Blog - Page 17 of 63 - Friends of the Everglades

Support Friends of the Everglades this Give Miami Day!

For more than five decades, Friends of the Everglades has been a voice for South Florida’s fragile ecosystems. Founded by the trailblazing Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969, we’ve defended the Everglades from pollution and overdevelopment — achieving hard-fought victories along the way. Now more than ever, our work is critical to ensuring the survival of this national treasure. Give Miami Day is an opportunity for all of us to come together and make a lasting impact. This online-giving event fuels our advocacy and action, empowering us to tackle urgent threats to clean water, wildlife and the sustainable future of South Florida. . As someone who shares our passion for this cause, your support on Give Miami Day is pivotal. [...]

Allie Preston2024-11-17T09:21:31-05:00November 10th, 2024|All Posts|

Vote to protect the Everglades this Election Day!

Each election day feels more important than the last, and that is certainly true for the Greater Everglades ecosystem. As we work to fight off development threats and poor policies that imperil our natural lands, we’re constantly reminded that we can’t do it without you. When we raise our collective voice, we win. Our goal at Friends of the Everglades is to hold lawmakers accountable for their decisions, encourage them to recognize the long consequences of their actions and to spread awareness of the importance of the Everglades to the South Florida ecosystem. Your vote is your power, and this election day we encourage you to choose wisely. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we can’t make candidate endorsements, but we [...]

Leah Voss2024-11-04T17:55:24-05:00November 5th, 2024|All Posts|

2024 ballot: We’re voting NO on Amendment 2. And we’re not alone.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely been paying attention to the debate surrounding Amendment 2: The Right to Hunt and Fish. The constitutional amendment, on the ballot this election cycle, claims to preserve the right to fish and hunt in Florida. Sounds benign, right? Until you dig deeper into the unknown particulars, and start to follow the money. Make no mistake — we will always support the right to hunt and fish in Florida. But as we’ve outlined in this No on 2 position statement, there are many reasons to question the necessity and integrity of this proposed amendment — not least of which is the troubling list of financial backers it’s amassed. Amendment 2 was [...]

Allie Preston2026-09-28T09:59:11-04:00October 28th, 2024|Amendment 2 - Right to Fish and Hunt, Friends of the Everglades Statements|

2024 ballot: Be wary of who’s driving Amendment 2

This election season, Friends of the Everglades urges you to join us in voting NO on Amendment 2. Amendment 2, which claims to protect the right to fish and hunt, isn’t necessary. Those rights are already safeguarded under Florida law. If approved, the amendment would prioritize hunting as the “preferred” method of wildlife management in Florida, undermining science-based habitat conservation. The vague language of the amendment also calls for protecting so-called “traditional” means of hunting and fishing, which could open the door to the reintroduction of banned methods such as gill netting or baiting of bears, with such conflicts left to be settled in court. Also giving us pause: Amendment 2 is not a citizen-led effort. Rather, it was [...]

Allie Preston2026-09-28T09:58:21-04:00October 23rd, 2024|Amendment 2 - Right to Fish and Hunt, Friends of the Everglades Statements|

2024 ballot: Vote NO on Amendment 2

Friends of the Everglades, which was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969, urges voters to oppose Amendment 2, “The Right to Fish and Hunt,” which will appear on the November 2024 ballot in Florida. We oppose Amendment 2 because: There’s no need for this amendment to the Florida Constitution. Hunting and fish are already protected in state law, specifically Chapter 379.104 of Florida Statutes. The amendment is not based on science. Amendment 2 would designate hunting as the “preferred” method of wildlife management in the Florida Constitution. This risks supplanting methods rooted in habitat management — such as hydrologic restoration and prescribed fire — which are vital, science-backed methods of wildlife conservation and management. It could have unintended [...]

Allie Preston2026-09-28T09:57:30-04:00October 16th, 2024|All Posts, Amendment 2 - Right to Fish and Hunt, Friends of the Everglades Statements|

Milton felt different because it WAS different

Tornadoes spawned in an outer band of Hurricane Milton in October 2024 destroyed homes in Martin County’s Port Salerno community. Hurricane Milton — more than any storm since Hurricane Andrew — raised existential questions about our future in Florida. Milton was stronger, wetter, and more destructive because of human-caused climate change. If not for warming temperatures, the hurricane would have hit as a Category 2, not a Cat 3, according to the international scientific group World Weather Attribution. This increase in wind speed led to an exponential increase in damage. Milton’s rains were heavier, too, consistent with rainfall extremes that have increased with global warming, Yale Climate Connections reported. If Milton felt different to you, like it [...]

Allie Preston2024-10-17T11:59:09-04:00October 16th, 2024|Voice of the Everglades|

Champion the Everglades this Give Miami Day!

Thank you for committing your time to our Give Miami Day efforts! Below you'll find step-by-step instructions for setting up your Champions page. Having trouble registering to be a Friends of the Everglades Champion? Contact scott.brown@everglades.org with questions!

Allie Preston2024-10-16T15:55:30-04:00October 4th, 2024|All Posts|

VIDEO: Magic mangroves reveal a watery world nestled inside a Florida state park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WICXw8F1RPA Beyond a screen of tangled branches, there’s a little-known watery passage through red, white and black mangroves recently unlocked by supermoon king tides. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ve followed the late environmental trailblazer and Florida icon Maggy Hurchalla through these brackish waters in St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park, a protected piece of Jupiter Island that Maggy helped save from beachfront development (one of her many accomplishments that kept Martin County from being overrun by development like much of South Florida.) For many decades, sliding a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddle board into the Indian River Lagoon off the Hurchalla property was a rite of passage for any Florida nature lover who got the opportunity. [...]

Leah Voss2024-10-02T17:13:54-04:00October 3rd, 2024|All Posts, Everglades Zen|

WATCH NOW — The state parks sneak attack and Big Sugar’s rock mine have something in common

https://youtu.be/tn1pNXgJiEs?si=ZTXNEJ_fekLlbUrI From Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples brings you your Voice of the Everglades update: Last month’s assault on Florida’s state parks was both brazen and bumbling. In just eight days, Gov. Ron DeSantis was forced to do an about-face on stealthy plans to build golf courses, hotels, and other harmful development on environmentally sensitive public lands. The retreat signaled a temporary victory for those of us who love wild Florida — and a reminder of the power of speaking out, showing up and working together. Friends of the Everglades was honored to stand in solidarity with so many of you. Now, we must bring our might to another battle before us: [...]

Allie Preston2026-10-19T16:25:14-04:00September 19th, 2024|Big Sugar, Everglades Restoration, Save Florida's State Parks, Southland Rock Mine, Voice of the Everglades|

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students put a spotlight on the Everglades

https://youtu.be/C7N-_YfSfR8?si=BMOj3l3u5ffxo0ip Community Partner Spotlight: Planet Saving Productions Melissa Azzarito is a high school student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. She founded Planet Saving Productions, a non profit production company that partners volunteer student videographers with environmental organizations to expand their reach and impact through video. This month, we offered guidance to Melissa and her small team as Planet Saving Productions developed a video to contrast the beauty of the Everglades with the issues that threaten it. The result (above) embodies the central mission of Friends of the Everglades and the work we do every day in the footsteps of our founder and namesake of MSDHS, Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Below we hope you'll also enjoy experiencing [...]

Allie Preston2024-09-17T15:47:24-04:00September 19th, 2024|All Posts|