Nearly $200,000 is flowing to four south Florida national park units to help underwrite habitat restoration, protect wildlife, and support visitor programs.

The $190,000 in funding, from the South Florida National Parks Trust, will create native habitat on an island in Biscayne Bay, restore the flow of fresh water into the Turner River in Big Cypress National Preserve, protect nesting sea turtles in the Dry Tortugas, and support ongoing visitor and volunteer programs in Everglades National Park.

The new grants approved by the SFNPT board include:

* $26,200 to restore a spoil island in Biscayne National Park with native vegetation. Park volunteers will replace exotic vegetation with a mangrove wetland and hardwood hammock on an island south of Black Point Marina.

* $25,000 in second-year funding for a Turner River restoration project that will restore the flow of fresh water into one of the most scenic and popular paddling spots in South Florida. The SFNPT provided $35,000 for this project in 2013.

* $23,200 to establish a water-sampling program in Biscayne National Park that will serve as an early warning/rapid response system for algal blooms in park waters. Early detection will aid park efforts to understand and prevent algal blooms in the future.

* $25,400 to fund two BioCorps interns in Everglades National Park in 2015 to work alongside park scientists to control invasive species and protect native wildlife. The park launched the BioCorps Program in 2014 to address emerging issues in the park.

* $15,200 to monitor sea turtle nesting activity on remote beaches in Dry Tortugas National Park during the busy summer nesting season.

* $33,535 to promote better stewardship of Florida Bay in Everglades National Park through community outreach, education and enhanced law enforcement on the water. 

* $6,700 to support the 4th annual Swamp Heritage Festival, a celebration of the history and culture of the Big Cypress on Saturday December 6. The Big Cypress National Preserve – the nation’s first national preserve – is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

* $4,800 to support a new season of public tours at the historic Nike Missile Site in Everglades National Park.

* $5,000 to hire a staff assistant for the volunteer program in Everglades National Park. The volunteer assistant will organize and lead volunteer projects throughout the park.

* $15,000 to promote safe boating and sustainable fishing in Biscayne National Park through a series of free classes in English and Spanish for the public and for boaters and fishermen who are ticketed in the park.

In addition to these projects, the SFNPT approved four other grants to support public programs and projects in South Florida’s national parks, including:

* A fishing clinic and paddling program for underserved youth at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades National Park, organized with the Boys and Girls Club.

* A climate change exhibit that will open in Biscayne National Park in December 2014 and then travel to other national parks around the country during the next two years.

* Two citizenship ceremonies in Biscayne National Park. One hundred new citizens will take the oath of citizenship while overlooking Biscayne Bay, in a national park owned by all Americans – including them!

* The Camping Adventure with My Parents (CAMP) program, a ranger-guided camping program that introduces local families from underserved communities to the Everglades.

The South Florida National Parks Trust was established in 2002 to support south Florida’s national parks – Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas National Parks and Big Cypress National Preserve – through fund-raising and community outreach.

Since its inception the SFNPT has provided more than $5 million in direct support to south Florida’s four national parks to support projects and programs in five areas: environmental education, resource protection, visitor services, volunteer activities and community outreach.