Wildlife in Florida’s Everglades are running out of dry ground thanks to high water levels, according to experts.
In recent days, the South Florida Water Management District and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have penned letters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting they open specific water control structures along the Tamiami Trail to provide relief and restore healthy wildlife populations.
Environmental advocate Betty Osceola, a member of the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida; Miccosukee Fish and Wildlife Director Dr. Craig van der Heiden; and Garrett Stuart, Chief Executive Officer at the Eco Preservation Project, gave Local 10 News viewers an inside look Tuesday at the rising water level in the Central Everglades to discuss the growing problem.
“These islands are what the animals depend on,” said Stuart.
“You can see all these roots are coming up on the water’s surface,” said van der Heiden. “This means the wildlife that utilizes these islands will start to decline.”
“What we found is even the rodents, the rats, and the mice die on these tree islands, and they can survive almost anything,” he added. “It is because they are drowning. You can only hold onto a tree for so long.”
“Many of the [tree] islands are underwater and drowning, and something needs to be done,” said Osceola.
Osceola said she and other environmental organizations are asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to open some nearby flood gates which would allow water to go into the Big Cypress Natural Reserve and will provide relief without flooding Miami-Dade’s agricultural lands.
In a statement late Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Army Corporation of Engineers told Local 10 News they are aware of the situation and share their concerns, adding they are actively working to open some gates.
“If we teach people to fall in love with this pace, then you will have the heart to protect it,” said Stuart. “To me, the Everglades is the heart of Florida.”
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is aware of the high-water conditions and is working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District to minimize those impacts,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement Tuesday.
Read the statement about the impact of high-water levels in the Central Everglades below from Chief Communications & Public Policy Officer Sean Cooley and the South Florida Water Management District:
Read the letter from the South Florida Water Management District to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers below.
The U.S. Army Corporation of Engineers released the following statement to Local 10 News in response to opening the flood gates: