Paul Gray, Ph.D.

Everglades Science Coordinator

Articles by Paul Gray, Ph.D.

snail kite flying over lake okeechobee
Snail Kite Population Showing Strain in Dry Years
January 20, 2026 — Kite numbers are down after back to back dry nesting seasons.
FL
Wood Storks walking through a cow pasture
Funding for Regional Water Quality Projects will Help Farmers, Wildlife, and the Northern Everglades
December 10, 2025 — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services keeps Everglades restoration momentum moving in the right direction through a new funding program.
FL Everglades
Bird in a hand
Improved Outlook Anticipated for the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow
March 17, 2022 — This endemic sparrow spends it entire life in the dry prairies of Central Florida.
FL
A GIS interface provides user-friendly data for land managers to determine water storage project viabilty. Yellow here represents surface water storage suitability areas.
Audubon’s New Mapping Tool Can Protect Water in Orlando Region
December 01, 2021 — The greater Orlando area is one of the most rapidly growing regions in Florida and is already experiencing water shortages.
FL
Snail Kite in flight. Photo: Sandra Rothenberg.
Snail Kites Face another Difficult Nesting Year on Lake Okeechobee
July 01, 2021 — Water issues still to blame for low nesting rates.
FL
Anhinga. Photo: Trudy Walton/Audubon Photography Awards
Fixing Lake Okeechobee and Estuary Discharges Requires Innovation in the Okeechobee Watershed
June 01, 2021 — The Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project, a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), is intended to address water storage north of the lake but on its own will not meet established water storage targets.
FL
Snail Kite. Photo: John Wolaver.
Improving Critical Habitat for Endangered Everglade Snail Kites
November 27, 2020 — With higher water levels on Lake Okeechobee this fall, Audubon anticipates a return to normal Everglade Snail Kite nesting in 2021.
FL
Pumped water filling the Brighton Valley project. Photo: SFWMD
Brighton Valley Project Removes Nutrients and Improves Habitat
November 27, 2020 — Audubon is a strong proponent of working with landowners to rehydrate historic wetlands to store more water in the Okeechobee watershed, for the good for birds, wildlife, and people alike.
FL