Amidst the talk of what, where and how much can be cut from the bill that funds the Department of Interior and the Department of Environmental Protection, there was good news from Congress this week for Audubon of Florida, Everglades advocates and concerned citizens. The Tamiami Trail Next Steps project was included in the bill, allowing the project to receive funding needed for construction in future years.
The funding will allow for continued construction off of a one-mile bridge already underway, raising another 5.5 miles of the road that has acted as a dam since it was built in 1928 and has been an ecological nightmare for the Everglades. Scientific analyses concluded that the bridging will achieve substantial ecosystem benefits based on marsh connectivity, flow velocity, reconnection of ridge and slough habitat, and wetland loss. When completed, the increase in ecological connectivity between Everglades National Park and Water Conservation Areas north of Tamiami Trail is expected to be 500%, providing great benefits for endangered bird species such as the Everglade Snail Kite and Wood Stork.
Audubon of Florida would like to thank the Everglades Trust and our other partners who have remained committed to the Tamiami Trail projects. While this is a critical step, much more work needs to be done. Sign up for our Restore! eNewsletter for future alerts on how you can help.
