MURPHY APPLAUDS ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW CONSERVATION EASEMENTS IN EVERGLADES HEADWATERS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Land Acquisition Program Complements Everglades Restoration Efforts, Providing Flood Protection and Water Storage Areas North of Lake Okeechobee

Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy made the following statement applauding the recent acquisitions of new conservation easements to expand the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area by 5,300 acres, including flood protection areas and water storage lands. Murphy has been a strong supporter of this initiative to help maintain open land north of Lake Okeechobee to improve the water quality and increase water storage in the area, complementing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The Everglades Headwaters also protect critical habitats for the state’s unique wildlife, including over 30 threatened and endangered species, and help sustain Florida’s ranching industry.

“With El Niño-fueled historic rainfall causing harmful discharges into our waterways, we need an all-of-the-above approach to address the ongoing crisis. Not only do the Everglades Headwaters support conservation efforts and wildlife habitats to protect our environment for generations to come, but they also preserve open land north of the lake to help address our state’s water challenges through flood control and water storage,” said Murphy. “Projects like this won’t solve our problems overnight. But they can have real benefits in the near-term while we continue to push forward on long-term solutions to restore the natural southward flow of the Everglades. I am pleased to see the refuge and conservation area expanded, benefiting our environment, conservation efforts, agriculture, and tourism.”

Created in 2012, the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area is a collaboration among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, conservation organizations like the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the Nature Conservancy, Florida ranchers and sportsmen, and other federal and state agencies. The recent acquisitions involved the following five properties: the Hatchineha Ranch owned by the Nature Conservancy, Adams Ranch, Camp Lonesome, Tiger Cattle Company, and the Idols Aside property. The Everglades Headwaters lands are acquired through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program Murphy helped fight to get reauthorized after partisan gridlock allowed it to expire last fall.