail, and Snake Bight Trail.

For more information, contact the Everglades National Park at P.O. Box 279, Homestead, FL 33030, or call 305-247-1216.