Florida Rivers Month
June has been declared Florida Rivers Month to recognize the more than 50,000 miles of rivers and streams that
flow throughout the state. Realizing the importance of these rivers is especially important in the South Florida
ecosystem, where the rivers and estuaries play a crucial role in supporting a healthy economy. There are a total
of nine major river watershed-estuarine systems in the South Florida ecosystem, including the St. Lucie and
Caloosahatchee rivers and their estuaries.
The Caloosahatchee River and Estuary extend about 70 miles from Lake Okeechobee to San Carlos Bay on Florida's
southwest coast. The river is just one of Florida’s many estuaries and provides habitat for more than 40 percent
of Florida's rare, endangered and threatened species.
The St. Lucie River and Estuary are home to thousands of plant and animal species, including manatees, dolphins,
sea turtles and seahorses. This river is part of the Indian River Lagoon system which is said to have the greatest
species diversity of any estuary in North America. Approximately 2,200 species have been identified in the lagoon
system, including 35 which are listed as endangered or threatened.
The restoration of these river systems is not only important to the multitude of wildlife which live in them, but to
the restoration of the entire South Florida ecosystem. Efforts to restore their health are currently in place through
programs which include the joint state-federal Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and Florida’s Northern
Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program (NEEPP), which was passed by the Florida Legislature in 2007 to expand the
existing Lake Okeechobee Protection Plan to include the downstream St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
Just like with other Everglades restoration efforts, the basic principle of improving the health of the estuaries is
getting the water right, in terms of quantity, quality, timing and distribution. By improving the timing and delivery
of higher quality water to the estuaries and throughout the ecosystem, restoration efforts are enhancing wetlands,
improving water quality and reviving the habitats for more than 60 endangered and threatened species that call the
Everglades ecosystem home.
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