The Everglades is primarily made up of water, and is actually a flowing river. Water flows from north to south from Lake Okeechobee. It is a very slow moving river. These days, its dimensions are 60 miles wide and 100 miles long. It used to be even larger!  Unfortunately, due to construction and drainage projects, close to 50 percent of the wetland has been destroyed. Natural areas of the Everglades were replaced with residential areas, urban areas, and farms.

Now, an Everglades Restoration Plan is in place to restore the water flow to its historic, natural flow. On Earth Day, one of these plans, building the Tamiami Bridge, began construction. Why is a restoration plan needed? Well if it’s never restored, the area may disappear.  Because of humans, Lake Okeechobee became connected to estuaries through the Calooshatchee and St. Lucie Rivers. When this occurred, the rivers began receiving water from the lake that compromised the fragile estuarine ecosystem. Other Everglades areas now receive polluted water from the Lake that came from the farming areas. Vegetation and wildlife have changed in these areas because of it. Since the Everglades is home to 16 endangered or threatened species, it’s even more crucial to get the water flowing properly. One small change in the ecosystem and an entire species can disappear, and no one wants that to happen.

This Restoration Plan contains around 60 components that will restore the ecosystem, provide flood protection, and ensure water supplies. Some plans include: Kissimmee River restoration project; building additional storm water treatment areas and flow equalization basins, the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, Tamiami Bridge, and the C-111 Spreader Canal.

Explore The Beautiful Everglades

The Everglades is one-of-a-kind place of wonder; it has been designated biodiversity global hotspot, because it is one of the richest and most threatened areas with plant and animal life on the planet. Protection of this area is crucial, especially if people want to continue to benefit from its water and beauty in the future. It’s a must-see place. To explore the area, an airboat tour brings people up-close-and-personal with the wetland. To book an airboat tour, click here. or call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 239-695-3377.

The post Restoring the Everglades appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

The West Indian manatee is a mammal which has completely adapted to living underwater, and like other manatee species, has no hind limbs. The average adult West Indian manatee is roughly 12 feet long and weighs around 1,300 pounds, with females tending to be larger than males. Although manatees are easily the largest animals found in the Everglades, with the largest Florida manatee on record reaching nearly 4,000 pounds, they are extremely docile creatures, very gentle and very shy.

Manatees are not territorial, and have very few, if any, natural predators. The only aquatic species large enough to take on a manatee – sharks, killer whales – very rarely share habitats with manatees, so in general, manatees have never been known to shown predator-avoidance behavior. Manatees themselves, though they occasionally feed on small fish and crustaceans, are largely a vegetarian species, with sea grass being their largest source of food.

West Indian manatees are extremely vulnerable to their environments, and many die during periods of cold weather because the thermal shock shuts down their digestive systems in temperatures below 68 degrees. Because of this, the loss of warm-water habitats poses the biggest threat to declining manatee populations, though as always, humans have their share in the responsibility as well. If you have ever seen manatees in the wild, then you may have noticed large, deep scars on their backs, the result of being hit by propellers as boats pass over them too closely and too quickly for these slow-moving creatures to avoid.

There are strong efforts today to preserve manatee populations throughout Florida, as these gentle giants have almost become a sort of mascot for the state. A variety of state, federal, and non-profit programs are already set up to protect these gentle creatures, and fortunately, numbers are on a slight rise.

To fully understand the beauty and importance of these animals, many residents and visitors head out on the water for an Everglades tour. From an airboat ride, you and your family can view manatees, alligators, crocodiles, and plenty of fish and birds, and you’ll no doubt be left with a love and appreciation for all things Everglades.

The post West Indian Manatee: The Everglades’ Resident Gentle Giant appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

Like the flamingo, roseate spoonbills gets their intense coloring from their diets, which consist mostly of crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, and small fish. Depending on the age and habitat of individual roseate spoonbills, their colors can range from paler pinks to bright magentas, with newborns starting out quite pale and becoming darker as they age. On any given roseate spoonbill, the brightest and most intense colors are generally found on their wings.

Roseate spoonbills are wading birds that are members of the ibis and spoonbill families. Because they prefer warmer climates, they are most prevelant in South America but can also be found throughout Central America and along the Gulf Coast of the United States, namely in Southwest Florida. Roseate spoonbills are small in size, with wingspans of up to five feet, and have elongated legs and necks with rounded, spatulate bills.

It is these spoon-shaped bills that give the roseate spoonbills their name, bills which they use to easily sift through mud while searching for food. They prefer to travel and feed in groups, and can often be seen in clusters of shallow, coastal waters, swinging their bills from side to side as they steadily make their way through the water.

Adult spoonbills have few known predators, but their young and nestlings can be particularly vulnerable to raccoons, fire ants, and larger birds such as bald eagles and turkey vultures. Like many Everglades bird species, habitat destruction poses the most serious threat, as these beautiful birds rely on mangroves and other low shrubs and trees for nesting and raising their young.

