Picayune Strand Restoration Project Completed

January 28, 2026 

Science and Advocacy team members at Picayune Strand. Photo by The Everglades Foundation

The Everglades Foundation was honored to join the ribbon-cutting celebration marking the completion of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, a pivotal achievement under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). 

Located near Naples in Southwest Florida, the Picayune Strand Restoration Project is reversing decades of damage to more than 55,000 acres of wetlands and uplands once drained for development. Led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, and the South Florida Water Management District, the project is helping restore the natural hydrology of America’s Everglades. 

Photo by the South Florida Water Management district of the Picayune Strand ribbon cutting.

Restoration benefits from the long-term project are already visible, with rehydrated wetlands, improved estuarine balance for downstream coastal areas like the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and the enhancement of wildlife habitat including the endangered Florida panther.  

More than two decades in the making, the Picayune Strand initiative serves as a compelling example of ecological renewal: land once considered lost has become a productive and resilient part of the Greater Everglades ecosystem.  

Aerial view of the Picayune Strand pump station. Photo by The Everglades Foundation.

The project’s success reinforces Everglades restoration momentum and underscores the importance of sustained investment in CERP to deliver measurable benefits for water, wildlife, and Florida communities. 

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