When most people think of the Everglades, they picture the sawgrass wetlands and mangroves at the southern tip of Florida. What they don’t realize is that the health of this incredible ecosystem is dependent upon events far to the north.
Historically, the Everglades received a steady supply of fresh water from a massive watershed that begins near Orlando, but over the past century—in the name of flood control and agriculture—man has interrupted that flow, most notably at Lake Okeechobee. As a result, the amount of fresh water that reaches Florida Bay is less than half of what it should be. The main goal of Everglades restoration is to send more fresh water south, but this is not as simple as it may sound.
In this incredible video from Praech Productions, follow Orvis president Simon and and his cousin Hannah Perkins—part of the Women’s Product Development team at Orvis—as they travel the length of the Everglades watershed, talking to scientists, conservationists, and fishing guides to see first-hand the work being done and to explore what the future may hold.
Click here to learn much more about the places and people in the video
in our “Follow the Water” online experience.
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