“The Everglades has not seen this type of funding at these levels, ever,” said Eric Eikenberg, chief executive of the Everglades Foundation. Eikenberg said that billion-dollar-plus annual funding will now be needed to get the job done
The Sandy Fire in the southeastern portion of the Big Cypress National Preserve has grown over 11,000 acres and fire officials have activated a second phase of evacuation plans for those living within the affected area.The wildfire began May 1 as a 50-acre blaze in an area of the preserve between I-75 to then north and U.S. 41 to the south.
Firefighters worked on the 10,551-acre wildfire growing in the Big Cypress National Preserve east of Naples, a tactic that appears to be working as control of the Sandy Wildfire rose from 5% to 15%.
A wildfire in the Big Cypress National Preserve north of U.S. 41 is now 5% contained. It has been burning for more than a week and grown to nearly 10,000 acres.