UPDATE The Draft General Management Plan/Wilderness Study/Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Draft GMP/WS/ORV Plan/EIS) for the Addition is available for public review. The document can be viewed by clicking here.

BACKGROUND The Big Cypress National Preserve was set aside in 1974 to ensure the preservation, conservation, and protection of the natural scenic, floral and faunal, and recreational values of the Big Cypress Watershed.

The importance of this watershed to Everglades National Park was a major consideration for its establishment. The name Big Cypress refers to the large size of this area. Vast expanses of cypress strands span this unique landscape. The preserve is a mosaic of vegetation communities and provides habitat to a diversity of species, including 10 federally listed threatened and endangered species such as the Florida panther and the West Indian manatee.

In 1988 Big Cypress National Preserve was expanded by about 146,000 acres with the passage of the Big Cypress National Preserve Addition Act (Public Law (PL) 100-301). The Addition consists of about 128,000 acres northeast of the original preserve boundary and approximately 18,000 acres along the western boundary.

This effort is to develop a general management plan for the Addition. This plan will establish the broad management direction for the next 15 to 20 years for this new portion of the preserve.

To learn more about the GMP and related public involvement opportunities click here.