Big
Cypress National Preserve
South
of Lake Okeechobee and north of Everglades
National Park
sits the Big Cypress Swamp, covering more than 2,400
square miles of South Florida. The swamp is a large part
of the watery ecosystem that includes the
Everglades.
Of
the total swamp region, 740,000 acres lie within Big
Cypress National Preserve, a partially protected tract
that is closed to most commercial activity but doesn't
have all of the restrictions of a national park. Hunting
is allowed, a few homeowners and cattle grazers occupy
property within the boundaries, and oil exploration
continues. While airboats are banned in Everglades
National Park, they are permitted to run through the
preserve, providing employment for the Miccosukee and
Seminole natives who live near the edges of the preserve
and offer swamp tours to visitors.
The
swamp area has, like the Everglades, been a target for
development since the proclamation of statehood. Most of
this activity has gone on in the western portion of the
swamp, close to the Gulf Coast and the Tamiami Trail
highway. Land developers have made several attempts to
plan subdivisions in the western swamplands, but to
little avail. While some of the swamp near the town of
Belle Meade has been cleared for home building, large
tracts sit idle, victims of the basic swamp environment:
too much water to clear, and the projects too expensive
to justify their completion.
Swamp
Ecology
Lying
just north and west of the glades, the Big Cypress swamp
differs from the Everglades in its slightly raised
terrain, and also by the standing water that covers much
of the area -- unlike the Everglades' slowly-moving flow.
The same crumbly limestone bedrock which underlies the
glades, also provides a base for the cypress and hardwood
hammocks of the swamp. Hammocks are a Florida phenomenon.
These are areas of land ever so slightly raised above the
water level, providing a base for trees that cannot put
their roots directly in standing water, encouraging
forest understory vegetation, and making a home for
dryland species of animals and birds. Most of the swamp's
hammocks are raised only a few feet above the stagnant
water. Between the hammocks are vast reaches of sawgrass
and dwarf pond cypress, with the higher land holding
groves of royal palms, orchids, and air plants. Fresh
water does move through the swamp, mainly in three major
sloughs in the southwestern section -- Lostmans, Disons,
and Gum -- allowing a flow of water from the western Lake
Okeechobee area to filter down to the Gulf through
Everglades National Park.
The
swamp gets its name not from the size of the trees, but
for its enormous area. Giant (bald) cypress grew
throughout the swamp until the 20th century when
lumbering operations cut down all but a few. These are
now seen in isolated groves, including the Bear Island
area in the northwestern portion of the preserve. The
dwarf cypress, not suitable for housebuilding, remains to
cover about one-third of the swamp area, found along the
edges of the wet prairies and on cypress domes.
During
the wet season, abundant rains fall (almost daily) to
flood the swamp; the sloughs are high as water begins its
slow flow towards the Everglades. When most tourists
arrive, during the dry season (May to November), much of
the water evaporates or flows slowly downstream, leaving
pools in the depressions and some water in the sloughs.
Congregating in these low spots are the varied wildlife
species: egrets, herons, ibis, and wood storks, among the
water birds; red cockaded woodpeckers and turkeys; plus
alligators, deer, and mink. Bald eagles are overhead
throughout the year. The dry period serves to concentrate
wildlife next to the accessible water.
As
a result of the building of the Tamiami Trail, from the
1920s, and in a more concentrated way from the 1960s,
development efforts reduced the flow of water through and
from the swamp, and environmental concerns heated to the
point that portions of Big Cypress were protected,
including the federal preserve and the Fakahatchee Strand
State Preserve which lies to the west of the federal
lands. Collier Seminole State Park is a smaller piece of
land linking the Gulf of Mexico to the far western
portion of the main swamp.
By
far the largest and most important of the environmental
protection projects is the Big Cypress National Preserve,
open for some commercial activities, but banning
large-scale development of the type that has taken place
on the eastern and far-western sides of the swamp.
Current water restoration projects will eventually bring
back much of the flow of water deemed necessary for the
swamp and the Everglades to recover.
Driving
Routes
The
major route through the southern part of the preserve is
the Loop Road Scenic Drive (County Road 94), leading from
Monroe Station&emdash;east of the visitor
center&emdash;for 26 miles, before rejoining the Tamiami
Trail at the Tamiami Ranger Station, at the eastern edge
of the preserve. The drive offers access to the Florida
National Scenic Trail, three campgrounds, the Tree Snail
Hammock Nature Trail, and an environmental education
center. This is a gravel road suitable for
two-wheel-drive vehicles, and is passable year-round.
Visitors visiting the preserve during the rainy season
should watch for water flowing over the road, and pot
holes. You'll be able to see wildlife from the car,
including deer and otter, and birds and other animals at
stopping points along the way.
The
Tamiami Trail offers views of water birds in the canal
which runs to the north of the highway across the
preserve. You may also see alligators sunning themselves
beside the canal. Parking is difficult, however, and
drivers should be careful to pull completely off the
highway to avoid encounters with other, fast-moving
vehicles.
Turner
River Road (#839) and Birdon Road provide a 17-mile loop
drive leading north from the Tamiami Trail, through
Copeland Prairie. Birdon Road is found in the village of
Ochopee, across the highway from Dunes Drive. Turner
River Road is to the east, providing access to the H.P.
Williams Roadside Park, a picnic area.
For
a longer trip through varied ecosystems, take Turner
River Road north from the Tamiami Trail, through Airplane
Prairie, under Interstate 75, and into East Hinson Marsh,
with access to the Bear Island campground. This is a
gravel route, suitable for all types of cars.
Off-road
Adventure
Airboats
and off-road vehicles, including swamp buggies,
four-wheel-drive automobiles, and all-terrain vehicles
(ATVs), are permitted within the preserve, offering
opportunities to explore the swamp interior. Native
guides are available to take you on swamp excursions from
several locations along the Tamiami Trail. If you have
your own motorized vehicle, you'll need a permit from the
National Park Service, available at the visitor center.
The annual fee for an off-road vehicle permit is $35.00.
The permit covers all-terrain vehicles as well as
airboats and swamp buggies.
The
major area for off-road vehicles is a designated trail
system north of Interstate 75. This network of trails is
accessed from the end of Bear Island Road, via Turner
River Road. Primitive campgrounds are located at the
south and north end of the area. There is no direct
access from I-75 to Turner River Road or any of the
trails. Those wishing to use the trails should take
Turner River Road from Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail).
Another
prime off-road recreation area is located near the
southwest corner of the preserve, in the Lostmans Pines
area, fronting on Gum Slough (to the north), and backing
onto the boundaries of Everglades National Park. This is
primarily an airboat area, with all-terrain vehicles
allowed in the north-central and central portions.
Airboats are permitted over almost all of the wet areas
of the preserve, with airboat-only boundaries and
off-road vehicle trails identified with special airboat
and trail markers. Airboats and off-road vehicles are not
permitted to enter Everglades National Park. The area
enclosed by the Tamiami Trail and the Loop Road is not
open to motorized vehicles, nor is the Deep Lake area on
the western side of the preserve. For complete
information on current trail conditions and closings,
visit the preserve visitor center on Tamiami
Trail.
To
continue our tour of Southwest Florida attractions
click on the hand, or go to the individual chapters.
Big
Cypress
