Center for the State of the Parks: Park Assessments
Florida Bay
Published December 2005
Approximately one-third of Everglades National Park is a very special place called Florida Bay, a marine lagoon that has received international recognition for its superb natural resources. Decades of human intervention have affected the park and Florida Bay, which are dependent upon freshwater flows and a healthy ecosystem to support a diversity of wildlife, including fish important to the local commercial and recreational fishing industry, and the largest preserved mangrove system in the Western Hemisphere.
NPCA's State of the Parks assessment reveals that Florida Bay's resources are challenged by continued human interference. Careless boaters harm seagrass when their boats run aground. Over-fishing and habitat loss affect migratory species such as gray snapper, which use Florida Bay as a nursery. Drainage and diversion projects threaten wading birds such as roseate spoonbills.
Our Suncoast office is working with state and federal agencies to ensure that the plan to restore the Everglades is fully funded and that all projects are supported by sound science. You can help NPCA advocate for sufficient funding for the National Park Service to protect fragile seagrasses and Florida Bay's other underwater resources with ranger patrols, public outreach and education activities, and appropriate signage.
