February 25, 2025 – Miami, Fl
In January, The Everglades Foundation attended the 40th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference. Each day was packed with panels, networking, and discussing the important ongoing work to restore and protect America's Everglades.
One of our Founding Directors, Mary Barley, kicked off the conference panels as a speaker on the "Everglades Restoration: Lessons Learned and Opportunities on the Horizon" panel, which featured experts like Shannon Estenoz, former U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Howie Gonzalez, Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chauncey Goss, Chairman of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, and Patty Power, Attorney representing the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Brief comments before the panel were provided by Tina Marie Osceola, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Moderated by Greater Everglades Associate Director at the National Parks Conservation Association Cara Capp, the panel discussed and reflected on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
In the afternoon, our Chief Economist Dr. Paul Hindsley was part of a panel discussion focused on the Clean Water Economy and how our South Florida communities and economies are impacted by water quality and restoration efforts. The panel was moderated by former ForEverglades Fellow Dr. Chloe Vorseth and included stakeholders such as John Lai from the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce and Captain Steve Friedman from the Village of Islamorada Council. The panel was also joined by Michael Berkowitz, Executive Director of the University of Miami’s Climate Resilience Institute.
Friday night was filled with celebration as we listened to remarks from our CEO Eric Eikenberg, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Diaz-Balart on the importance of continuing to build and strengthen bipartisan support for Everglades restoration. Dinner concluded with our very own Mary Barley being inducted into the Everglades Coalition Hall of Fame.
Our team also had the opportunity to celebrate with some of the people who brought our Everglades Stories From Across the Watershed video series to life, which won a Suncoast Regional EMMY® Award for Public Affairs – Series in 2024.
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