Amanda Purnell for the Everglades

“My favorite place to get up close to wildlife in the Everglades is Anhinga Trail. I can always count on spotting some of my favorite creatures - alligators, anhingas, and softshell turtles. Besides being the singular source of freshwater for most of South Florida, the Everglades provides crucial habitat for 2,000+ species of plants and animals and a peaceful refuge for visitors like me!” 

— Amanda Purnell, Education & Outreach Director at Friends of the Everglades

Friends of the Everglades is a grassroots, nonprofit organization founded in Miami in 1969 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas that advocates for the protection of Florida's precious natural ecosystems. When pollutants and toxic algae plague our waters, when sugarcane burning harms air quality in the Glades communities south of Lake Okeechobee, and when the health of the Everglades' unique ecosystem is threatened, we educate and activate the public so we can collectively have a positive impact on environmental policy. We walk in the footsteps of our founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, by promoting a greater understanding of the importance of protecting, preserving, and restoring the only Everglades in the world.