WASHINGTON, DC, December 12, 2008 (ENS) – The National Park Service will provide $1 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the next course of action needed along the Tamiami Trail to restore water flows to Everglades National Park, federal officials announced today.

Completed in 1928, the Tamiami (pronounced tamee-amee) Trail is not really a trail but a road connecting Tampa with Miami – the last 275 miles of highway US 41.

Tamiami Trail crosses Shark River Slough, the most important conveyance of water into the southern Everglades. For the past 80 years, the road has caused the giant wetland that is Everglades National Park to be cut off from its main source of freshwater from the north.

North of the Trail, water has backed up, causing those lands to drown under too much water. In the south, the health of the Everglades is declining from lack of fresh water.

After years of studies and evaluations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided in 2005 to build two bridges that would allow water to pass under them to the Everglades. But the high cost of this plan prompted a re-evaluation this summer that settled on a single one-mile long bridge.

In November, a federal judge called a halt to the bridge plan. U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro granted a preliminary injunction sought by the Miccosukee Tribe to stop the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from starting construction of the bridge.

The judge found that the Corps did not carry out analysis of all the alternatives as required under environmental laws.

The Tamiami Trail (Photo by Tony Martegani)

She agreed with tribal arguments that building the bridge would not improve flows until other projects are built. Those projects are intended to control flooding in western Miami-Dade County suburbs that may occur with higher water levels restored to the Everglades.

The Everglades Skyway Coalition, a group of community, business and environmental organizations and local governments, is advocating for an 11 mile elevated highway, or Skyway across Shark River Slough. The coalition says that by elevating the road, “all barriers to a natural water flow will be removed, and fish and other wildlife will be able to freely cross the landscape.”

Supporters of the Skyway include the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, 1000 Friends of Florida, Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife, and Friends of the Everglades, among many others.

The Miccosukee Tribe neither supports the Skyway Project nor any other alternatives which propose the construction of bridges on the Tamiami Trail prior to the completion of all four components of the Modified Water Delivery plan for the Everglades.

The tribe says consequences of building the Skyway include delay in the restoration of the Everglades. The tribe cites a report produced by the Office of Inspector General that found for each year of delay, the Tribal Everglades is losing 8.4 tree islands or 246 acres of lan.

Today’s million dollar award to the Corps is intended to be spent determining what to do next in view of the judge’s ruling.

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said, “The Department of the Interior remains fully committed to sustaining support of the Everglades restoration effort. Today’s important step forward represents a major opportunity to chart a course for a project that is not only pivotal to restoration of Everglades National Park’s ecosystem, but fundamental to restoration of the greater Everglades ecosystem.”

The million dollar check was presented to the Corps today at a ceremony at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett said at the ceremony, “These past 20 years, many Everglades restoration partners have purchased land, undertaken projects and improved land management. Yet restoration as we all envision it, still lies off on the horizon. Today, we take one more step along our restoration journey.”

Restoration of water flow into Everglades National Park has been and remains the highest priority for the park’s ecologic health, said Scarlett. The Tamiami Trail will continue as a major constraint to restoring the Everglades and Florida Bay until substantial additional hydrological connectivity is established across the trail.

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WASHINGTON, DC, July 14, 2008 (ENS) – Finding peace and quiet in the national parks this summer just got a little easier with the help of coalition of National Park Service retirees who have compiled a ranking of America’s parks based on their soundscape.

The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, CNPSR, has put together some tips on a variety of parks to go to enjoy quiet or the sounds of nature, as well as some places visitors may want to avoid if what they seek is peace and quiet.

Mountain goats at Easy Pass in
Cascades National Park, Washington
(Photo courtesy NPS)

“Some parks remain natural cathedrals to silence and natural sounds, while others now face an onslaught of airplane overflights, traffic sounds, snowmobiles, jet skis and other man-made noise pollution,” says Bill Wade.

Wade serves as executive council chair of the 650-member Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, CNPSR. All members are former employees of the National Park Service – former national park directors and deputy directors, regional directors, superintendents, and rangers.

As a public service this summer, the CNPSR has put together a list of the five national parks in the lower 48 states where visitors can still find genuine peace, quiet and natural sounds.

They are – Great Basin National Park inNevada, Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, North Cascades National Park in Washington, Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana, and Muir Woods National Monument in California.

CNPSR members also have highlighted the five parks that are most at risk of growing noise pollution.

Noisy air tours make Mt. Rushmore
tough to tolerate from some visitors.
(Photo by Elsabellina)

They are – Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts, Mojave National Preserve in California, Mt. Rushmore National Park, South Dakota, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, and Everglades National Park in Florida.

Wade said, “When people think of national parks, they think of the scenery, the wildlife, and the historical icons they hold. Many also think of a place they can ‘get away from it all’ and that includes escaping ruckus of everyday life. Fortunately, National Park Service policies recognize the soundscape as an important park characteristic that needs to be protected.

CNPSR Executive Council Member Abby Miller is a former National Park Service deputy associate director for natural resources and stewardship. She says, “While our park selections are naturally subjective, they are based on the thousands of years of experiences of CNPSR members who are among those who know best of all.”

“We hope that park visitors will appreciate and pay attention to the preservation of natural sound,” she said, “an important aspect of our national treasures.”

Top Five Parks for Peace, Quiet and Natural Sounds

* Great Basin National Park, Nevada. (www.nps.gov/grba)”You can hear the birds’ wings as they fly,” says a retired superintendent of this park. “Come to Great Basin National Park to experience the solitude of the desert, the smell of sagebrush after a thunderstorm, the darkest of night skies, and the beauty of Lehman Caves,” beckons the park’s Web site.

* Isle Royale National Park, Michigan (www.nps.gov/isro). Isle Royale is a remote wilderness park, at least remote for the Eastern half of the country. It is surrounded by the large, clear, cold, and untamed waters of Lake Superior. The land base is 99% designated wilderness, although the majority of the park acreage is in Lake Superior where motorized boating is allowed—requiring some attention to location and timing to find places where the sounds of nature prevail.

* North Cascades National Park, Washington State (www.nps.gov/noca). Jagged peaks and deep valleys, encompassing 9000 feet of vertical relief, cascading waterfalls, over 300 glaciers, temperate rainforests and ponderosa pine systems make the North Cascades National Park Service Complex scenic, diverse, and a great place to explore. Opportunities for solitude are greatest in the more remote cross-country zones. Overnight recreational use is closely managed to provide a high level of solitude, including permits, designated campsites, and party size limits. As in other parks, ask the rangers for their advice to help plan your trip to the quietest parts of the park.

* Big Hole National Battlefield, Montana (www.nps.gov/biho). The battle at Big Hole grew out of a long struggle between non-Indians, hungry for land and gold, and the Nimiipu, or Nez Perce. It is considered a sacred burial ground by the Nez Perce. The battlefield sits in the beautiful U-shaped Big Hole Valley near Wisdom, Montana.

* Muir Woods National Monument, California (www.nps.gov/muwo). This small park in the greater San Francisco Bay area hosts daily crowds of tour buses from the city who come to enjoy the half-mile path through the redwood forest. But this park has a big commitment to a natural soundscape. When visitors commented that rambunctious kids were the main source of human noise, the parks’s Junior Ranger program was reworked to have quieting exercises and a new poetic treasure hunt that emphasizes listening and appreciating the natural soundscape. The park has also tested quiet days and quiet zones. In December 2007, a Winter Solstice celebration included quiet times and five Quiet Days are planned in 2008.

The retirees advise, “When you visit these or other national parks, tell the rangers you want to be away from the sounds of human activity as much as possible and ask their advice for the best sections of the park to visit quietly to enjoy the park and its natural sound.”

The Five National Parks With the Worst Noise Problems

* Minute Man National Historical Park, Massachusetts (www.nps.gov/mima). This park in the Boston suburbs commemorates the beginning of the American Revolution. It is difficult enough in its current environment to experience the battlefield as it was and or find an atmosphere of reverence. “Visitors to these sites should be able to experience a soundscape that is as similar to the late 1700s as possible,” says the coalition of retirees.

* Mojave National Preserve, California (www.nps.gov/moja). Mojave, whose website indicates that it “provides serenity and solitude from the crowds of major metropolitan areas” is threatened by proposed new airport near the town of Primm, about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas, meant to alleviate air traffic at Las Vegas McCarran. If all goes as planned by the county, the new airport would be built by 2017 and handle about 35 million passengers a year. An environmental impact study for the proposal is scheduled to be finished in 2010.

* Mt. Rushmore National Park, South Dakota (www.nps.gov/moru). An air tour Interim Operating Authority is in place for over 5,000 flights annually, with activity concentrated during the summer holiday months. The primary operator has suspended operations, but the FAA maintains that their allocation could be picked up by anyone willing to purchase the company. The park is so small that air tours are audible throughout the park for most of their flight tracks.

Another issue that affects quiet at this and other parks is emerging. Sturgis, South Dakota is the focus of a two-week motorcycle rally in August. The noise from this event and those traveling to it affect Mt. Rushmore and other Dakota parks.

* Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii (www.nps.gov/havo). The Park is one of the few remaining natural areas in Hawaii protecting habitat from sea to summit, and there are 150 miles of trails to explore. But active volcanic eruptions are not always viewable by foot or car; and overflights are often the only way to see eruptions. There are tens of thousands of air tour flights per year. The routes in the park are subject to nominal Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, regulation, but orbiting time over eruption sites is uncontrolled. The Napau Crater wilderness hike lies directly underneath one of the most active air tour routes.

* Everglades National Park, Florida (www.nps.gov/ever). Everglades National Park preserves a million and a half acres of unique tropical water and grass environment along with hammocks, mangroves and other systems – most of it designated wilderness. Yet Everglades, as well as other south Florida parks are impacted by air boats, motor boats, generators, and other motors operating inside and outside the park.

The retirees omitted two national parks from the preceding list, the retirees said, “since their long-standing noise issues are well known – Grand Canyon and its aircraft overflight issue and Yellowstone’s snowmobile problem.”

“While Yellowstone has seen an unsatisfactory resolution of snowmobile-related noise issues, there has been some progress at Grand Canyon, where special legislation was passed aimed just at controlling overflight activities at this park and reducing their impact,” the retirees said.

The coalition of retirees wants to see the National Park Service retain jurisdiction on overflights, saying, “At no point in a FAA reauthorization process should changes be made to the Park Service’s current lead role in the regulation of aircraft overflights.”

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MIAMI, Florida, May 14, 2008 (ENS) – A 7,000 acres fire, most likely human-caused, in Everglades National Park will be fully suppressed, according to park superintendent Dan Kimball, because it is burning close to two populations of a federally listed endangered species, the Cape Sable seaside sparrow.

“Our highest priority, as always, is firefighter and public safety, but we need to ensure that the habitat of the endangered seaside sparrow is protected,” said Kimball.

Called the Mustang Corner Fire, this blaze was first reported Tuesday morning south of Chekika, a recreation area in the eastern part of the Everglades.

With winds out of the east, the wind-driven fire is burning into the interior of the park and is threatening no structures. The fire is burning in sawgrass, and due to the low fuel moistures, the hardwood hammocks are also burning.

Currently assisting in the suppression efforts are firefighters from the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Florida Division of Forestry; with assistance from one single-engine air tanker; and two helicopters.

On central Florida’s Atlantic coast, where at least 100 homes have gone up in smoke since Mother’s Day, the fires are believed to be deliberately set.

Police have a man in custody who they suspect of starting a small fire near Palm Bay.

Brush fire in Palm Bay, May 11,
2008 (Photo credit unknown)

Police say Brian Crowder, 31, was seen thowing a glass bottle containing a flammable liquid from a car window into the woods. Crowder was arrested today for probation violations, but has not yet been charged in connection with the fires.

