Touring Florida Bay with The Everglades Foundation and Local Anglers

South Dade News Leader, April 25, 2025

While one of South Florida's beauties, The Everglades is typically thought of as only being filled with swamps, bugs, and gators. On April 7th, however – Everglades Day, I learned – I got a chance to be reminded about how vast and varied our backyard gem really is, and that Florida Bay is an integral part of the Greater Everglades ecosystem.

Before getting out into Florida Bay with The Everglades Foundation, and one of the three boat captains on their accompanying vessels, I first got a quick refresher from The Everglades Foundation's Chief Science Officer Dr. Steve Davis about Lake Okeechobee and how it, along with the South Florida Water Management Area helps in getting water down to us in South Florida; as well as the new Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir: a project under construction now, set to be completed in 2034, and roughly the size of Manhattan.

"This is the heart bypass surgery for the Everglades," said Davis, "Because it allows us to then reconnect water directly from the lake, into storage, throughout the treatment, and then ultimately down through the system into Everglades National Park."

Read South Dade News Leader's article here: https://www.southdadenewsleader.com/sports/touring-florida-bay-with-the-everglades-foundation-and-local-anglers/article_7a060ea0-74c3-46b1-83e4-43cb8bc6fcb7.html