Audubon has protected birds in the River of Grass since 1900. Famous for its abundance of bird life, the Everglades covers two million acres from the south side of Orlando all the way to the Florida Keys and Florida Reef Tract—one of the largest wetlands in the world. Home to endangered Florida panthers, the only large cats remaining in the eastern United States, as well as pink Roseate Spoonbills and both alligators and crocodiles, the Everglades provides critical habitat for wildlife but also clean water and flood protection for nearby communities.
From the murder of Audubon Warden Guy Bradley by plume hunters as he fought to protect some of the Everglades’ iconic species, to the devastating changes wrought by twentieth-century efforts to ditch, dike, and drain the watershed for development and agriculture, the Everglades, also known as the River of Grass, is only now beginning to recover.
The most ambitious ecosystem restoration plan ever attempted is underway to provide the River of Grass with clean fresh water in the right place at the right time. Audubon's work to restore the Everglades is focused on implementing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and other restoration projects to achieve ecological benefits and restore the characteristic abundance of wildlife. A great example is the 1,000-acre marsh and prairie restoration underway at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary; the gateway to the Western Everglades.
Our science and policy staff works throughout the ecosystem to ensure that sound science underpins plans for restoration and that projects stay focused on increasing target bird populations as a measure of success. The Audubon Florida state office, Everglades Science Center, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and Florida’s 45 chapters work with other partners and local, state, and federal decision-makers to build widespread support for this effort.
"I bought a ranch six years ago and was honored to be able to donate the 'seven-acre seed' to start the new national wildlife refuge unit."
At the southern end of Everglades National Park, a series of sloughs convey fresh water to the Florida Bay estuary. Audubon researchers track these freshwater deliveries (or lack thereof) and their impacts on the ecology of Taylor Slough and the Bay.
Audubon plays a vital role in the Corkscrew Watershed Initiative, which aims to protect the region’s unique ecosystem, characterized by its wetlands, forests, and diverse wildlife.
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