A Fragile Florida Refuge: Why Visiting Big Cypress Deepened My Resolve to Protect It from Big Oil
To honor the upcoming 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, NRDC staffers share their fondest national park memories. From a Grand Canyon proposal to a raging forest fire, see them all here.
It took only one visit to south Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve for me to fully appreciate the beauty — and fragility — of this iconic place.
Located just north of Everglades National Park, the preserve encompasses more than 700,000 acres of freshwater swamp and offers refuge to a wide variety of rare plants and animals, including the ghost orchid and the critically endangered Florida panther. Since there are fewer than 180 panthers remaining, I knew it was highly unlikely that I would encounter one during my visit to Big Cypress last October. Even so, I couldn’t help but feel some excitement at seeing the many “Panther Crossing” signs on my drive into the preserve.
Once I arrived, here’s what I did see: majestic landscapes filled with cypress trees, hydric pine, and freshwater marsh; alligators; turtles; and several species of wading birds. The preserve represents a tranquil antidote to the overdeveloped landscape of south Florida. It was so tranquil, in fact, that I almost forgot why I was there: to document the areas that the National Park Service recently approved for extensive oil and gas exploration, scheduled to begin in the fall.
Mine was a memorable visit, and it further motivated me to do whatever I can to prevent dirty energy development in one of the last remaining refuges for panthers and south Floridians alike.
