Journal Entry 10
We walked through an area of the Everglades filled with nothing but sawgrass as far as the eye could see. The only way through it was to use the boardwalks standing on stilts above the plants and water below. The sky turned pink and purple as the sun began to set as we leisurely made our way through the area. We were yet again met with alligators, resting along the banks of the creeks that made up this corner of the National Park. We also met some invasive fish species: Oscar, Mayan Cichlid, Pike Killifish, and Blue Tilapia. I was very glad to see signage addressing these invaders by name and with respective sketches of each.
One of my colleagues and I were fortunate enough to witness a Great Blue Heron eating a fish! We saw the entire process of the bird hunt, adjusting the fish in its beak, waiting for it to exhaust itself, and swallowing the fish whole! Even more, I was just quick enough to capture an image of the bird before it ate its well-deserved dinner!
(Image taken by Viviana Moreno on Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park)
The entire landscape could have served as a color wheel all by itself. The sky turned into a blend of pinks, purples, blues, and oranges as the sun set, while the land we walked on was a sea of greens, yellows, and browns. I fear the photo I captured of the area does not do it justice. But it would have been a greater injustice to keep this image to myself. This slower paced walk was much needed after a day filled with excitement, fear, and LOTS of sun.
(Image taken by Viviana Moreno on Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park)
After nightfall, we headed over to an amphitheater located near one of the campgrounds in the national park for a “ranger talk”. The ranger presenting tonight was an extremely eloquent gentleman with seemingly decades of knowledge of the national park. He spoke poetically and lovingly about the habitat, while remaining concise and informative throughout his talk. He described The Everglades as a rich mosaic, a sort of patch work landscape, as it is filled with varying habitats like the hard hammocks, cypress domes, sawgrass prairies, swamp areas, and sandy beaches. He also described the main actors that play in the drama that is The Everglades. The first is WATER, which acts as the heart and blood of The Everglades. The second is ROCK, acting as the backbone of the area. FIRE is the breath of The Everglades that refreshes the ecosystem every so often.
The ranger also explained the significance of alligators in The Everglades. They are what is known as a Keystone Species. Without them, The Everglades would not be nearly as successful! Alligators need water to survive and in the dry seasons when there is MUCH less water to go around, they will dig holes in the ground to hydrate themselves and keep cool. These “alligator holes” make critical habitats and food sources for other organisms including tadpoles/frogs, fish, and the birds that eat the fish.
He also discussed the significance of water flow in The Everglades. One of the very topics that I was most interested in before beginning my journey! The Tamiami trail connects the city of Tampa (which is just a 20 minute drive from where I live) and the city of Miami. Unfortunately, this trial cuts directly across the state and BLOCKED water flow to The Everglades from Lake Okeechobee. This altered the ENTIRE ecosystem and water cycle in The Glades. Urban development has made this problem even worse. That’s when the CERP came into the equation. CERP stands for Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and is the largest environmental restoration project ever attempted. The goal of this plan is to get water flowing back into The Everglades. During his presentation he showed a map very similar to the one I found in my own preliminary research of the area and thought it wise to include here.
(Image taken by Viviana Moreno at the Long Pine Key Amphitheater in Everglades National Park)
The ranger giving the talk told us, quite regrettably, that it is highly unlikely that we will ever be able to return The Everglades to their original state. However, if we do not help preserve this area of Florida, it will be, in his words, “a color we will never see again, a flavor we will never taste again”. Truer words couldn’t have been spoken. He ended his talk by telling us that while other national parks scream at you, The Everglades whispers. The more someone learns about The Glades, the louder that whisper becomes. It was truly the perfect end to a perfect day.
