Big Cypress

Otter eating fish at Big Cypress

Just a quick reminder that tonight at midnight is the deadline for submitting comments to the National Park Service on their hunting management plan for the Big Cypress National Preserve. Comment form is here:

http://m1e.net/c?121296310-t/kEz5w2gBnGw%406813527-l6ccd8Yq63N/E

Unless you've actually been there it's difficult to describe what the Addition Lands represent. Basically one of the last pieces of south Florida that look (and sound) like what much of south Florida once was not too long ago. An incredible mosaic of pinelands, cypress swamps, prairies, and marshes - teeming with 30 species of animals listed as endangered, threatened, or species of special concern (among the literally thousands of species of plants and animals present). It could be south Florida's version of the Amazon - and it's just a 45 minute drive from downtown Ft. Lauderdale (Mile Marker 52 off I-75). But this piece of National Park Service land is yours to enjoy and appreciate no matter where you happen to live.

Hopefully many of you will join us on swampwalks in the cooler weather to get to know this special place better. You won't be disappointed. But at the moment - the National Park Service has set a midnight deadline (Mountain Time) for submitting comments on a proposal to open this area up to public hunting for the first time in its history. This action would change this special piece of land dramatically. An interview I gave to the Broward Palm Beach New Times summarizes what's at stake quickly.

Matt Schwartz
Executive Director
South Florida Wildlands Association
P.O. Box 30211
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33303
954-634-7173