50years.com Wins Awards

Everglades National Park turned 50 last year, and its history is just a mouse-click away at http://www.50years.com. Produced by South Florida Historian Cesar A. Becerra, Publisher and Maud Dillingham, editor of The Everglade Magazine and designed by CyberIsland, Inc., this website has received thousands of "hits," along with three awards. In 1997, the site won the "5 Star Award for Web Page Excellence" from Web Developer, Inc. in Sweden for excellent graphics, information and links; it also earned the Phenomenal Press Association's "Phenomenal Page Award" for "unusual and positive news giving people a break from all the negative headlines in the world." Phenomenal's Singapore-based judge Tony Wells commented, "Lots of good photos and very informative." And in March, The Christian Answers Network bestowed its "Golden Banner Award in Recognition of Responsible Web Page Content." Cesar's company, Echoes of South Florida, also educated thousands of people statewide in 1997 with a year-long series of lectures, book reviews, exhibits and tours to commemmorate Everglades National Park's 50th anniversary.

David Dunn's Photographs on the Web

We're pleased to note that Cesar's childhood buddy David Dunn's exceptional photographs have attracted plenty of attention. So much so that his black-and-white images of the Everglades were chosen by Florida International University to be featured on its Everglades Information Network (EIN) at the Digital Library. The EIN, a collaboration between FIU and Everglades National Park, was created to simplify the complexities of researching the Everglades by providing a comprehensive, up-to-date source of free information. David's electronic exhibit, "Warmth of the Everglades," can be accessed at http://everglades.fiu.edu/library/index.html.

Pigeon Key

Next time you're in the Florida Keys, go back to "Real Florida" on a time machine called Pigeon Key. We recently took the bouncy five dollar tram ride down the old Seven Mile Bridge to explore this former construction camp for Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway, begun in 1908 and completed in 1912. A fascinating new museum occupies the restored Assistant Bridge Tender's House. After watching the video and seeing the exhibits, we were amazed by Flagler's engineering feat and reminded of his key role in shaping Florida. We swam in the warm, clear Everglades outflow of Florida Bay and regretted not bringing snorkeling gear. The Pigeon Key Foundation also runs overnight educational programs; call Dan Gallagher at (305) 289-9632 for more information.

An Everglades Peom

"The Florida Everglades: A Collage" by Mariana Beeching Prieto, 1996

Black birds, like dark-robed monks praying,

blown against the grassy green rim of Lake Okeechobee.

Dust clouds that are grey "banshees,"

wafting through the stringy high grass.

Occasionally, an old house set against the flaming sky

surrounded by the buzz of a trillion insects.

Brown wilderness waters, plant-matted, dark shelter

to a group of dangerous creatures.

Starkness and beauty, vividly picturing the rebellious Glades!

Everglades at Miami Metrozoo??

We have found vestiges of the Everglades all over Dade County -- even at Miami Metrozoo, where exotic animals like tigers, gorillas and koalas take center stage. The deep moats separating us from the animals were carved into the region's distinctive, porous limestone bedrock. From the monorail, we could see the undeveloped parts of the zoo where the pinelands are slowly regenerating, five years after Hurricane Andrew. Egrets and herons, wood ducks, roseate spoonbills and coots have all made themselves at home in the zoo's ponds. There were even a couple of marsh rabbits munching on the grass in front of the amphitheater. The screech owl in the wildlife show made us wish there were a more formal Everglades exhibit at Metrozoo. Our local flora and fauna are interesting, too!

Everglades Postage Stamp

Fifty years ago, a Miami graphic designer named Garnett Megee made history with a beautiful three cent stamp. There was a big push for a commemorative postage stamp to coincide with the formation of Everglades National Park. Because of his brief stint at the Federal Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Megee had the connection that would speed up the process. His design was unveiled at the Florida City Post Office on December 5, 1947, the day before the park's dedication. At the time, the stamp had one of the highest first-day sales of any in the history of the U.S. Postal Service. Cesar commemorated the 50th anniversary of Megee's stamp on December 5, 1997 at Florida City Elementary School by awarding prizes to the winners of his Everglades National Park 50th Anniversary stamp contest. Mr. Megee was there, too, all the way from South Carolina...and was seen to shed a few tears. Thanks for the memories!

The Everglades Restaurant

While Orlando's theme parks enshrine everything but the Sunshine State, now there's a place for Florida-philes: The Everglades Restaurant. Started three years ago by Harris Rosen at his Omni Hotel, this masterpiece of an eating establishment is literally smothered in Everglades icons. The motif doesn't end with the magical mural, detailed down to apple snail eggs, or the manatee, panther and roseate spoonbill sculptures: Gastronomic selections include such Glades classics as gator chowder, frog legs, venison, snapper and shrimp. It's no swamp road-house, however; this haute cuisine looks almost too beautiful to eat! (One bite, though, and you're in heaven.) For all that, the prices compare to the international restaurants at Epcot -- and part of the proceeds benefit Everglades restoration.