News Release
NPS Acevedo
News Release Date: February 28, 2022
Contact: NewsMedia@nps.gov
WASHINGTON – Last week, National Park Service (NPS) Director Chuck Sams followed the flow of water from the Big Cypress Swamp, through the Everglades famed River of Grass, over the vast mangrove forests, and out to Florida and Biscayne Bays during a visit to South Florida’s national parks and preserve. Sams saw the largest NPS fire management program in action at Big Cypress National Preserve and visited Everglades restoration and hurricane recovery projects currently underway. He met with members of the Miccosukee Tribe and other park partners and learned about the parks’ greatest challenges and threats – invasive species and climate change.
During his visit to Big Cypress National Preserve, Sams witnessed the importance of restoring the western Everglades ecosystem. Western flows of clean water must be restored, not only to ensure the preserve’s health, but also deliver on the Trust responsibility the federal government has to the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples. Efforts to re-start the Western Everglades Restoration Project were recently announced by the Army Corps of Engineers, and the NPS will remain at the table promoting and ensuring appropriate ecologic benefits to Big Cypress National Preserve lands, as well as the Tribes.
In Everglades National Park, Sams visited Gulf Coast in Everglades City to oversee the $20 million infrastructure project that will make the site more resilient to sea level rise due to climate change. In place of the visitor center destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017, the NPS is preparing to construct the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center and fulfill a 1989 Congressional mandate to honor Douglas’ contributions to the establishment of Everglades National Park.
One of Sams’ priorities as NPS director is to confront the climate crisis, and one of the greatest examples of this in action is in the Everglades. On an airboat tour off the Tamiami Trail in Everglades National Park, Sams witnessed the current efforts to restore America’s Everglades, including the now complete Modified Water Delivery project, one of the largest construction projects ever funded by the NPS at nearly a half a billion dollars.
Sams also visited the ongoing Tamiami Trail Next Steps Phase 2 project, the result of a successful partnership between federal and state agencies to leverage resources and reach shared goals. When complete in 2024, this project will eliminate the century-old impediment to water flow into Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, making the Tamiami Trail essentially invisible to water flow. Delivering more, clean freshwater to Everglades National Park is one of the key mechanisms to mitigating the effects of a changing climate and combating sea level rise while also maintaining the world-class fishery of Florida Bay. He also saw the Raulerson Canal project, another multi-partner project to help reduce saltwater intrusion into the freshwater marshes. By essentially fighting water with water, this project will protect the peat soil and the freshwater aquifer that provides drinking water to the South Florida population.
In Flamingo, Sams toured ongoing infrastructure projects totaling over $50 million to rebuild visitor facilities damaged by decades of hurricanes. These projects highlight the kind of innovative work public/private partnerships can do. Through a combination of funding sources, including private sector investments, Flamingo is undergoing significant renovations to restore the historic Guy Bradley Visitor Center to its Mission 66 charm, rebuild the Flamingo Lodge and Restaurant in a more sustainable and resilient way, and build additional employee housing. The overall restoration of Flamingo - the gateway to Florida Bay – will once again provide an exceptional destination that meets visitor expectations well into the future, one of Sams’ priorities as director.
Mid-week, Sams met with recently elected Chairman Talbert Cypress and other leaders of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, in his first government-to-government meeting as NPS director. Conversations centered around the importance of Everglades restoration, and commitments to meaningful consultation that respects and upholds tribal sovereignty. Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park are home to the Miccosukee, as well as the Seminole peoples.
Throughout his visit, Sams had the opportunity to meet with over 100 NPS employees, a personal highlight as he works to connect and empower a thriving and diverse workforce. He concluded his visit with a boat tour of Biscayne National Park where he visited Boca Chita Key, a popular island destination with a campground and the iconic and historic lighthouse built by Mark Honeywell in the 1930s. Miami is home to nearly 3 million people who call Biscayne National Park their front yard. The four south Florida national parks and preserve welcome approximately 2.5 million visitors annually and contribute millions of dollars to the local economy.
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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
Last updated: February 28, 2022