Everglades

Gov. Ron DeSantis denounced the Florida House of Representatives' proposed cuts to Everglades and water quality funding at a press conference Tuesday, marking the latest in his series of criticisms of House lawmakers over agenda discrepancies.

The South Florida Water Management District reported overall nesting down although snowy egrets, South Florida's dominant wading bird, had back-to-back good years. While rainfall played a part, the it suggests more work needs to be done to fix the region's wild landscape and keep water where birds need it to successfully raise chicks.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Jacksonville District is responsible for Everglades restoration and hurricane response, among other duties. Some say the move is “shocking.”

The "Everglades Earth Cycle," which is being funded by a $400,000 USDA grant, aims to benefit underserved communities and divert food waste from South Florida’s landfills.

At its 40th conference, the Everglades Coalition held a series of panels looking at progress and what lies ahead. They celebrated the durability and 'all-in' attitude of the wide-ranging group, but also looked at setbacks.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida President-elect Donald Trump to give Florida authority over federal money for Everglades restoration projects. The proposed budget includes $805 million for Everglades restoration and $330 million for targeted water quality projects.

A captive breeding program for the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow could increase the number of wild birds and help manage disappearing nesting habitat that could flood under Everglades restoration.

For Florida’s Native American tribes, the watershed is sacred. A new National Academies report says the federal and state agencies guiding Everglades restoration can learn a lot from them.

Alligators are sensitive to environmental changes in the Everglades. That makes them what scientists call a good “indicator species” for assessing progress in Everglades restoration.

In case you missed the event, you can listen to the two panel discussions between WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich and experts at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School and its signature Climate Café series.

Listen to the live event and panel discussion between WLRN Environment editor Jenny Staletovich and a team of experts tackling today's Everglades challenges.

The three-judge court said it found ample evidence that Tom Van Lent intentionally violated an order not to delete computer files in a "scheme" to steal confidential information from the Everglades Foundation.