6:00 pm, MIA FL. USA

As soon as the airplane stopped at the arrival gate I was welcomed by a ball of warm, humid air. It was mid december, and I was dressed in proper winter clothing: thick sweater, lined long pants, leathered boots, and a long black down jacket tied around my waist. The warmth of the air was not ebbing away and I began to sweat. As I got off the plane and walked into the terminal I noticed airport staff were chatting in Spanish. The signs in the airport were also bilingual, in both English and Spanish. Evidently my destination is one of the southernmost cities in the United States, I have arrived at Miami, Florida.

Miami is located on the southeast side of Florida state, just 25 degrees north of the equator[3]. The North Atlantic Ocean to the east, Gulf of Mexico to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the south gave Miami its tropical monsoon climate. It has an average temperature between 23 to 31 degrees celsius throughout the year, and roughly 24 degrees in December. “A summer in winter”, as someone who grew up in minus 20 celsius Canadian winter it took me a while to comprehend how one can simply wear skirts and shorts close to Christmas.

Historically much of the southern part of Florida was wetland. One of the largest systems of swamps and rivers is called the Everglades. Before urbanization, it spanned across four million acres of land including the area on which the city of Miami was built[1]. From the early 1900s to 1960s multiple projects took place to drain the Everglades to create dry lands for urban development. Today, the Everglades is reduced to half the size of what it was before[2], yet it remains to be one of the most important ecological systems in Florida. More than eight million people depend on the Everglades for drinking water[4], it also absorbs large volumes of rainfalls during storm season which helps prevent floods in local regions[5].

Like any curious tourist I intended to explore the Everglades. I stopped by my Aunt’s restaurant in Doral, and there I met a young man named Michael. Michael is a third generation American-Born-Cuban who is finishing his degree in environmental science at FIU. Having grown up in the woods of south Florida he has a deep passion for nature, especially the Everglades.

“So you are Carol?” Greeted Michael with a cordial smile and a warm handshake. My Aunt probably has told him she’s got a Canadian geese niece flying down to escape the harsh winter, it’s no surprise that he knows my name already.

“Yep, that’s me,” I replied.

“Welp, the clouds clear up tomorrow and I can take you to the Everglades. We are gonna do something unique, we will take a walk in some places that regular tourists don’t really go. It’s gonna be a little muddy, but don’t worry, I got boots for you.”

“Wow, okay!” I said in excitement. I always liked exploring places where only the locals know. “It’s gonna be a cool journey!” I thought.

Except, I had no idea what I was about to step into.

References:

• [1] J. Lemaire and B. Sisto, “The Everglades ecosystem: Under protection or under threat?,” Miranda. Revue pluridisciplinaire du monde anglophone / Multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal on the English-speaking world, https://journals.openedition.org/miranda/2881 (accessed Dec. 21, 2023).
• [2] “Tell me about: Everglades restoration,” Thompson Earth Systems Institute, https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/earth-systems/blog/tell-me-about-everglades-restoration/ (accessed Dec. 21, 2023).
• [3] Marcin Frąckiewicz, “Is Miami Florida closer to the Equator?,” TS2 SPACE, https://ts2.space/en/is-miami-florida-closer-to-the-equator/#gsc.tab=0 https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Waters/Great-Waters-Restoration/Everglades#:~:text=The%20Everglades%20are%20essential%20for,Florida’s%20%241.2%20billion%20fishing%20industry (accessed Dec. 21, 2023).
• [4] “Protecting the Everglades,” National Wildlife Federation, https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Waters/Great-Waters-Restoration/Everglades#:~:text=The%20Everglades%20are%20essential%20for,Florida’s%20%241.2%20billion%20fishing%20industry (accessed Dec. 21, 2023).
• [5] “Protect the Everglades because it protects South Florida,” The Invading Sea, https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2018/09/26/we-need-to-save-the-everglades-quickly-because-it-helps-protect-south-floridas-drinking-water-and-can-limit-hurricane-damage/#:~:text=The%20Everglades%20guards%20our%20western,blowing%20in%20from%20the%20Gulf (accessed Dec. 21, 2023).