Everglades National Park

by James Kushlan, Kirsten Hines

Vast, mysterious, and inaccessible for centuries, the Everglades is famous worldwide. Much of this unique landscape is protected within Everglades National Park, as are exotically named places such as Flamingo, Ten Thousand Islands, Florida Bay, Anhinga Trail, Shark Valley, and Pahayokee. Dedicated in 1947, the park receives nearly a million visitors in most years who come to experience the Everglades and its alligators, crocodiles, Florida panthers, anhingas, roseate spoonbills, and egrets. It was egrets--or rather, their courtship plumes decorating ladies' hats--that jump-started the movement to save the wetlands as a park. The Everglades was home to archaic people for thousands of years and also holds the stories of the indigenous Tequesta, Spanish and British colonialists, Mikasuki-speaking Native Americans (and the soldiers who sought to expel them), pioneer settlers, activists who created the park, residents of south Florida, and generations of visitors who have experienced the tropical wilderness of Everglades National Park.

128 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2021

Reviews

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everglades National Park is so far my favorite national park! This book is a gem because it shows photos and history about the Everglades I didn’t know about before. I learned that the original main entrance into the park is the southern entrance located near Florida City. I also learned that Flamingo, which is the last stop in the southern Everglades, used to be a town in the early 1900’s but in the 1950’s, the residents and business owners of Flamingo had to be kicked out since the population surge everyone expected for Flamingo never materialized. Once Everglades National Park was fully established, Flamingo became incorporated into the park. I also learned that Everglades City, the westernmost entrance of the Everglades, used to be called: Everglade for many years. In addition, President Harry S. Truman was responsible in recognizing the Everglades as a National Park in 1947. This action truly placed the Everglades on the map. One more fascinating fun fact is how just west of Flamingo, there lies a cape called Cape Sable, which contains the only beach in the Everglades! After centuries of hurricanes pummeling the coast of Cape Sable, the force of high winds eventually pushed enough sand to create a natural beach in this part of the Everglades. The Everglades is truly fascinating. I visited Shark Valley recently and was in awe in witnessing alligators, crocodiles, herons and anhingas call this place home 🐦‍⬛🐢🐊🦩🌴🪺🌾🪷🪻🌊🚣🏻🐟

[Mallory Spiers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best, but wanted a quick read about the Everglades after getting to visit just for a short time! Pictures were great!