The new welcome center - the pride
and joy of the Big Cypress Swamp
Community
Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee
Strand Preserve State Park Florida Panther
National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State
Forest, Friends of Big Cypress and Friends of
Fakahatchee, as well as others in the Big Cypress
community joined forces with the South Florida
National Park Trust to build a welcome center
that explains the entire Southwest Florida
ecosystem...the
Western Everglades.
They have worked on this project for years, and
very, very hard for the last two years. All of the hard
work finally met with success at the ribbon cutting
for the Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center
Getting ready to cut the ribbon
The ribbon is cut and a new
chapter in the future of Big
Cypress Swamp begins...
...and all of this is being done so that
the future will have a planet that is
environmentally strong...
Solar Panels
Craig Mitchell talking to Clyde
and Fred Thomas about the
solar panels
Clyde & Niki, Celinda Pena
and Fred Thomas
Bob DeGross, Clyde & Niki
with Alyn Golub
The new boardwalk
From the boardwalk you can see
manatees, gators, birds and the
occasional turtle.
Clyde with Big Cypress National
Preserve Superintendent, Pedro
Ramos...a wonderful person who
inspires the best in others
Clyde received an honor from the
Big Cypress Swamp community for helping
with the Big Cypress Swamp
Welcome Center
Clyde, Pedro Ramos - Superintendent
of Big Cypress National Preserve, Elam
Stoltzfus producer of the film on Big
Cypress and Charlie Arazoza - South
Florida National Park Trust
Main tent
A great crowd came to honor the
opening of the Welcome Center
Clyde was very proud to be standing next
to the icons of the Big Cypress Swamp:
Nathaniel Reed, Joe Browder and
Franklin Adams
Without these men, Big Cypress Swamp
would not exists...BLESS THEM!
...and food for ALL....
Getting drinks out of the canoe
Eating with friends
The kids were thrilled to be able
to have the photo taken on an airboat!
Behind the Welcome Center the
Big Cypress Swamp community
had set up a series of educational
tents filled with all kinds of
fascinating things...
Lisa Andrews talking to a young man about
the bears in the Preserve
Explaining the workings of a python
The day was a wonderful day filled with an abundance
of positive energy. Folks came from all over the state
and the country to the opening. It was a great event!
I wish they'd do something like this every year! It was
so much fun visiting with everyone and learning new
things about the environment in which we live!
3 comments:
Wow, how wonderful that the opening was a great success! We will visit next time we are down:) Thanks for all that you guys have done to make this happen, as well! Great photos of the event.
Excellent blog Clyde. Great photos here. This event looked like a great success. All the best.
This is the kind of activities I like to do because we spend excellent time with our family and seeing the nature and the entire Southwest Florida ecosystem.
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