Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park Entrance in Florida

Everglades National Park is one of the most unique parks in the U.S. It’s one of only three national parks in Florida, and one of the most important ecosystems in the world. Everglades National Park is home to incredible wildlife, including: American alligator American crocodile Florida Panther Florida manatees And countless others Over one million … Read more

Seagrass

Seagrass beds in Florida

Seagrass is extremely important for the health of Florida’s marine ecosystems.  Seagrass are actually flowering plants which live underwater in marine and estuary waters. Seagrasses are found throughout Florida, and are most abundant in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, the Everglades and in Florida Bay.  Seagrasses also thrive throughout the Florida Keys, and in the … Read more

Boating Impact on Florida Waterways

Florida Bay Seagrass Impact

Boaters can have serious, negative impacts on Florida’s waterways! As the population of south Florida and the Florida Keys grows, boater’s impact on the marine environment will become an increasingly serious problem to manage. Many boaters run aground every year and damage the fragile seagrass in Florida Bay and throughout Florida. Damage is especially intense … Read more

Mangroves in Florida

Mangroves in the Florida Keys are great places to kayak, especially through mangrove tunnels.

Mangroves are an essential part of Florida’s natural environment. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida has an estimated 469,000 acres of mangrove forests throughout the state. This is a very good thing because mangroves are essential to Florida’s environmental health, and to the survival of the state. Where are mangroves located in … Read more

The Best Places to See Alligators in Florida

Seeing an alligator in Florida

Alligators in Florida represent the best of our beautiful natural environment. Alligators are essential to Florida’s ecosystem. They are apex predators and are usually at the top of their food chains and food webs. Alligators shape their environments both literally and metaphorically. Alligators are also important parts of Florida’s ecotourism economy. Visitors from around the … Read more

Why do the Florida Keys Smell Like Sulfur?

Sargassum on a beach in the Florida Keys

Some visitors on Florida beaches notice a bad smell, especially in the Florida Keys. It smells like sulfur, sewage, rotten eggs or natural gas. The smell can be overwhelming. The worst time tends to be in hot weather during hot summer months. Visitors often worry that there is sewer leak, or some other contaminate in … Read more

Everglades

Kayaking in the Florida Everglades mangrove tunnel tour

What are the Florida Everglades? The Everglades is a large region of subtropical wetland in Florida. The Everglades form an incredibly complex and fragile ecosystem. The Everglades ecosystem is very large, and covers more than two million acres. The Everglades begin in central Florida and descend to the southernmost parts of the Florida Peninsula. Millions … Read more