The Royal Palm area at Everglades National Park is on fire. Smoke fills the air, and wind blows burnt plant debris up into the sky and, sometimes, into people’s faces.

The National Park Service (NPS) South Atlantic-Gulf Regional Director Robert A. Vogel announced the selection of Penelope Del Bene as the new superintendent of Biscayne National Park, located in southern Florida. Del Bene will begin her new assignment in early February.

Sierra Club Florida Chapter Director Frank Jackalone warned Friday that time is running short as the state faces the consequences of climate change.

Everglades National Park just had a 40th anniversary on October 24. It’s one anniversary we’d rather not celebrate. That’s the day in 1979 when the first recorded python was caught in the park near Everglades Safari Park on Tamiami Trail.

Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell brought together many points of view to expedite the cause of water quality, quantity and management throughout Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Florida will pay $2.4 million to a sugar grower as part of an effort to clean and shift water south from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades.

Wednesday, on the one year anniversary of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Storage Reservoir project being authorized by Congress, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL-18) urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address “significant and ongoing concerns” that the…

It’s a sweltering mid-August morning, and the helicopter circles 50 feet over the sawgrass. As the aircraft turns towards the left, I see my first Everglades alligator nest.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R) urged Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt to support the expedited completion of the Tamiami Trail Next Steps project. The letter asks for the Secretary’s assistance in ensuring that National Park Service design work related to the project is prioritized fo…

Now that the kids are heading back to school, join Biscayne National Park for a Marine Debris Cleanup. The park cleanups are scheduled during the day, so there is plenty of time to drop the kids off at school, join the volunteer fun, and be home in time for homework.

Seemingly casual connections can have amazing “ripple effects” at unexpected times, in unexpected ways.

Did you know that part of Florida Bay is located within the boundaries of Everglades National Park and that it comprises about one-third of the park?

Everglades National Park biologist Zach Fratto has many people’s dream job, and he knows it. Fratto’s work takes him out on Florida Bay often. I was lucky enough to tag along recently.

You never know what you will see when you are out in South Florida taking nature and landscape photos. Last week I was very lucky to get to see and photograph an endangered Florida Panther.

I was invited to go out on Florida Bay in early December 2017. I was pumped and felt like I hit the jackpot. I was just asked to go on a boat for work for the first time in my life.

Biscayne National Park, in partnership with the Biscayne National Park Institute, will host volunteer marine debris cleanups beginning on Tuesday, June 18 and each Tuesday thereafter through November 12.

New report shows visitor spending supports more than 2,000 jobs in South Florida

As the summer vacation and travel seasons opens, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced that visitor spending in communities near national parks in 2018 resulted in a $40.1 billion benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 329,000 jobs.

Additional federal funding could be coming for Everglades restoration. The White House has revised a budget request to Congress and is seeking to provide $200 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Everglades work, a boost of $137 million from an earlier proposal.

National Park Week --- April 20 - 28.  Fee Free Day is Saturday, April 20. Park entrance is free for all visitors.       It’s National Park Week and as part of the celebration, we’re highlighting park programs that help us meet the park service mission of preserving the nation’s natural and …

According to the nationally renowned Expedia AARP Travel Center, Everglades National Park is ranked #2 in the United States for “Scenic Bird Watching Destinations.”

Scientists with the University of Florida and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have found that Burmese pythons are occupying bird nesting areas in the Everglades, suggesting that pythons are attracted to wading birds where they breed.

Here in Everglades National Park, we owe a lot to women. After all, women first led the effort to preserve this special place back in the early 1900s. Female conservationists and scientists have continued that legacy as caretakers and defenders of the park. Here, we highlight just a few wome…

Aggressive Exotic Plants Endanger the Everglades

“Do you want to help catch a tegu tonight?” asked my biologist friend.

It was my first time in South Florida and I wanted to see an Oustalet’s chameleon. My husband knew that this was the only way he’d ever convince me to move here, and so he obliged. After securing permission, we headed to a nearby avocado farm with our headlamps ready.

Since the dawn of time, people have gazed up into the stars, searching for meaning.

On Saturday September 15th anglers Erik Tietig and John Sanchez witnessed a 7' gator kill and carry away a Burmese python estimated to measure 10' in length. The anglers reported the take down occurring in the backcountry of Everglades National Park near the mangroves. 

Victims are teachers and students from the flight school at Miami International Airport

In 1951, John Pennekamp, a longtime conservationist and member of the newly created Board of State Parks and Historic Memorials, addressed the Florida Legislature. The title and main topic of that speech was "playgrounds for all the people." His dedication and service to the state park syste…

Python Elimination Program reaches milestone in 15 months

   U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s office sent the News Leader a letter the Senator sent to the Army Corps of Engineers asking for their support in alleviating the persistent flooding effecting the farm fields near Everglades National Park (ENP).

The Homestead National Parks Trolley, South Florida’s only public transportation to Everglades & Biscayne National Parks, will resume normal service on Saturday, January 27, 2018, and continue every weekend through April 29, 2018. This award-winning service offering a free ride, free gui…

  What is the most popular national park in Florida? To no ones surprise it’s Everglades National Park which had 930,907 visitors in 2016 who spent $91,321 at the park, reports 24/7 Wall St. in an article titled, “The Most Popular National Park in Every State.” 

Living in South Florida has been a great experience for me.

Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visits the Park, committing to rebuilding what Irma destroyed.

Floridians bracing for the pounding winds and rains of powerful Hurricane Irma are complaining at a historic clip about price gouging and shortages of fuel, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday.

On Monday, August 21, a total solar eclipse will turn day into night for a few short minutes around the country.  In South Florida we will see a partial eclipse.

Robert Chaplin is a frequent contributor to the News Leader.

Celebrating the start of the Biscayne National Park Institute - the pilot program for intensive park experiences in all three of our local National Parks.

Since 1994, seniors have been given the ability to purchase a $10 Lifetime Senior Pass to visit National Parks throughout the United States. This reasonable one-time fee has greatly benefited seniors, particularly those on fixed incomes, by providing a way to explore recreational areas witho…

Europe might beat “US” for art and history, simply because of age.

Family camping and excursions coming back to hidden gem of the Everglades.

3,931 miles from South Florida, as the crow flies, is Kaktovik Alaska.

Washington, D.C. –

Amethyst clouds sweep over Biscayne Bay. Sunlight filters through gaps in the dark canopy of sky. The light causes the shallow bay to glow in patches of brilliant turquoise and indigo. While this particular display of beauty is unexpected, such wonders are common occurrences in Biscayne Nati…

Beginning on Thanksgiving this year, Everglades National Park opened Joe Bay, and adjacent Snag Bay, to the public for the first time in more than 30 years. The area will allow non-motorized boating and become the park's first catch-and-release fishing area.