About 3,500 acres have been consumed within the Palm Bay City limits, officials said today. Several fires remain active throughout the southwest and southeast portions of the city with only a small portion contained at this time.

Residents on City water north of Malabar Road in Palm Bay are being asked not to use irrigation systems. Code Enforcement Officers are currently out in the area enforcing the temporary ban in order to preserve water resources to fight fires.

Approximately 50 to 75 homes have been reported damaged or destroyed in Palm Bay. Fire inspectors and building inspectors were out today assessing the damage.

Some 5,500 residents are without power and FPL is deploying additional resources to the area. It is not known when power will be restored.

One Palm Bay Firefighter was injured after a live power line fell on him. The firefighter suffered minor shock as a result. He was airlifted to the hospital and is in stable condition.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the successful arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for setting the fires. Arson investigators are following any leads that are reported. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Central Florida CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-TIPS.

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EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Florida, February 27, 2008 (ENS) – Burmese pythons, an invasive species now spreading across south Florida, could find comfortable climatic conditions in roughly a third of the United States, according to new “climate match” developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, USGS.

Although other factors such as type of food available and suitable shelter also play a role, Burmese pythons and other giant constrictor snakes have shown themselves to be highly adaptable to new environments, the USGS says.

The newly released USGS maps can help natural resource agencies manage and possibly control the spread of non-native giant constrictor snakes, such as the Burmese python, now spreading from Everglades National Park in Florida.

Biologists with Everglades National Park confirmed a breeding population of Burmese python in the Florida Everglades in 2003, likely the result of released pets.

Burmese python in the Everglades
(Photo courtesy Davidson
College Herptology Lab)

Python populations have since been discovered in Big Cypress National Preserve to the north, Miami’s water management areas to the northeast, Key Largo to the southeast, and many state parks, municipalities, and public and private lands in the region.

“Wildlife managers are concerned that these snakes, which can grow to over 20 feet long and more than 250 pounds, pose a danger to state- and federally listed threatened and endangered species as well as to humans,” said Bob Reed, a USGS wildlife biologist at the Fort Collins Science Center in Colorado, who helped develop the maps.

“Several endangered species,” he noted, “have already been found in the snakes’ stomachs. Pythons could have even more significant environmental and economic consequences if they were to spread from Florida to other states.”

Burmese pythons have been found to eat endangered Key Largo woodrats and rare round-tailed muskrats.

“This makes it that much more difficult to recover these dwindling populations and restore the Everglades,” said park biologist Skip Snow, “and all the more important that pet owners be responsible in their choice of pet and dispose of it properly should they need to. Releasing them into the environment is bad for that pet, bad for native species, and also illegal.”

The USGS “climate match” maps show where climate in the United States is similar to places in which Burmese pythons live naturally – from Pakistan to Indonesia.

The maps show where climate alone would not limit these snakes. One map shows areas in the U.S. with current climatic conditions similar to those of the snakes’ native ranges. A second map projects these “climate matches” at the end of this century based on global warming models, which significantly expands the potential habitat for these snakes.

Control of exotic species is often prohibitively expensive once they have become established. Therefore, prevention through screening and risk assessment is of great importance, especially when protecting continental areas from invasive reptiles, said USGS invasive snake expert Gordon Rodda, also of the Fort Collins center.

Currently, scientists with the USGS and Everglades National Park are investigating where the snakes might go next and their likelihood of survival. USGS researchers are also conducting a risk assessment for nine species of giant constrictors – including boa constrictors and yellow anacondas – that are prevalent in the pet trade and as such, potential invaders in the United States.

Due to be completed by early 2009, the assessment evaluates the risk of invasion for these species and the potential for social, economic, and environmental impacts. The two agencies are also developing and testing tools to control invasive snake populations and prevent their spread, especially to the Florida Keys where several listed species would be threatened by the presence of pythons or other constrictors.

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