This week, the world gasped when South Florida’s coastal water temperatures reached the upper 90s °F, shattering records and shocking locals and visitors alike. The Audubon team at the Everglades Science Center has recorded water temperatures in Taylor Slough, part of Everglades National Park, for more than 30 years. The team saw temperatures climb to 96.7 °F on July 12—one of the highest recordings ever taken by Audubon in Florida.

A long-running gap in reviews into the health of the endangered Florida panther population has prompted a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that it produce the report as required.

Florida’s national parks are a critical component of the statewide effort to restore the Everglades after draining and ditching nearly destroyed this ecosystem in the 20th century. In May, Audubon Florida staff celebrated the ribbon cutting for the Taylor Slough Improvement Project just four months after standing in the same spot with shovels to kickstart the initiative’s groundbreaking.