Eva Norris

Just one hour west of Miami along the Tamiami Trail, the opportunity to experience something magnificent is waiting in each of the 729,000 acres of pristine swamplands, prairies, and hammocks that make up Big Cypress National Preserve.
An unlikely coalition of sportsmen, conservationists, Seminoles, and others paved the way for Big Cypress to be inaugurated as America's first national preserve in 1974, but the history of this place as a refuge for people and wildlife alike extends far past our own memory. Central to this gathering of plants, animals, and people is the fresh sheet of rainwater deposited every season that filters gently through the swamp, meandering toward the rich coastal estuaries that provide a vital sanctuary for marine life.