Everglades restoration vital for Florida's water and wildlife, experts say

WINK News, November 13, 2025

The Everglades, with its unique beauty, has inspired a Naples man's art, capturing Florida's wild side in a fresh light. WINK News had the exclusive opportunity to delve into the swamps with photographer Carmello Blandino to explore how art and conservation intertwine.

"As an artist, I'm very attracted to nature," said Carmello Blandino, a Naples photographer. "And what I found here in the ecosystem of Florida was very appealing to me as an expression for my art. And I just enjoy being here."

Blandino finds inspiration in the Everglades, with its lurking alligators, rippling waters, and wading birds. "Landscape is savage, but yet it's beautiful at the same time," said Blandino. This wild and misunderstood landscape serves as Blandino's muse. "Florida landscape is incredibly subtle. The changing seasons are subtle. So it's challenging for an artist to be able to capture that," said Blandino.

Blandino sees a contrast in the Everglades, which he believes many misunderstand.

"You have such a dichotomy," said Blandino. "There's this beautiful, poetic, symbiotic relationship that happens between man, animal, and the waterways."

WINK News reporter Bridget Bruchalski went into the Everglades to uncover its complexity beyond the views.

The landscape is fragile, depending on its wildlife and water quality, impacting the rest of the state. Meenakshi Chabba, a scientist with the Everglades Foundation, emphasized the unique beauty of the ecosystem. "It may not have the charismatic aesthetic beauty that other ecosystems have, but you have to spend time here to view the beauty," said Chabba.

The Everglades' waters affect far beyond their boundaries. "One in three Floridians depend on the Everglades for their water," said Chabba. "Southwest Florida is intimately tied. It's part of this immense watershed and their economy is tied to it."

Read the full WINK News article and watch the video here: https://www.winknews.com/news/collier/everglades-restoration-vital-for-floridas-water-and-wildlife-experts-say/article_fb91f9e6-4b74-4632-bb9e-28886fc826be.html

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