Hollywood, Fla. – The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the Everglades Foundation, Audubon of Florida, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and several other environmental groups today filed a joint comment letter with the National Park Service (NPS) calling for additional bridging along the Tamiami Trail to benefit Everglades restoration. As part of the park’s planning process to restore Shark River Slough, a historic shallow river in Everglades National Park, more bridging along Tamiami Trail is a crucial step towards restoring the greater Everglades ecosystem.
“Maximizing bridging along the Tamiami Trail will result in the greatest wetland recovery benefits to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay,” said Rebecca Garvoille, the National Parks Conservation Association’s Everglades environmental policy consultant.
In March, Congress directed the Department of the Interior, through the NPS, to immediately evaluate the feasibility of additional bridging along the Tamiami Trail, beyond that to be built under the Modified Water Deliveries restoration project. Congress underlined the importance of this restoration project to deliver more natural water flow to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay.
"This court decision to allow the one-mile bridge under Tamiami Trail is a good first step," said Julie Hill, Audubon of Florida. "We will need more bridging, however, to get the freshwater flows needed to achieve ecological benefits in the Everglades and recover healthy wading bird populations."
The NPS’s project would complement the one-mile bridge to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Modified Water Deliveries project. By including the greatest amount of bridging possible, environmentalists argue that the NPS project will enable water managers to take full advantage of the restoration benefits to be provided from the state of Florida’s River of Grass land acquisition in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).
"The abundant recreational and economic benefits provided by the Everglades and Florida Bay are in serious jeopardy if we fail to build additional bridging along Tamiami Trail,” said Kirk Fordham, CEO, Everglades Foundation. “It is imperative that ground be broken on bridging the first mile of the Tamiami Trail this year as a precursor to additional bridging of this roadway."
Since the 1920s, the Tamiami Trail has acted as a dam, preventing water from freely flowing along its historic and natural path through the greater Everglades ecosystem from Water Conservation Area 3 into Everglades National Park and out to Florida Bay. The NPS’ current planning process provides an unparalleled opportunity to reverse this damage.
To view the joint letter submitted by the environmental groups, please click here.
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