Nelson hosts Cabinet Secretary Salazar on tour of Glades

May 28, 2009

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. - The River of Grass is a national treasure and restoring it should be top priority for the federal government,  according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who took the Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on a tour of the Everglades today.  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, and the Assistant Secretary of the Interior in charge of the national parks system, Tom Strickland, were also on hand for the airboat tour and a briefing on restoration and invasive species, among other things.

Salazar’s trip to the Everglades was at the invitation of Nelson, who said it was important that the Cabinet Secretary see the River of Grass for himself.

“It really shows you something when the Secretary of the Interior comes down to South Florida to hear about why restoring the Everglades is so important, not just to Floridians, but nationally,” said Nelson.  “And he didn’t just get to hear from us, we took him out on an airboat so he could see for himself.”

One reason to fix the River of Grass, experts say, is to protect a main drinking-water source for millions of South Florida residents.  Another is to ease the region's cycle of drought and gluts.  And another is to preserve one of the world’s most threatened environmental treasures. 

 The Administration has already signaled it’s making restoration of the Glades a priority by allocating federal stimulus funding for projects there.  In April, the Army Corps of Engineers announced $103 million of stimulus money for seven restoration projects.  Among the work the Corps will fund is restoring 43 miles of the Kissimmee River to its original course and rebuilding a huge tract of wetlands in Collier County, where Florida panthers are known to dwell.

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