Friends of the Everglades rose up this year to hold government accountable and fight for bedrock environmental laws. While our Alligator Alcatraz case continues, I invite you to support our work now through Nov. 20. All donations directly fund our mission: www.givemiamiday.org/Evesamples

This year, your donations powered legislative wins, legal action, science, advocacy and education — real impacts that kept the Everglades at the center of public attention and protection. We’re proud to share those impacts with you in this report. www.everglades.org/friends-of-t...

Give Miami Day is happening NOW! Make a donation to help us go the distance — for our shared love of the Everglades. The sooner you give, the better our chances of reaching our $100,000 goal! Donate now through Nov. 20: givemiamiday.org/friendsoftheeverglades.

Give Miami Day, our biggest online-fundraiser of the year, is coming soon. Consider making a donation during the giving period, November 15-20. We’re all in this together. PS - can’t wait to give? Donate here now: everglades.org/donate

Our executive director, Eve Samples, speaks to the lasting power of our founder Marjory Stoneman Douglas’s vision, carrying her legacy forward with the same courage and conviction that defined her work. www.naplesnews.com/story/news/e...

ICYMI: “Alligator Alcatraz” is STILL open, in defiance of the National Environmental Policy Act, which we filed suit under in June. We’re still working to shut it down. Stick with us to stay updated and share this post to further our efforts to 🛑stop "Alligator Alcatraz."🛑

Have you ever witnessed this iconic sunflower superbloom in the southeastern Everglades? Take a walk down the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary boardwalk with our Multimedia Producer to experience some of the magic! www.everglades.org/sunflower-bl...

Every autumn, fields of Southeastern Sunflowers transform @CorkscrewSwamp into a sea of gold. These native blooms aren't just beautiful; they support pollinators, conserve water, and strengthen the Everglades ecosystem. See more photos by Leah Voss at everglades.org.

We’re feeling energized from a gathering of community Sunday for a peaceful demonstration opposing the detention center in the heart of the Everglades. To all who came, please accept our sincere thank you. 1/3

“Alligator Alcatraz was planned in secret, built in secret, and has been operated in secret. That's what we're up against." — Eve Samples, Friends of the Everglades We’re not backing down. www.news-press.com/story/news/e...

Since we filed our first lawsuit in June to stop “Alligator Alcatraz” we have received messages of encouragement from supporters all around the world. We couldn’t do this without YOU, so please accept our heartfelt gratitude. 💚 #everglades #nationalparks #thankyou

Next time you’re in the cypress swamp, don’t forget to look up! 👀⬆️ #everglades #bigcypress #cypressswamp #naples #swfl #florida

“Alligator Alcatraz” should be shut down by now. In August, a federal judge believed the evidence that this makeshift immigration prison was harming the Everglades. She ruled it to be shut down within 60 days. 1/5

On Wednesday, an appeals court granted a federal request to pause appellate court proceedings in our lawsuit challenging the massive detention center in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” This effectively halts court proceedings due to the federal government shutdown.

Hurry! Make a trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary ASAP to catch literally 🌻millions🌻 of Southeastern sunflowers (Helianthus agrestis) blooming along the boardwalk. 📍375 Sanctuary Road W., Naples 🪶 Visitor center, nature store and cafe 🕰️ Open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last admission at 1 p.m.)

Catch RIVER OF GRASS in theaters! Tickets remain for shows this week at @gablescinema.bsky.social. If you can’t make a screening in Miami, the film plays at @dctvny.bsky.social's Firehouse Cinema October 24-30th in New York City and each viewing is followed by enlightening Q&As.

JOIN US OCT. 26! 🐊✌️“Alligator Alcatraz” continues to operate in violation of federal law that requires an environmental analysis of the site. 1/

“Government officials in Florida have misled the public they are supposed to work for, and the Everglades have been harmed as a result,” Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said in a statement. Full AP story: apnews.com/article/flor...

Federal law was ignored when the Everglades detention camp was built. That’s ironic because the law (NEPA) came into being as the result of a government’s reckless insults to this very land. 1/2 bit.ly/4nbmX0G

“Alligator Alcatraz” was planned in secret. Built in secret. Operated in secret. Now, Friends of the Everglades is taking action to uncover the truth. Learn more at www.everglades.org/we-just-file...

Join fellow Everglades defenders on Sunday, Oct. 26 for a peaceful gathering at the entrance of the Everglades detention center (54575 Tamiami Trail). Share this post to spread the word and strengthen our presence. No airports. No rock mines. No prisons. ONLY EVERGLADES!

It’s been 100 days since “Alligator Alcatraz” was ramrodded into the heart of the Everglades and began taking detainees. 100 days from now, we’ll be wrapping up oral arguments at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. No airports. No rock mines. No prisons. ONLY EVERGLADES!

