Shark Valley - Everglades National Park

95% of the mammals in the Shark Valley area of the Everglades are gone. 

 Let that sink in a minute, 95%.

Gone!

 It makes me heart sick that the cause of this is people. People who released non-native species into the wild. 😧


Here is an article about the problem from National Geographic from 2012:


The problem continues despite attempts to capture these invasive reptiles.Here is a more recent article, from Popular Science, that discusses what scientists are currently trying: Pythons are invading Florida. Meet the scientists fighting back.


On our way home from the Miami area, Tom and I stopped to visit an area of the Everglades we had not yet seen, Shark Valley. We took the tram ride out to see the tower.

It was really amazing. Originally built by oil/gas prospectors, the structure has been used as an observation tower since
We thought the architecture of it was really neat and we especially admired the gently sloping ramp that you walk to go up and down.

  • "The Shark Valley Observation Tower is a classic example of Mission 66 architecture, which is sometimes called "modern parkitecture" and features large slabs of concrete, swirling ramps, flat roofs, and terraces supported by thin columns. Implemented in 1956, Mission 66 was a 10-year program intended to dramatically improve and expand visitor services in national parks by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service." (https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/scenicvistas.htm)
The views from the tower were beautiful.



Our guides on our tram ride were very knowledgeable and friendly. They pointed out birds, alligators, and turtles that we could see as we rode along. They also told us storied of the wildlife and the park.


Tom was entertained by the alligator sightings. There were many of them. I was more interested in the scenery, the birds, and turtles.





I also found the rainwater impoundment structure at the visitor center. They have a large tank next to a the gutter from the roof and can store and then use the water as they need.

We really enjoyed our day here and recommend it to anyone who is traveling across the Tamiami Trail.

Comments

Popular Posts