Due to their unique and bright coloring, roseate spoonbills are easily spotted when traveling by airboat through the Everglades. In general, airboat tours offer excellent bird-watching opportunities, and spotting one of these magnificent birds in the wild for yourself is sure to be an experience that you never forget.

The post Roseate Spoonbill appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

Red Mangroves
Perhaps the most common and well known type of mangrove found in Florida, red mangroves have often been called “walking trees” because their “prop-roots” give them the appearance of standing right on the surface of the water. This species of mangrove grows close to the water’s edge and is distinguishable by its raised, reddish, tangled roots.

Black Mangroves
Black mangroves are less typical mangroves, because they prefer environments that are slightly raised up from water level. Black mangroves have finger-like projections called pneumatophores that appear around the trunk of the mangrove, making them easily identifiable in nature.

White Mangroves
White mangroves are difficult to identify because they look more like traditional rooted trees than the water lining greenery people are accustomed to when thinking of mangroves. White mangroves prefer even higher elevations than black mangroves, and unlike both red and black mangroves, white mangroves have no visible root system. White mangroves can be best identified by their leaves, which are elliptical, light yellow-green, and have two distinguishing glands around the base of each leaf.

Mangroves are extremely essential to all natural life in the Florida Everglades and throughout the rest of Florida. Mangroves provide food and shelter to many species in the Everglades, as well as provide protected areas for new mothers to raise their young. Mangrove branches also serve as nesting grounds for many of Florida’s important bird species, while their roots provide important attachment surfaces for many marine creatures as well. Without mangroves in the Everglades, many other plant and animal species who rely on them for various reasons would not be able to survive in this environment.

An airboat tour through the Everglades allows tourists and residents alike to experience the lush mangrove forests of Southern Florida up close. Visit Captain Mitch today of Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours and see for yourself why an airboat ride is truly the only way to experience the River of Grass to its fullest.

The post The Importance of Mangroves in the Everglades Ecosystem appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

In general, Obama’s plans for his last two years in office include many large-scale public works projects, including the construction and repair of various national roads and bridges, so the project of Everglades restoration fits nicely into his “big picture” plan. The restoration will not only revive the natural landscapes and wetlands of the national park, but because it requires massive construction, it will produce hundreds of jobs in the area as well. Everybody benefits from the Everglades restoration.

Everglades restoration projects include:

• Addition of multiple water reserves in Broward County
• Restoration of the Kissimmee Valley

With specific goals for restoration including:

• Restoration of natural water flow
• Further protection of endangered wildlife
• Prevention of future flooding
• Assurance of clean water supplies throughout Southern Florida

It’s easy to join the President in showing your support for the Florida Everglades, by supporting local businesses who rely on tourist support in order to survive. It is the gentle Gladesmen like Captain Mitch of Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tour Company who brave the Everglades waters every single day so that others can enjoy the beauty that is the River of Grass from the comfort of an airboat ride.

The post Obama Shows His Support for the Everglades appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

The osprey is comfortable in many habitats, and can be found throughout the world and on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. It is one of only a few species of birds that can be found worldwide, making this truly a unique and spectacular creature. It is considered a diurnal raptor, though due to its unique hunting and catching behavior, the species has been given its own taxonomic genus.

Ospreys greatly resemble various species of hawks, a fact that is evident as del in many of its chosen nicknames. Ospreys can reach heights of around two feet, with wingspans that can reach six feet, making these truly majestic birds to be both feared and respected by their prey. Ospreys are easily distinguished from hawks by their unique wing patterns, which are long, narrow, and featuring four long and one short finger-like feathers, giving them a very distinct appearance of almost having hands on their wings. When in flight, these “hands” tend to droop heavily, giving the ospreys a more gull-like than hawk-like appearance in the air.

While the osprey almost exclusively feeds on fish, they have been known to eat small rodents, amphibians, reptiles, and even other small birds as well. Because the osprey has excellent fine-tuned vision, they are able to detect their underwater prey from high above in the air. AFter hovering momentarily, the osprey plunges into the depths below to efficiently catch its lunch or dinner.

Although most osprey migrate to warmer climates during cold winter seasons, because the climate in Southern Florida is hospitable year-round, many osprey who make this area home choose to stay here throughout the year. Currently, osprey populations continue to thrive worldwide, and although populations were in danger at the beginning on the 20th century due to hunting by egg collectors, today this bird is both common and comfortable with its numbers and current habitats.

To enjoy osprey in the wild, take an airboat tour through the Florida Everglades, a national park that houses a very large population of osprey year-round. Airboat rides are fun, fast, and thrilling for the whole family, and the perfect opportunity to experience all of the amazing Florida wildlife that calls this area home.

