Everglades

“We’re going on an aligator hunt. We’re going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day! We’re not scared.”

The Everglades is a National Park – National Parks being one of the US’s best ideas – and has a number of visitor centres. We went to Shark Valley. On the way, I had to avoid an alligator that had made its way onto the road. Cool!

We chose Shark Valley because the guidebook said the train/tram ride was excellent and it was right for once. We had the best guide and learned a lot about Florida’s aquifer and the incredible changes that the canals and levees had made to the water flow into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. From the mid 1850s to now, South Florida has lost 50% of its wetlands and 90% of its bird population and is now directing billions of gallons of water into the Gulf, Biscayne Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands which is adversely affecting sea habitats and not helping the drought conditions in the state. Florida’s human population was 6.5 million in 1995 and is projected to reach 20 million by 2040; in 1850 the bird population was 2.5 million and had declined to 100,000 in 1995. These are jaw dropping numbers and I just hope my grandkids and their kids will still be able to visit this incredible habitat…

We were introduced to the sawgrass prairie and tree islands and hammocks, which form where small islands of limestone bedrock form above the normal Everglades water level. Tree islands and hammocks are named for the types of trees that grow on them – like mahogany, hardwood, bay, willow and cypress.

Although the bird population has declined dramatically we saw plenty of them including a rare kind of hawk and the striking anhinga. We saw turtles and snakes and of course, a whole mess of alligators – what is the collective for alligators? A snap of alligators, a snarl, a murder…? Whether they were big alligators or baby alligators, they seemed pretty relaxed -- and we were told to act like we were.

We discovered that the park did a Junior Ranger programme in association with two other parks in South Florida: Big Cypress and Biscayne. So the kids did the Everglades badge and there was nothing for it but to visit the other two parks while we were in Miami. These programmes are educational and interactive and engage Alex so I have no problem swapping National Park for school from time to time – plus I learn a lot too...although I don't get to wear the fetching hat!

Seriously, for those readers who have children, the National Parks educational programmes are inexpensive and excellent. Wherever you visit in the US, there's likely to be a National Park nearby. Check them out here: www.nps.gov