Everglades Restoration

Sierra Club has been fighting for the health and restoration of the Everglades for more than 30 years. Today, threats of destruction continue to come from pushing urban development west, and from polluting or re-routing water that is needed by the Everglades and all its unique plants and wildlife.

After decades of advocacy by the Sierra Club and others, in 2013 a one-mile bridge was built over the Tamiami Trail (see photo), allowing part of the River of Grass to flow free for the first time in 85 years. In 2016, work began on the next 2.6-mile span. This new bridge is part of the largest conservation effort ever undertaken by the National Park Service and will return water flows to more historic levels. 

Threats to the Everglades 

Sierra Club and other environmental organizations are working to continue to protect and restore this amazing ecosystem. In recent years, record high flooding in Lake Okeechobee has polluted the waters in the Everglades and nearby coastal regions, causing massive damage to the environment, killing marine life and ruining the livlihoods of many in Southeast Florida.