A Survey and Baseline Analysis of Aspects of the Vegetation of Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park

Olmsted, Ingrid; Loope, Lloyd; Rintz, Richard

The Taylor Slough drainage, along with adjacent portions of eastern Everglades National Park, is at present the most vulnerable portion of the park to impacts resulting from human activity. A series of canals constructed near the park boundary during the past 15 years has accentuated the gradual drying which began when the earliest canals penetrated the Miami Rock Ridge prior to 1920. Canal 31-W was built along the park boundary in 1968-70, intersecting the main channel of Taylor Slough. Unfortunately, because baseline information documenting past conditions is sparse, it has been impossible to objectively assess the impact of drainage upon the slough ecosystem. Another unknown is the extent to which development of formerly wetter lands adjacent to the park boundary will be allowed to proliferate in future decades. In spite of its past modifications and continuing vulnerability, the area presently remains a prime resource of Everglades National Park, with a substantial diversity of plant and animal life. In the southern (downstream) portion of Taylor Slough (south of Anhinga Trail), water levels are relatively high and ecosystems may be largely intact. The Anhinga Trail, substantially manipulated for years to maintain deep water areas even during the dry season, is the location of the park's most popular interpretive trail because of the concentrations of wildlife, particularly alligators and wading birds, occurring there during the dry season.

A Survey and Baseline Analysis of Aspects of the Vegetation of Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park

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