Discovery Presents

Everglades National Park is only a one hour drive from the hustle and bustle of Miami, but the park encompasses 1.5 million acres of tropical and subtropical habitat with one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. It was for this very reason that Congress established the Everglades as a National Park in 1934. The park has since been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance and a World Heritage Site.At least one million people from all over the world visit the Everglades each year. There are three main entry points: the Gulf Coast Visitor Center, which is closest to Naples and south of Everglades city; the Shark Valley area that can be accessed by US 41 (also known as the Tamiami Trail); and the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, the park’s main headquarters.The Florida Everglades are home to a diverse array of wildlife within the park’s five different habitats: the Hammock, Mangrove, Pineland, Sawgrass, and Slough. Notable Everglades animals include tree frogs, alligators, the American crocodile, manatee, Key deer, otters, and the Florida panther. The park is located along avian migratory routes, so birding is also a popular activity.

Located adjacent to the city of Los Angeles, the second largest urban area in the United States, the Santa Monica Mountains represent one of the largest protected areas of the Mediterranean-type ecosystem. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is part of the Mediterranean Coast Network that protects some of the most significant examples of terrestrial Mediterranean-type ecosystems and coastal marine environments anywhere in the world. The climate of the Mediterranean ecosystem along with the diverse topography in the Santa Monica Mountains has created a landscape filled with unique natural resources. Over 1,000 plant species provide habitat for approximately 500 mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian species.