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Government Unveils Deal to Preserve Northern Everglades Wetlands July 20, 2010 Federal and state officials announced more than 25 thousand acres in the northern Everglades ecosystem will be restored to its natural state. The federal government is partnering with state of Florida and the Nature Conservancy of Florida to purchase rights to the land. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend 89 million dollars for easement rights to the tract of land in Highlands County, about 100 miles south of Orlando. The area is part of the northern Everglades between southern Osceola County and Lake Okeechobee. A century ago, it was mostly wetlands but it was drained for ranching and other development. Doug Shaw of the Nature Conservancy said the partnership with the USDA is a turning point in the effort to restore the Everglades. “We’ve worked for many years in this landscape” Shaw said, “we’re really excited to see an alignment of what we’ve been doing with what the federal government is now doing.” Shaw said the tract, along the Fisheating Creek watershed, is home to numerous rare and protected wildlife and plant species. He said restoring the natural flow of water into Lake Okeechobee from the north is crucial to reclaiming the larger Everglades south of the lake.
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