It sounds like Everglades National Park is in pretty bad shape after the recent hurricane activity. I’ve looked at the park web site and it sounds like they will be out of service for some time. Any ideas from anyone on how long it will take before they will welcome paddlers again? I had hoped to go in mid-December.
Thanks!
let me consult my crystal ball …
ah, swami says … how can anyone answer this question? http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/message_board/messages/38045/47124.jpg
Tortugas closed also
and Ft. Zachery, the amazing thing though is the amount of paddlers I’m seeing out on the water in Key West. Maybe the price of fuel, or the crisp cool weather, or just the curiousity of seeing sailboats 50 ft from land. Also, during the flood there were paddlers all over town. The 30 mph breeze didn’t seem to discourage anyone from checking on thier nieghbors and the oddity of everything afloat.
crystal ball
Cute photo. 
ah well… I was looking for some imput from the locals. I know its probably an impossible question but since I have my airline tickets purchased its something I’m thinking about.
Everglades
Keep your eyes open and your hopes high. Tourism is our lifeblood in Florida, and we’ll get the power on quickly. However, tree blow downs in waterways are another issue altogether. There is little done to clear them here in central Florida apart from volunteer forces, and many are still quite clogged from the '04 hurricanes.
Of course, the 'glades don’t have too many trees, except where you want to find high and dry. Bring a saw and hachet.
Good luck,
T
I was hoping you would get …
a serious reply also since we will be down their in Feb and March.
Keep an eye open on the other forum.
I asked Grayhawk to give a report as soon a he gets one, and I am sure he will since he leads tours over in that neck of the woods at diffrent times.
Cheers,
JackL
Another link from
The WaterTribe site. http://www.watertribe.com/Default.aspx?ucPtr=Discussion/DiscReadMsg.ascx&strThread=1684&strNumReplies=8
NPS-OFFERED INFO…
Puklled this from the FLYC website from a fellow yakangler who posted it there.
There is SOME hope for the winter, but for the short term, it remains iffy…
“Here is a report I copied from another website regarding Everglades National Park. If you click on the website link, you can get reports of other national parks like Biscayne and Big Cypress.
http://www.nps.gov/morningreport
Friday, October 28, 2005
EVERGLADES NP: All park facilities are currently without power and telephone service. Trees are down in areas throughout the park, with many blocking access to roads, trails and boat channels. Numerous power line poles are down in the East Everglades and along State Road 9336 leading to the main park entrance.
Communications at the park are still a serious issue. Lack of fuel, power and logistical support are creating difficulties all over south Florida, including Everglades.
Park staff are still using the communications equipment at Krome Center to attempt to contact employees and manage the incident. The center has no electricity or air conditioning, but it does have a land line phone with an answering machine, fax and computers cooled by generator.
High water affected much of the park’s Gulf Coast and Flamingo areas. Flooding has added to problems
already being addressed following Katrina. For example, all water and electrical systems are down at Flamingo and further damage has been sustained at the lodge and campground.
In some cases, earlier post-Katrina recovery efforts have been wiped away by the affects of Wilma.
Flamingo suffered a six to seven-foot storm surge (much worse than the three to five-foot storm surge sustained during Katrina). Flamingo is now very salt-laden and covered with mud.
Of the three concession-owned thousand-gallon propane tanks at Flamingo, one is missing and one of the remaining tanks is leaking. Flamingo residents who were evacuated to park headquarters will be allowed back to their homes when the area is declared safe. High winds caused structural and equipment damage at Flamingo, Gulf Coast and Shark Valley.
The canoe launch at Everglades City is wrecked. Structural damage to residences consists mostly of damaged screening and porches ripped off. A park curator has been checking on the park
collection.
The park superintendent was told that it might be mid-November before power is restored. As of Thursday morning, all but about 20 NPS employees at Everglades NP had been accounted for. Park staff planned to go out into the community to attempt to locate the unaccounted for individuals in person. Park staff are also working
with interagency partners to locate researchers who have not yet checked in.
A CISM team should arrive in the park by Friday. One crew is working on employee needs and community assistance. Employees are trying to tarp roofs in anticipation of forecast rain showers over the next few days. Some park staff are able to work out of the Krome Center, where everything is working but the AC. Fans were brought in today to help cool the facility.
The park fuel supply is running low. Two crews worked yesterday to clear hazardous trees along Highway 41. Two public open house meetings planned for October 26th and 27th regarding airboat tour operations have been cancelled.”
Well, JackL & friends, that was the news a couple of days ago. I suggest you check into the website to see if there are subsequent updates.
I surely hope the Park will recover -after all, it was there before it was a park, it was there before we were, and it’s gone through these storms hundreds ir perhaps thousands of times ove the millenia.
In due time, we’ll all be able to get back there and enjoy this vast stretch of wilderness. The question for many of us P-Netters, is, by New Year’s and especially February, will it be open and OK to
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Everglades
They may possibly open some campsites in December, but nothing definite. Major damage south of Chokoloskee and some beach sites are probably gone. Go to www.floridasportsman.com
Then go to forums and then ten thousand islands.
There’s a lot of fishing stuff in it but some info on Everglades National Park, including pictures. By now, you may be able to reach the Everglades Ranger Station - phone (239) 695-3311. You might want to change plans & consider something further north. It won’t be the Everglades, but better than nothing. Try this website for The Great Calusa Blueway.
http://www.greatcalusablueway.com/main.php
This is in Lee County, Florida-call their Parks and Rec at 239-461-7400 for more info. Good luck. I know how you feel because this is my favorite place.
Is it the year
for the okeechobee waterway through the lake and coast to coast ?
Brian
SoFlo