The Important Bird Areas of Florida - National Audubon Society

The Important Bird Areas of Florida: 2000–2002 – Pranty – 2-Jul-02 227EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARKMiami-Dade and Monroe counties1,550,865 acres (620,346 ha), nearly all acquiredLOCATION: at the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula, in western Miami-Dade County and virtually allof mainland Monroe County, ranging from Everglades City in the northwest to Florida City in thesoutheast. The Park is 43 miles (70 km) east to west and the same distance north to south. U.S.Highway 41 east of Forty-Mile Bend forms the Park’s northern boundary, while its southernboundary extends into Florida Bay, including dozens of small keys, and approaches to within a fewmiles (km) of the Mainline Florida Keys. Contiguous with the Big Cypress Swamp Watershed IBA tothe north, and near the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge IBA to the northwest.DESCRIPTION: At 1,507,850 acres (603,140 ha), Everglades National Park is the largest singleconservation area in Florida, and undoubtedly is one of the world's best-known natural treasures. It isan extremely diverse area and receives over 1,000,000 recreationists annually, of which one-third arefrom other countries. The former fishing village of Flamingo now contains a campground, visitor’scenter, lodge, restaurants, and living quarters for Park employees. The park and the entire Evergladesecosystem are currently targeted for the largest habitat restoration project in history, expected to cost$8 billion and take 30 years to complete. This IBA also includes over 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) ofadjacent marshland purchased to improve water flow to the park and to buffer it from development.These sites are the Frog Pond–L-31 Transition Lands portion of the East Everglades CARL–FFProject (6853 acres [2741 ha] acquired as Frog Pond Wildlife Management Area), SouthernGlades SOR Tract (30,722 acres; 12,288 ha), and the 8.5 Square-Mile Area (5440 acres; 2176 ha,some acquired).OWNERSHIP: U.S. National Park Service (Everglades National Park), South Florida Water ManagementDistrict (Southern Glades SOR Tract), Florida Division of Wildlife (Frog Pond Wildlife ManagementArea), and private owners (unacquired acreage of the East Everglades CARL–FF Project, and the 8.5Square-Mile Area)HABITATS: *sawgrass marsh, *tidal marsh, *tropical hammock, *mangrove forest, *estuarine, *cypressswamp, slash pine flatwoods, bayhead, freshwater marsh, cattail marsh, riverine, lacustrine, coastalstrand, artificialLAND USE: *conservation, recreationIBA CATEGORIES: significant populations of Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern, and FCREPAspecies; significant numbers of wading birds, raptors, shorebirds, and larids; significant diversity ofcolonial waterbirds, shorebirds, and wintering wood-warblers; significant overall diversity; significantnatural habitats; and long-term researchAVIAN DATA: Everglades National Park is the most ornithologically diverse site in Florida, supporting340 native species. Although reduced by over 90% of their historic numbers—from 265,000 pairs inthe 1930s to 18,500 pairs presently (reference?)—wading birds remain the most conspicuous birds ofthe Everglades. A few of the numerous other species with significant populations in the park are BaldEagles, wintering American Kestrels and shorebirds, perhaps half of the state's breeding WhitecrownedPigeons, and perhaps most of the world's population of “Cape Sable” Seaside Sparrows.Additionally, small numbers of perhaps two dozens species of wood-warblers winter regularly in thepark; along with the Florida Keys, the Park probably contains the greatest diversity of winteringwood-warblers in North America.