Ecosystem Description

The Florida Everglades is the largest wetland ecosystem in America, spanning two million acres from central to southern Florida. Lake Okeechobee resides in the northern part of this ecosystem, and during the wet season, it’s flooding releases water into slow moving rivers; the largest being the Kissimmee River which flows through fields of sawgrass, earning the nickname “River of Grass.” It is an area of great diversity connecting various shallow fresh water bodies.  This ecosystem, though now largely developed or destroyed, used to contain a diverse range of habitats including marshland, pine forests, hardwood forests, mangrove estuaries, and shallow bays that supported wildlife like exotic birds, fish, alligators, and the Florida panther.

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