The Everglades

Went for a ride around Bear Island a while back. Bear Island is part of the Big Cypress National Preserve it is located of a few miles north of US41 on Turner River Road. You take Turner river Road north until you pass under I75 (Alligator Alley) Bear Island will be on you right hand side. We took a 4×4 Ford pickup truck. To drive in Bear Island you must have a current ORV permit for the vehicle and the driver must have an OVR operators permit. If you don’t have those you can park and hike in on the trails. Bear Island has many different types of wildlife, birds, alligators, and deer. You can camp at Bear Island or it is a great place to take a day trip.

Back in October 2010 Big Cypress National Preserve started a  Backcountry Volunteer program. I signed up with a friend of mine. We went out to Oasis Visitor Center for a few days of training. Then on our first day out on backcountry patrol we went with a ranger. Now we sign up with another volunteer and you go on patrol together. You do a variety of different assignments from marking the trails, clearing the overgrown brush, picking up trash, educating visitor of the rules. I like being out in the everglades this is a great way to spend more time out there enjoying nature.

I have been coming out to the everglades since around 1969 (when I was old enough to drive). We would come out here to go hunting or fishing. We would fish along the canal banks on Tamiami Trail or what used to be called Aligator Ally. Back then you could pull off the road almost anywhere and go fishing or hunting.