The post Osprey appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

Tegus originally came to Florida through the pet trade from South America, and have only been spotted in the wild in Florida since 2008, where they first made an appearance roaming a trailer park just south of Miami. Whether they found their way into the wild through intentional or accidental release is uncertain, but because the number of wild tegus caught in Florida has increased from 13 a year to over 400 a year since 2009, their population throughout South Florida is definitely on the rise.

Tegus have been popular pets for many years, and for good reason. They are highly intelligent and quite beautiful – their black and white beaded appearance causes them to resemble a Moroccan rug – and they can even become quite tame and docile with enough handling and interaction with humans. Many tegus that are caught by trappers in the Everglades are even brought back into the pet trade rather than simply euthanized, because these lizards are so well loved as pets.

Tegus have adapted well to the warm weather and wetlands of the Everglades, especially as they have both an abundance of food in the area and an almost complete lack of predators to hunt them. The black and white tegus love both lizard and bird eggs, and have also been known to dine on small mammals, insects, and fruit – all items that are plentiful in the Everglades. This is not good news for natives to the Everglades, especially as so many species in the area are already on the verge of extinction. What makes these reptiles particularly dangerous to the local wildlife is their tolerance of cold temperatures, allowing populations to expand within large habitat ranges while also surviving potential deep freezes that, while rare, do occasionally occur in Florida.

Some scientists believe that while the Burmese python population is so well-established in Florida that it is essentially a lost cause, that there may still be hope for the relatively new population of Argentine black and white tegus to be contained and eventually eliminated. Like in the case of any invasive species, it was humans that brought them here and it is up to us to take them away before the species that truly belong in the area find they no longer have a home here.

The post New Invasive Species Poses Serious Threat to Florida Wildlife Natives appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

Crocodiles and alligators are very similar in appearance, but, upon closer inspection, some very subtle physical differences can be detected. The most obvious difference is in the shape of the snout – alligators tend to have wider and rounder snouts, while the snout of a crocodile is longer, leaner, and more pointed. When an alligator is resting with its mouth closed, only the top row of teeth is visible because an alligator’s upper jaw completely covers its lower jaw. With a crocodile, on the other hand, both bottom and top teeth are visible when the mouth is closed. Crocodiles also tend to be more light and green in color, while alligators are darker and more gray.

While it’s easiest to tell American crocodiles and American alligators apart by their appearance, the two species differ most greatly in the behaviors and preferred habitats. Alligators are much more common in Florida and the Everglades, because they prefer the freshwater and brackish consistency that can be found here. Crocodiles prefer saltwater environments, so they are more commonly found in or near the oceans surrounding Florida. While alligators can be aggressive and dangerous, crocodiles are typically docile and shy towards humans. Between 20 and 25 fatal alligator attacks have occurred in Florida over the years, but not one fatal crocodile attack has ever been recorded here.

Airboat rides with Captain Mitch are a fantastic way to see both American alligators and American crocodiles from the safety of a boat. Florida Everglades boat rides are family-friendly and an experience you will never forget.

The post The American Alligator Vs. The American Crocodile appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.

The proposed budget encompasses multiple projects in the area, many of which will work to preserve water-quality by reducing the impact of Lake Okeechobee’s discharges on the surrounding estuaries and diverting the flow of more freshwater down south into the Everglades. A few of the proposed projects include restoring the Kissimee River north of the Everglades, continued construction of a storm water treatment plant for St. Lucie and Martin counties, and reconstruction of a section of U.S. Route 41 that will allow water to flow south directly into the Everglades.

A healthy Everglades is an Everglades with plenty of clean freshwater, something that the Everglades is currently lacking in. Without enough freshwater, the vast rivers of the Everglades lose their identity as rivers and instead become large areas of mangrove forrest, while the local wildlife struggles to find sustenance. Phosphorous levels in the freshwater being added must be closely monitored as well, as a certain amount provides essential nutrients to local plant and animal life, while too much phosphorous can be catastrophic for a fragile eco-system, causing algae blooms and fish deaths, otherwise known as “red tide.”

The Governor’s news is especially good for local companies offering Miami airboat tours, like Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours, who make their livings showing tourists and locals around the area on this classic and unique form of transportation. These so-called Gladesmen are a major reason why so many people have already been able to experience the Everglades up close, and why they now have a love and appreciation for this unique and beautiful eco-system in the first place. With continued efforts, these passionate airboat captains will be able to inspire and educate future visitors to Florida for generations to come.

People all over Florida are rejoicing over Rick Scott’s fantastic news. While significant progress may not be visible for a few years to come, with Scott’s help the process has been heavily speeded up, and residents and visitors of Florida have much to look forward to.

The post Rick Scott Announces Increase In Everglades Restoration Budget appeared first on Homestead Miami Airboat Tours & Rides.