Today, the Florida Bay ecosystem receives only a quarter of the freshwater it needs to sustain itself and is on the brink of collapse. Take the journey, follow the water, and learn why restoring the Everglades watershed is the largest environmental restoration project in history and one of the defining conservation efforts of our time in this new film from Orvis!
From Orvis:Â
Everglades restoration is the largest habitat-restoration project in history, spanning a watershed more than 240 miles long, from its headwaters at Shingle Creek outside Orlando all the way down to the southern tip of the state and Florida Bay.
The goal? To reestablish the natural flow of the watershed, which would send more clean, fresh water south from Lake Okeechobee, through Everglades National Park, and into Florida Bay. Today, Florida Bay receives only a quarter of the freshwater it needs to sustain the seagrasses that are the linchpin of the ecosystem, which is on the brink of collapse.
Everglades restoration will:
- Support Florida’s $33 billion outdoor economy
- Restore 3 million acres of carbon sequestration capacity, helping to protect communities and industries that are among the most vulnerable to climate change.
- Provide drinking water for 9 million people
- Ensure future generations can enjoy 2,000 species of plants and animals that live in the Everglades
For nearly 30 years and spanning three generations of family ownership, the Perkins family and Orvis have been committed to restoring and conserving Florida’s Everglades. In March, cousins Simon Perkins (Orvis president) and Hannah Perkins (women’s product developer) traveled the length of the Everglades ecosystem, meeting with guides, scientists, and advocates to get an intimate look into the resource and the many individual projects that make up the massive Everglades restoration project. Follow the Water is the story of their journey and one of the defining conservation efforts of our time.
Over the last decade, a coalition comprising members of industry, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, scientists, advocacy organizations, and more have come together to champion Everglades restoration and the people and species that rely on it. Federal and state funding for Everglades restoration projects is at an all-time high, progress is being made, and completed restoration is within reach in this decade. Now is the time to ensure its success for future generations.