Years ago after spending a great deal of my life being a Florida native, I visited Everglades National Park. I remember being in the southern most tip of the swampy mass at the Flamingo park headquarters. There I had a conversation with a ranger who had ultra white long hair tied into a braid. I asked him if he knew of any fantastic canoe trails. He told me of a lagoon where the wading birds conglomerate in the late afternoon and if I was lucky, I would happen upon a nurse shark that browsed the bay that was only a foot deep. I took the advice and sure enough as I paddled closer to the giant cluster of white feathered waders, two fins were poking out of the water in a swimming rhythm. It was the dorsal and tail fin of that very nurse shark! Such a mythical place. So harsh and beautiful at the same time.
Sincerely,
Everglades National Park
One of the largest wetlands in the world, this iconic "River of Grass" protects 1.5 million acres of subtropical wilderness in South Florida.
State(s): Florida
Established: 1947
“They are the very essence of our planet and without them we will never know the importance and magnitude of our corner of the globe. I wish there were more...”
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