The 38th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference celebrated a “Watershed Moment” in late January with a diverse group of stakeholders from state and local government as well as tribal officials, environmental advocates, and students.
The conference took place in Coral Springs and included forums with scientists and leaders in Everglades restoration, including Audubon Florida’s Director of Everglades Policy Kelly Cox as the conference organizer. Paul Gray, PhD, Everglades Science Coordinator, moderated an important panel on the Northern Everglades, and Brad Cornell, Southwest Florida Policy Associate, participated as a panelist during an intriguing discussion on climate change and wildlife management plans. A real treat was the historical dive into the events and people that have influenced Everglades restoration through the decades with Charles Lee, Director of Advocacy, as keynote speaker during the Saturday breakfast session.
Secretary Haaland Tours the Everglades
The conference was rounded out on Saturday evening with a special keynote by Deb Haaland, United States Secretary of the Interior, who highlighted the importance of collaboration, federal investment, and tribal leadership in the restoration planning process. Following the conference, Secretary Haaland joined Audubon staff members Jerry Lorenz, PhD, State Director of Research; Kelly Cox, Director of Everglades Policy; Field Biologist Jon Paul Haydocy; and other stakeholders for an Everglades National Park-led tour of Florida Bay.
More than two dozen attendees boarded boats for the tour of the park, completing the Secretary’s first trip to the Everglades. The boats explored the iconic seagrass flats of Florida Bay, rich with tiny invertebrates and small fish, then motored to East Cape Canal (site of groundbreaking restoration work). Participants spotted manatees, dolphins, American White Pelicans, crocodiles, and so much more.
The tour of Everglades National Park demonstrated the importance of ongoing restoration work to bring more water to Florida’s River of Grass, the largest continuous stand of sawgrass prairie in North America. As sea level rise stresses the southernmost portion of the ecosystem, restoration must include efforts to improve water quality and prevent seagrass die-offs, all of which will make the region — and Florida as a whole — more resilient to the impacts of hurricanes and other threats.
Secretary Haaland recognized and deeply appreciated the efforts of the Everglades community to restore one of America’s most important wetlands. The Everglades is critical not only for the iconic Florida wildlife that call this region home, but also for our own continued prosperity. A healthy Everglades protects our communities from storms, bolsters the economy, and provides drinking water to more than eight million people in South Florida.
Audubon has studied and advocated for the Everglades for 123 years. We appreciated the opportunity to show Secretary Haaland on-the-ground progress on the largest restoration effort in the world, as well as how far we still need to go to forge a resilient future for the region as a whole.
