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We invite you to join us for the third annual Friends of the Everglades Marjory Stoneman Douglas Legacy Celebration, March 4, 2024 at the Historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, featuring keynote speaker Carl Hiaasen. CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR THIS EVENT
We invite you to sponsor the third annual Friends of the Everglades Marjory Stoneman Douglas Legacy Celebration, featuring keynote speaker Carl Hiaasen on March 4, 2024 at the Historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. CLICK HERE FOR INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION
Friends supports CERP and the restoration of the Everglades. Storage is an essential component to Everglades restoration, and most of the benefits of CERP are contingent on storage. Therefore, we take a keen interest in the North of Lake Okeechobee reservoir, known as the Lake Okeechobee Component A Reservoir (LOCAR). Friends of the Everglades has reviewed the DEIS in detail, and we have several concerns that need to be addressed before we would be able to support the project. As such, we have requested several changes to the DEIS prior to its finalization, outlined in the following comments submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers. Outlined concerns include: Include LOSOM and other CERP Projects To Accurately Assess Estuary Benefits Include [...]
Our favorite Everglades photos of 2023 Photos and words by Friends of the Everglades Multimedia Producer Leah Voss It’s a special honor to work full-time at Friends of the Everglades visualizing this unique ecosystem through images and video. Many days are spent behind a computer screen, crafting visual stories that help people understand Everglades issues and get to know our supporters and staff. But the days I spend outside are the most memorable. This year, I’ve explored the Greater Everglades on foot, by boat and car, and gained even greater perspective with aerial views while piloting my drone. Each method of surveying provides a different experience. As I [...]
Two core values guide our work at Friends of the Everglades: integrity and impact. Since our founding in 1969 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, these principles have served as our moral compass as we advance our mission to preserve, protect, and restore the only Everglades in the world. That work started with our first campaign, to kill the Everglades Jetport (we won!), and we continue today across the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Today, we’re proud to share our 2023 Impact Report, with the grateful recognition that YOU powered this important work. If you have donated recently, we thank you for helping us achieve these results. If it’s been a while, we invite you to make a contribution today — knowing Florida’s [...]
What do we want? Health advisories! When do we want them? NOW! On November 1, Friends of the Everglades staff traveled to West Palm Beach to take part in a protest against sugarcane burning organized by the Sierra Club’s Stop the Burn campaign. Advocates for ending the burns stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the sidewalk across from the Palm Beach County Department of Health waving signs and calling in unison for the state agency to start prioritizing the public health of exposed residents by issuing advisories when sugarcane fields burned. Sugarcane fields burn in the Everglades Agricultural Area six to eight months of the year, blanketing nearby communities in ash that residents call [...]
https://youtu.be/sVux33ABx9I?si=MnMdKPGJbirWPObj Rising water in the Central Everglades has recently inundated tree islands, overwhelming the wildlife that depends on them and prompting many in the Glades community to call on state and federal water managers to reopen closed water control structures to provide relief. But there's something else that could be done to alleviate the flooding that isn't being talked about enough. Friends of the Everglades policy director Gil Smart breaks it down in a short video here. Our friends at VoteWater take a deeper look at what's happening in the Glades, and what the sugar industry could be doing to help fix the problem. Read their latest Deep Dive below. US Highway 27 borders the Everglades at WCA [...]
Since our founding by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969, Friends of the Everglades has worked relentlessly to protect the water, wildlife and green spaces that make South Florida unique. We’ve scored some big wins over the years. With your continued support, we’ll protect this one-of-a-kind ecosystem for future generations. SAVE THE DATE: We invite you to donate to Friends of the Everglades on Give Miami Day during the contribution period, November 13-16, 2023, by clicking the button below. Give Miami Day’s goal is to help the non-profit community in south Florida, and it’s our most important online-giving event of the year, fueling our advocacy, science and watchdog work. By making a donation, you are supporting our vision for the [...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXeXCzpMCBQ Stop the Burn campaign leader Christine Louis Jeune painted a vivid picture today as she described what its like to race around the house closing windows and doors against smoke and ash when the smell from nearby sugarcane burns permeates the air. There are no formal warning measures in place to communicate health risks to residents — despite the experience being a common occurrence in Christine's hometown of Belle Glade during the sugarcane burn season which can span up to 8 months of the year. In other words, "after you've already been exposed is when you try to protect yourself," Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples put it. Today's Friends of the Everglades LIVE featured important [...]
