Training

We are in our second week of training to be "Park Rangers" here at Everglades National Park.  We've had lectures on the history of the Park: It was established in 1947 as the first national park dedicated to preserving it based on it's ecological impact in the area.  Originally the everglades comprised 2.5 million acres of land starting by Orlando and the Kissimmee River basin south, which flowed into Lake Okeechobee which over flowed into the everglades.  However, with man's infinite wisdom, in the late 1800's and even today, he has drained, diked and altered much of this area for development and farmland and now the everglades is only 1.5 million acres.

So we learned all about the hydrology and how the government promised to restore and repair the everglades, but of course, it's much more concerned with the people on the east and west coast having fresh water (which they waste) then allocating it back to the everglades, so the eco system is still in peril.

We learned about the birds that are here, over 350 varieties. So here are a few that we have seen:

Wood Storks

Great Egret

Check out the blue eyes!!

Anhingas

Purple Gallinule

Great Blue Heron

And of course an Alligator!!!

and we are learning how we are suppose to give our interpretive tours.  It looks like Fred and I will be giving tours of the Nike Missile Site which was in the park, as while as nature tours on the Anhinga Trail.  I will also be doing a "Coffee with a Ranger" either on Friday or Sunday mornings.  So we have read more nonfiction books about birds, the everglades and the Cuban Missile Crisis in the past month then we've read in years.

As part of our training, we have also been able to explore some other areas of the park.  We went on a boat trip into the Gulf of Mexico and got to see the mangrove trees, the pelikans and some beautiful roseatte spoonbills. (Pictures to follow when we get some good ones.) We did a five mile canoe trip into the everglades, which was suppose to be from 3 - 5, however, it was almost 4 when we got out on the water and a 1/2 hour after sunset when we got back to shore.  It was erie being out on the water after dark.  We also did a five mile bike hike in the pouring rain.  This is definately one tour neither one of us wants to give!!!

We are looking forward to finding out our schedules and planning our tours.