Historic opportunity to restore Everglades National Park! Please help.

[Guest guest]

Topic: Restoration of Everglades National ParkDeadline: Monday, June 29, 2009 (midnight Mountain Time)What's at stake: Park restoration, Tamiami Trail bridging over Shark River Slough, non-motorized access to Everglades National ParkHow to comment: National Park Service comment form found here -http://m1e.net/c?77950662-jX1.ldcDx1nck%404376503-FGaUEa8ei0D6EWho can comment: Anyone, anywhere. This is your park.Dear Friends,Completed in 1928, Tamiami Trail (US 41) is a convenient way to cross the state, a scenic highway, an engineering marvel, and unfortunately a dam across the Everglades. Now, with an administration in Washington taking a truly active interest in the plight of south Florida’s unique ecosystem, the National Park Service has been given funding and authority to raise sections of

the trail and once again allow the waters of the Everglades a free run across the ‘Sea of Grass’ to the estuaries of Florida Bay and Ten Thousand Islands.What can you do? Six alternatives have been presented to the public providing varying amounts of raised roadway. THE SIERRA CLUB IS FIRMLY BEHIND ALTERNATIVE 6. This allows for maximum bridging across Tamiami Trail and is closest to the Army Corps of Engineers original recommendation of an 11 mile bridge to allow for sufficient water flow into the park. When completed, it will provide the greatest environmental benefits to an ecosystem containing a mix of plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet - including 36 species listed as threatened or endangered. These include the manatee, green sea turtle, American Crocodile, and the critically endangered Florida panther.Here’s a brief statement from the National Park Service

on the purpose of the park –Everglades National Park is a public park for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. It is set apart as a permanent wilderness preserving essential primitive conditions, including the natural abundance, diversity, behavior, and ecological integrity of the unique flora and fauna.With these thoughts clearly in mind, the Sierra Club is advocating for the following:1. CHOOSE ALTERNATIVE 6 FOR THE BRIDGING OF TAMIAMI TRAIL. As stated above, this will allow for the maximum flow of water into the Shark River Slough and the heart of Everglades National Park. It will also likely create the greatest number of jobs during construction. Folks wanting to see maps and descriptions of the full range of alternatives will find them on the PowerPoint located here -http://m1e.net/c?77950662-wOAC82U9q4Nqo%404376504-L1VNTw5hFs4lQ 2. BUY OUT AND REMOVE ALL

COMMERCIAL AIRBOAT OPERATIONS ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF TAMIAMI TRAIL (private airboat owners of record only - 1989 - to be allowed access on designated trails according to the terms of the Everglades Expansion and Protection Act). While the Sierra Club understands that some tourists do use these commercial tours as a way of getting a quick peek of the Everglades and possibly an alligator, there are serious ecological problems encountered with their continued operation (and there are many places in south Florida to ride an airboat outside the confines of a national park). If Alternative 6 is chosen, leaving these commercial operations in place will- interfere with the historic movement of waters the bridging is supposed to return by leaving enormous 'island concessions' with parking lots, stores and docks in the historic flow of Shark River Slough- require costly and complicated off ramps (cloverleaf's on Tamiami Trail?) to

provide public access - placing still more human engineering in the water flow- interfere with the natural hydrology of the Shark River Slough (research conducted in adjacent areas of Big Cypress National Preserve found a five fold increase in water moving through airboat trails regardless of their direction). See photo below -http://m1e.net/c?77950662-UfnKAuAhCMynM%404376505-OcPgJIdRU1gLM- prevent a safe and quiet non-motorized experience of the park for south Florida residents and tourists.On the nature of this quality non-motorized access (AND TO THE MANY SOUTH FLORIDA PADDLERS READING THIS MESSAGE - THIS IS FOR YOU!) the Sierra Club is advocating for the following:- 'put ins' on either side of the bridging to provide access for canoes and kayaks (current access is only behind a dumpster at one of the airboat concessions - and there are no designated non-motorized areas to provide for safety and

quiet. Paddlecraft and airboats in the same area are not a safe combination.)- a livery for canoes and kayaks operated as an authorized National Park Service rental concession (by contrast, the commercial airboat operations we are advocating be removed have been operating for 20 years with no such required contract with NPS)- a series of 'chickees' similar to those in Florida Bay and in other parts of the park for backcountry camping- canoe routes that would allow for multi-day wilderness excursions (for those who want that experience) to places like the Ten Thousand Islands and the Wilderness Waterway both of which connect to Shark River Slough- interpretive boardwalks to allow non-paddlers and families a chance to experience and understand this incredible ecosystem on footIn 2006, National Geographic conducted a scorecard on our national parks using a panel of 200 scientists, geographers, and experts in

the field of eco-tourism. Unfortunately, Everglades National Park did not fare very well. Scroll to the VERY BOTTOM of this article to read the results:http://m1e.net/c?77950662-.bvE/3iG8Xc1o%404376506-FXa02msZYvG0cThis is an historic opportunity to bring back an important part of our natural heritage. Now is the time to get these recommendations into the plan for Tamiami Trail and the General Management Plan for Everglades National Park. Let's not miss out. Once again, NPS comment form is located here:http://m1e.net/c?77950662-dUrMU9xrHFi2A%404376503-5uH3FGt/poRLsThanks for your help,Matt SchwartzEverglades Chair and Outings LeaderBroward Group of the Sierra ClubFlorida Sierra Everglades CommitteeSierra Club National Wildlands Committee