• The Florida panther's watchful gaze- Courtesy- Ralph Arwood

    Big Cypress

    National Preserve Florida

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Fire Activity

    Currently there is fire activity within the Preserve. More »

  • 2013 Zone 4 Closure

    Beginning at 12:01 am Monday, April 8, 2013, the Zone 4 airboat access within Big Cypress National Preserve will be closed due to low water conditions. More »

  • Interstate 75 Mile Marker 63 Closure

    Beginning summer of 2013 the rest area and backcountry access at mile marker 63 will be closed due to construction. More »

  • Campground Closures

    Beginning Monday, May 13 through Friday, August 16 camping will be available at the Midway Campground and the “loop” in the Bear Island Campground within Big Cypress National Preserve. All other established campgrounds will be closed. More »

Nonnative Species

One of the largest threats to natural habitats, world-wide, is the biological invasion of non-native plants and animals. Ecosystems and the habitats within them have a natural balance that can be greatly altered by the introduction of non-native species. Billions are spent annually to eradicate invasive non-native species such as zebra mussels, Brazilian pepper, melaleuca and hundreds of other introduced plants and animals.

In Florida alone it is estimated that there are over 900 established non-native plant and animal species. Not all of these species pose a major issue, but several can create ecological devastation.

Learn more about:

Burmese python

Did You Know?

Many large trees that did exist were harvested in the early 1900s.

There are few "big cypress" in Big Cypress National Preserve. The name comes from the great expanse of cypress forest, hundreds of thousands of acres, within the Big Cypress Swamp.