Blog - Page 18 of 63 - Friends of the Everglades

WATCH NOW — The fight to save Florida’s state parks isn’t over

https://www.youtube.com/live/3KjlhxmU-6Q?si=iLxEmrNkI3TKILX3 If ever you need reassurance that your voice matters, we hope you'll remember the fight to keep Florida's state parks wild. We saw that united energy again today when hundreds of you joined us for a live update on the recent sneak attack to bring harmful development to these beloved natural spaces. That grassroots activism is responsible for keeping our parks safe this year, but Florida Springs Council's Ryan Smart was spot-on in summarizing the threat that remains: "We have to win every time. The developers only have to win once.” The big takeaway is this: — This fight isn't over. We do anticipate that this harmful proposal will rear its head again in another form down the [...]

Allie Preston2024-09-17T14:38:45-04:00September 17th, 2024|Friends of the Everglades LIVE, Save Florida's State Parks|

An Everglades rock mine isn’t restoration — it’s exploitation

“This isn’t Everglades restoration. This is exploitation. This is another nail in the coffin of the Everglades.” Watch this video. Friends of the Everglades Policy Director Gil Smart told the South Florida Water Management District on September 12 that the Southland Water Resource Project, pitched as an EAA water storage project, but appearing to be first and foremost a rock mining operation, must never come to fruition. The project has been withdrawn, but could reappear in front of the SFWMD governing board for approval or as a legislative proposal. We’ll be watching for these billionaires to continue to try to make a buck off the back of this fragile ecosystem and we’ll be sure to enlist your help [...]

Allie Preston2026-10-19T16:25:57-04:00September 16th, 2024|Big Sugar, Everglades Restoration, Southland Rock Mine|

Friends of the Everglades Supporter Survey

Thank you for being a Friend. At Friends of the Everglades, your support is the heartbeat of our mission to safeguard Florida’s most precious and vital ecosystems. To better understand who you are and how we can align our work with your motivations, we're conducting a brief supporter survey. Just press the yellow Start button below to begin. As a thank you for sharing your time and insights, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a Patagonia backpack filled with Friends of the Everglades merchandise! One randomly selected winner will be notified via email on September 26. Survey must be completed in full to qualify. Click to view more giveaway details.

Allie Preston2024-09-11T20:21:35-04:00September 12th, 2024|Friends of the Everglades Statements|

Register Now for a LIVE update on the recent attack on Florida’s state parks

Allie Preston2024-09-10T10:06:42-04:00September 10th, 2024|Friends of the Everglades LIVE, Save Florida's State Parks|

Belle Glade native with a passion for conservation earns second annual Young Friends scholarship

Liz Roa, Young Friends of the Everglades fall 2024 intern. We are pleased to announce the recipient of our 2024 Karen Mashburn Environmental Scholar award, Lizbet Roa. Born and raised in Belle Glade, Florida, Liz is a recent high school graduate and soon-to-be college freshman. Passionate about the environment, she helped start a pollinator garden at her school and has one of her own at home, believing that small gestures can make a big impact on saving our environment. Lizbet is excited to become an intern with Friends of the Everglades and is eager to learn more about how to help save our beautiful natural resources. She aspires to become an environmental scientist. To learn more about [...]

Allie Preston2025-06-11T11:16:34-04:00September 5th, 2024|All Posts, Karen Mashburn Environmental Scholars Internship and Scholarship, Young Friends of the Everglades|

Back to School with Young Friends of the Everglades!

As we get into the swing of the 2024-25 school year, we’re excited to share some incredible moments from our first season of summer programming. In June and July, Young Friends of the Everglades hosted 16 In-House Field Trips throughout South Florida to enrich students’ summer learning experiences by introducing them to the wonders of the Everglades! Our camp sessions had a broader content scope than our classroom presentations, which focus on grade-specific topics related to Florida’s education standards. With an emphasis on Animals of the Everglades, more than 600 students in Kindergarten through 6th grade explored biodiversity, adaptations, food chains, and water flow through various interactive, hands-on activities. One of the highlights was [...]

Allie Preston2024-09-05T17:04:49-04:00September 5th, 2024|All Posts, Young Friends of the Everglades|

Your Everglades Moment of Zen: Wild spaces worth fighting for — Capturing the beauty of Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Nature’s mosaic is on bold display at Jonathan Dickinson At the top of Jonathan Dickinson State Park’s Hobe Mountain, the mosaic of scrubby flatwood, pine forest and rolling sand hills seem to stretch on forever. Looking east, there is a panoramic view of the never ending Atlantic Ocean, where the rising sun casts rays of light over the water each morning. To the west, pine trees are layered for miles until they meet the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River. This ancient sand dune, standing 86 feet above sea level, is the highest natural point south of Lake Okeechobee, so you won’t find these majestic views anywhere else. [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-30T12:11:05-04:00September 3rd, 2024|Everglades Zen, Save Florida's State Parks|

Relive the downtown Stuart protest to Save Florida’s state parks!

https://youtu.be/_d-LRYwUFL4?si=UZjW1BaGOLoKa3PL We're still riding the high of this week's Stuart protest in opposition to damaging development in Florida state parks proposed by the so-called Great Outdoors Initiative. Hundreds of you joined us at Flagler Park in downtown Stuart — as hundreds more gathered in other locations around the state — to fight the sneak attack that would have made environmentally sensitive spaces vulnerable. It is the vigilance of people like you who will ensure that these places remain wild for generations to come. We invite you to relive the people power from that day by viewing the video and images here. [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-30T10:06:20-04:00August 30th, 2024|All Posts, Save Florida's State Parks|

St. Lucie Discharges Begin Ahead of Labor Day Weekend

Army Corps is releasing water from the C-44 Reservoir, not Lake Okeechobee On Wednesday, August 28, the Army Corps of Engineers began discharging water into the St. Lucie River in an attempt to reduce water levels in the newly constructed C-44 Reservoir. This water is NOT coming from Lake Okeechobee — rather, it’s from the mostly agricultural watershed between Lake O and Stuart — but it is nonetheless harmful to the St. Lucie River. These discharges, at a rate of about 300 cubic feet per second at the St. Lucie Lock & Dam (aka S-80), are expected to continue for a couple of weeks, depending on weather. The unnatural flows will lower delicate salinity levels in the St. Lucie [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-29T13:28:19-04:00August 29th, 2024|Lake Okeechobee, St. Lucie Estuary|

We did it — for now! DeSantis backs off bogus parks plan

Our state parks are safe — for now. That’s a huge credit to all of YOU who raised your voices against ill-conceived plans that proposed harmful development, including golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts, in nine beloved Florida state parks. Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference Wednesday the plan is “not ready for prime time” and the state will not pursue any of the proposals this year — but we’re not letting our guard down. "After eight days of public outrage, DeSantis was forced to back off plans to develop nine Florida state parks — a huge credit to all the people who united in opposition. That said, we won't rest easy until the so-called Great Outdoors [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-28T14:05:45-04:00August 28th, 2024|Save Florida's State Parks|