SHARK VALLEY IN THE EVERGLADES

The Everglades National Park is the third largest in the continental United States, at one and one-half million acres. Shark Valley, located in southwest Florida, is a small section of the Everglades National Park, which is the northern-most section of the park. In Shark Valley, there is a fifteen-mile loop road, from which to see a wide expanse of saw grass prairies dotted with tree islands or “hardwood hammocks,” which are covered with a dense growth of shrubs, vines, and trees. The saw grass name comes from the tiny sharp teeth on the edges of the grass blades. There is also a wealth of wildlife found here, including alligators, birds, deer, and turtles. Halfway through the road loop, there is an observation tower approximately 65’ high that affords a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

The Chamber of Commerce is located just before the turnoff leading to Shark Valley. There are no sharks in Shark Valley. It is so named because it is part of the Shark River Slough, where the fresh water eventually meets the sea. The surrounding area is no more than 8 feet above sea level and this section dips a foot or two lower, hence it's a "valley". Somehow, “Shark Valley” still seems like a misnomer to me.

 Our group has stopped here briefly. The members of Bay Oaks Social Seniors who are in the fluorescent orange T-shirts are biking the 15-mile route today.

Laurie is our trip leader and was the very first director of the Bay Oaks Social Seniors group.

Frank, Jan and Mary in the parking lot of the Chamber of Commerce.

Don and Joe are checking on information about Shark Valley.

Ursula, Carol and Laurie

Justin, Senior Program Coordinator, and Laurie

Joanne and Dan are not only expert kayakers, they are also seasoned bike riders. Jean is going on the tram with me.

To explore this part of the Everglades, visitors can bike the 15-mile paved road, which has no hills to climb or rough terrain to traverse. The typical bike ride lasts between 2 and 3 hours, and the advantage is that you can take your time and get up close and personal with any wild things that catch your eye. The caution is that 15 miles is 15 miles, and you should consider whether or not you are in condition to go that distance. In our group, some people did the distance with no difficulty, but in the warm weather, others struggled. Biking is fun for those in shape to do so, but there is also an open-air tram tour that is conducted by a naturalist who points out the unique wonders of the “River of Grass.” The tour lasts 2 hours, and tours leave hourly during the height of tourist season, December through April.

The bikes are unloaded at our destination.

The tram tour sign

The Shark Valley tram

The Shark River Slough--a slough is a marshy or reedy pool, pond, inlet, or backwater. It is  pronounced “sloo.”  The slough is the main "river of grass" in the Everglades and flows across the park from the north, sweeping in a wide curve to the west and the Gulf of Mexico. It is a very shallow slough, ranging from a few inches to 3 feet deep. The width of the slough is between 10 and 30 miles if you only count the deeper areas. If the shallower areas (often called prairie rather than slough) are included, it is up to 70 miles wide. The water flows very slowly through the slough, moving maybe 100 feet each day. It flows even slower in the shallow prairies.

This is one tree island on the prairie that is dotted with many tree islands.

This is both a prairie and a slough.

Can you find the baby alligator in the photo? His camouflage serves him well.

This is the 8-mile leg of the tour, and it leads to the observation tower. The road is flat and even, but not arrow-straight, the way the return route is.

This gator is submerged, except for his eyes, and there are 2 baby gators on either side of the photo.

Two birds are sitting in a pond.

Sawgrass creates the primary plant in the slough and prairie. During the dry winter, most of this area is covered with very shallow water. The ground below the grass is covered with a substance called periphyton. Up close periphyton looks a little like short stubby worms made of clay. Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae and various microbes that creates the basic food source for the Everglades wildlife. The smallest animals feed on the periphyton, and they in turn are eaten by bigger animals. Without it, everything else dies.

Jose, our naturalist guide, gathers periphyton and brings it to us so that we can examine it close-up.It seems unremarkable to me, but it is vital to wildlife on the prairie.

The tram wends its way to the observation tower.

These 2 alligators float in the pond as quietly as logs.

The observation tower is a very graceful structure. It curves around from ground level to a height of 65 feet, but nevertheless, it rises unexpectedly from the flatness of the prairie.

I hear a lot of different languages on the deck of the observation tower. The Everglades must be an interesting destination for foreign visitors.

The bicyclists from Bay Oaks stop on the lowest level of the observation tower to have lunch.

Robert is on his way to the observation tower.

Becky climbs the walkway to the observation tower.

Margie and Jean are on their way to the observation tower.

Ursula, in the orange T-shirt, has reached the top level of the observation tower.

The long road back to the beginning of the trail stretches for 7 straight miles in the distance.

This is a great blue heron who seems to be tourist-watching.

An alligator lurks by the side of the road.

This alligator could be scoping out a prey. Generally, gators leave people alone because we are too big to be their prey. However, if a human does something stupid, like pick up a baby gator, the baby will “bark” for its mother, and the momma gator will be after you in a flash. Also, if a human goes quite near the edge of the water, a gator can propel itself on its hind legs, leap at you and try to pull you back into the water and drown you. The guide told us these types of incidents are rare.

 Supposedly, this cormorant is in a spread-wing posture to dry his plumage, but I think he is posing for my picture. I am no more than 6’ away, and he shows no fear.

He obligingly holds his pose until I get a great back view photo, too. A member of our group told us that in China, she saw a fisherman with a cormorant on a tether. The bird had a collar around its neck. The bird dives for fish, but can’t swallow it because of the collar. The fisherman takes the fish and sends the bird back out for more fish. Who said life is fair?

Ranger Eric is holding a photo of a gator and a python in mortal combat. The python is a non- native menace to the Everglades. Neither alligator nor python survived this battle to the death.

Bikes are loaded up, and Justin and Don are ready to depart Shark Valley.

SO LONG, GATORS, IT'S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YOU.