Recent Stories

FLORIDA CITY, Fla.— The Everglades region of South Florida have a lot to offer, depending on what it is that you are looking to do. One thing you could probably never imagine to do is go alligator hunting. Well, if you thought that was impossible you were wrong. In 2000,Read More…

FLORIDA CITY, Fla. — Dozens of miles away from the Miami skyline and at the end of the Florida Turnpike are the Everglades, one of the sunshine state’s last anomalies that has not been developed or turned into a strip mall. Approximately 1.5 million acres in size, the Everglades NationalRead More…

FLORIDA CITY, Fla. — Four miles from the main entrance of the well-known Everglades National Park here, a humble Visitor Center sits with eager employees awaiting their next visitor. This location, known as the Royal Palm Nature Center, is surrounded by wetlands and is aligned by grainy, old stones onRead More…

HOMESTEAD, Fla.— Last April, painter and “environartist” Donna Marxer found herself a lone human in a world where alligators, white pelicans, endangered Florida panthers and over 40 species of mosquitoes reign. She was attempting to translate this world of hardening muck, sawgrass prairies, murmuring crickets and hardwood forests onto theRead More…

SHARK VALLEY, Fla.— When you were a child, you probably never listened to the old folks who would tell you to be careful of bumps in the road when riding a bike, because the bumps always made bike riding so much fun. In childhood, those bumps were big branches andRead More…

SHARK VALLEY, Fla.— From intense all-night South Beach extravaganzas, to overstated oceanfront Art Deco, South Florida is an adventure in extremes. But Everglades National Park, located minutes away from Miami’s bustling downtown, combines this larger-than-life aspect with a simple, unpretentious beauty and solitude. Hoping to experience this understated natural wonder,Read More…

FLORIDA CITY, Fla.— A salty drop of sweat glides down her forehead and, with each pedal stroke, her determination reaches new heights. The horizon seems endless and with six miles to go, she’s far from giving up. Even though Sonia Lokossou, a 27-year-old French native, legs ache and the temperatureRead More…

FLORIDA CITY, Fla.— “We observed great flocks of wading birds flying overhead toward their evening roosts … they appeared in such numbers to actually block out the light from the sun for some time,” said naturalist and artist John James Audubon, whose love was the birds of North America. AudubonRead More…

FLAMINGO, Fla.— Inch by inch we crawled up the hot black asphalt street. My left foot began to ache as it pressed in the clutch for what seemed like the 50th time. A red Lexus pulled up along the right side of my old beat up Acura; rap music blaringRead More…

FLAMINGO, Fla .— We are surrounded. We are flanked by shades of green, lush tangles, enclosed in the middle of the water, and shrouded in silence. Our canoe keeps us precariously enclosed in our new environment, but as we drift further up the stream, we are getting closer and closerRead More…

EVERGLADES CITY, Fla.— As I dragged my canoe through the sand and down to the lapping waters of the shore, the sun beat warmth down onto my shoulders and Chokoloskee Bay looked as if its wavy surface was inlaid with sparkling sea green gems. Stopping to gaze across the bayRead More…

FLORIDA CITY, Fla.— The Everglades National Park was created to preserve the unique ecosystem in Florida. The cypress, mangrove statuary, coastal prairie and Florida Bay have evolved over thousands of years, creating a natural habitat like no other in the world. Urban development in South Florida has destroyed most ofRead More…