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Decades-Long Restoration Effort Has Returned Wetlands To Florida's Kissimmee River

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

In central Florida, an ambitious river restoration project that lasted for decades is now complete. Amy Green of member station WMFE reports on the change to one of the state's most significant waterways.

AMY GREEN, BYLINE: The project is part of a multibillion-dollar restoration of the Everglades, one of the world's most ambitious restorations. The goal is to revitalize the Kissimmee River. A ribbon cutting on a grassy bank at the Kissimmee, some 100 miles south of Orlando, drew leaders from all levels of government and advocates who have long been engaged in the project.

(CHEERING)

GREEN: Historically, the Kissimmee meandered slowly from Orlando to Lake Okeechobee, serving as the headwaters of the Everglades and a haven for wildlife. After the river was dredged and channelized, both water quality and wildlife populations plummeted. Shannon Estenoz of the U.S. Department of the Interior says the project is aimed at restoring the historic meanders of the Kissimmee.

SHANNON ESTENOZ: It's special in that it's very wiggly, and all the wiggles are back. It's like the river's just remembers the way it flowed once.

GREEN: Twenty-two miles of river were backfilled, enabling the old meanders to recarve their path. Two dams were blown up or demolished. In all, the project will restore more than 40 square miles of river floodplain. Here's Tim Gysan of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

TIM GYSAN: This really shows you what can happen when lots of organizations, both public and private, at all levels of government, come together with one focus to restore something as beautiful as the Kissimmee River.

GREEN: Alana Edwards of Florida Atlantic University was at the ribbon cutting. She remembers the groundbreaking back in the 1990s.

ALANA EDWARDS: This is a river that was channelized, and we thought it couldn't be fixed. And now we fixed it.

GREEN: Wildlife already is rebounding. Now that the river is flowing more naturally, more wildlife should be returning soon.

For NPR News, I'm Amy Green. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Amy Green

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.