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

    Big Cypress

    National Preserve Florida

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  • Annual 60-Day ORV Closure for Wheeled Vehicles

    Beginning at 12:01 am Monday, June 3, the annual 60-day recreational ORV closure for all units of the Preserve that allow for wheeled ORV access will begin. The closure will be lifted on Friday, August 2. 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 »

  • 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 »

Addition Lands General Management Plan

Final General Management Plan/Wilderness Study/Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/WS/ORV Plan/EIS) for the Addition.

And Biological Opinion prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under Section-7 of the Endangered Species Act for the preferred alternative described in the GMP/WS/ORV Plan/EIS.

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.

Did You Know?

Hunters entering the Preserve on a swamp buggy. Photo courtesy of Jack Moller.

Big Cypress National Preserve was one of the first national preserves within the National Park System. As a preserve, Big Cypress manages for a broader range of recreational activities, including hunting and off-road vehicle access.