Recent Stories
Bay island unique for park campers
HOMESTEAD, Fla.— Camping. For many, that word conjures pictures of tents, sleeping bags, warming up from the cold around a fire and keeping your food safely stowed from bears. While some of these aspects of camping are not appropriate in South Florida, Biscayne National Park offers the wildlife adventurer aRead More…
Best way to experience park? On bay…
HOMESTEAD, Fla.— One of the best ways to explore and experience Biscayne National Park is to get on a boat or get wet and get into water. Biscayne National Park, located on the southeastern coast of South Florida, is the only national park that is 95 percent under water. AlthoughRead More…
Bear Island reveals remote Big Cypress
BEAR ISLAND , Fla. — A quarter of a tank of gas going west from Miami will get you there. As we set up our camp site, I heard the wind rustle some leaves. More importantly, I heard the wind rustle the leaves of some trees about a half-mile away,Read More…
Big Cypress camping offers adventures
EAST OCHOPEE, Fla.—While walking along a path through Big Cypress National Preserve, a friend of mine shouted to me. “That’s not!” she screamed and paused. We all then gasped because it was! Rearing up in its obvious attack position, a Cottonmouth snake was staring right at my ankle. My fourRead More…
Cypress canoeing, kayaking trails popular
OCHOPEE, Fla.— Amidst the abundant wildlife and rare foliage of the Big Cypress National Preserve lies a recreational haven. The preserve has two main canoeing and kayaking trails, the Halfway Creek Canoe Trail and the Turner River Canoe Trail, along with six smaller trails, that travel through the natural habitatRead More…
Gallery preserves Big Cypress images
OCHOPEE, Fla. — Bill Service leaned against the weathered turquoise railing near the Big Cypress Gallery entrance and quietly surveyed his surroundings. He was situated here in Ochopee, approximately 35 miles west of Miami and 45 miles east of Naples. Tucked away in the heart of the Big Cypress NationalRead More…
Loop Road offers Big Cypress sights by car
OCHOPEE, Fla.— I have spent my entire life in South Florida, and I am ashamed to say that I had never visited the Everglades. The national park is only a short drive away, but I never went— not with my parents, not on a field trip, never. I decided thatRead More…
NPS monitors region’s panther population
OCHOPEE, Fla.— The Big Cypress National Preserve was founded in 1972 to provide a habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal life. In comparison to other parks in South Florida, The Big Cypress is unique for that variety. In addition, this preserve supports the life of both tropicalRead More…
Hike Big Cypress and see nature at best
OCHOPEE, Fla.— At the edge of civilization where ecosystems meet and mesh with one another, were fantastic creatures co-exist in a web of exuberant life; that is where you will find the Big Cypress National Preserve. The day is cooler, but still sunny —- a perfect day to go onRead More…
Intern finds passion for environment
OCHOPEE, Fla.— Twenty-two-year-old intern Alyssa Parker Geisman never planned on living in Big Cypress National Preserve after her graduation from college in May 2007. In fact, the Boston native wasn’t too sure about the future at all. After studying geology at the University of Miami, though, she did have aRead More…
The Everglades buzz? It’s mosquitoes …
OCHOPEE, Fla.— It’s a bird … it’s a plane … it’s an Everglades mosquito. Ever wonder where those long flat rows of saw grass come from? They are landing strips for these huge insects that call Everglades National Park home. “They definitely control what can and can’t be done outside,Read More…
Florida alligators make big comeback
OCHOPEE, Fla. – Ever wonder what it would be like to describe what an alligator looked like to your son or daughter? It was only 15 years ago when we almost lost them all. For good. Less than two decades ago, many animals in the Everglades National Park and BigRead More…