FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 10, 2003
CONTACT: Deena Wells,  (850) 245-2118
Rick Cook, (305) 242-7714

Florida Donates Land For Expansion Of Everglades National Park 

-- State partners with National Park Service to increase protection for national treasure--

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK - In another milestone for restoration of America’s Everglades, Florida today donated the last parcel of state-owned property needed to complete the massive expansion of Everglades National Park launched by President George H. W. Bush in 1989. A total of 42,000 acres of state land was donated to the federal government to accomplish plans to grow the park by 109,000 acres - a move necessary to restore the natural flow, habitat and wildlife of the famed River of Grass.

“More than fifty years ago, Florida donated land to the federal government to create the Everglades National Park,” said Governor Jeb Bush. “More than 1 million acres later, Florida’s commitment to the restoration and protection of this natural treasure remains steadfast.”

In 1946, Florida invested $2 million to acquire privately-owned land in the Everglades. The following year, President Harry S. Truman established Everglades National Park on 460,000 acres of land donated by Florida, including a donation by the State Federation of Women’s Clubs of the nearly 3700-acre Royal Palm State Park.

"The state of Florida has indeed been a good friend to the National Park Service and, in particular, to Everglades National Park," said National Park Service Director Fran Mainella. "This is a remarkable day for one of America's most revered national parks.”

Everglades National Park was the first national park established to preserve a natural biological system - not a geological phenomenon. Less than a foot deep in most places, the slow moving river spans more than 2.4 million acres across the southern tip of the peninsula, flowing from Lake Okeechobee south into the crystal waters of the Florida Bay.

“Expanding Everglades National Park eastward will allow water to sweep across the lower peninsula of Florida much like it did a century ago,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David B. Struhs. “Under Governor Bush’s leadership, restoration of the Everglades is providing real-life tangible benefits to the people of South Florida. Returning a more natural flow of water to the River of Grass will revive the habitat of more than 60 endangered animals at the same time it replenishes underground drinking water supplies.”

The Everglades is a mosaic of sawgrass prairies, hardwood hammocks, cypress swamps, coastal lagoons, mangroves and pinelands. Known throughout the world for its abundant bird life, the Everglades is home to several species of large wading birds such as the roseate spoonbill, the wood stork, the great blue heron and a variety of egrets. The mix of salt and freshwater makes it the only place on earth where alligators and crocodiles exist side-by-side.

“Florida has made unprecedented progress acquiring the land needed to restore the Everglades,” said South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Henry Dean. “This final donation to Everglades National Park is another example of Florida’s unwavering commitment to Everglades restoration and the future of South Florida.”