What’s going on at “Alligator Alcatraz”? Unfortunately, too much.

🍃Nature spotlight on Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area🍃

💣LAWSUIT BOMBSHELL: The FEMA funds given to the state of Florida are a smoking gun — more proof that the facts are on our side. “Alligator Alcatraz” should be SHUT DOWN to stop irreversible damage to the Everglades and comply with the law. 1/2

Big congratulations to our very own Swamp Doc, Leah Voss, for being recognized in Stuart Magazine! 💚 bit.ly/476zZYx

Fresh blacktop photographed Sept. 26 by pilot Ralph Arwood shows an expanse of new pavement at “Alligator Alcatraz” — and reminds us why we’re fighting to shut down this lawless prison. Find out how to support us at everglades.org.

Friends of the Everglades has launched the Everglades Defense Fund to protect this ecosystem from "Alligator Alcatraz" and other destructive proposals. We’re honored to have the support of iconic Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher. Give today at everglades.org/everglades-detention-center.

Miami-Dade is evicting the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center — a community treasure that has taught generations of students to care for Biscayne Bay. Take action now! Tell County leaders: Rescind the eviction, protect the Center. bit.ly/42lUAp3

In all seasons, only Everglades. 🐊🦌☁️🐻☀️🦉🐟 Are you with us? Go to everglades.org to find your place in this movement.

Pivotal environmental battles often center on a single, cherished place. For us, that place is the Everglades — and one of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws is being put to the test in its very heart. Help us fund the fight. Visit everglades.org/donate.

Backed by Big Sugar, a rock mine threatens the $4 billion EAA Reservoir and risks diverting taxpayer dollars from real restoration. Friends of the Everglades has opposed this project from the start — and we’ll keep fighting to stop it. Read more here. bit.ly/46JwWnV

Allies on the ground have spotted an increase in buses, fill trucks and other equipment coming and going at the entrance to the detention center along Tamiami Trail in Big Cypress National Preserve. Make a donation at everglades.org to be part of this movement.

Together with our partners, we’re standing strong for the nation’s bedrock environmental laws. Find out how you can help us keep the vital work against “Alligator Alcatraz” moving forward at www.everglades.org/everglades-d... youtu.be/f-x3LcikWWI

A new panel of judges will decide the next phase — battling the appeal filed by the state and federal defendants — and our legal team is ready. We believe the law and the evidence are on our side. Help fund the fight: bit.ly/45Uz9h4

While we're disappointed the court paused the injunction at "Alligator Alcatraz," this is far from the final ruling - the fight continues. We are committed to stopping the mass detention center in the heart of the Everglades. Help fund the fight at everglades.org.

If you were outraged by the idea of this hastily built detention center in the Everglades, now’s the time to act. Please consider making a contribution to stop this bad idea once and for all and protect the Everglades for future generations. 🐊 Give today at everglades.org/everglades-defense-fund

We just won in federal court. Alligator Alcatraz — the detention center being built in the Everglades — is stopped.

“Why in the middle of the Everglades?” the judge asked. We've been asking the same thing. Also: Why wasn't an environmental study done? Why wasn't the public allowed to weigh in? Why weren't alternatives considered to "Alligator Alcatraz"? The latest on our lawsuit: apnews.com/article/flor...

National parks were America’s best idea. This detention center in the Everglades is one of America’s WORST. More on the impact and why @foreverglades.bsky.social and @biologicaldiversity.org are suing to stop it. www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...

This is an affront to the Everglades: www.everglades.org/no-alligator...

We can stop this, together. www.everglades.org/no-alligator...

The Everglades are no place for an ICE prison. This property is 96% wetlands, surrounded by tribal lands, Big Cypress National Preserve, and Everglades National Park. Send Florida's governor and attorney general a message telling them to STOP "Alligator Alcatraz." www.everglades.org/no-alligator...

As if on cue ... the American Farm Bureau and the National Association of Home Builders issued statements today "commending" this watered-down WOTUS. But make no mistake, this will harm water and wetlands across the U.S.

🗣️TELL CONGRESS: These parks were made for YOU and ME. Take 1 minute to message your US Senators and Representatives and tell them to fully fund national parks and wildlife refuges: www.everglades.org/standwithnat...

ALERT: The Lake Okeechobee Cyanobacteria Algal Bloom reporting page from @noaa.gov is no longer live. This is critical public-health information that Floridians rely on to track harmful blue-green algae blooms on Lake Okeechobee. 👀

“It’s hard to tell what is incompetence and what is confusion and what is basically contemptuous trickery,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has been in contact with EPA in a bid to get funds released. www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

Let's talk about government inefficiency: Florida state govt has spent > $2 billion cleaning up Big Sugar's pollution. US govt forces consumers to pay twice the world market price of sugar via protections in the Farm Bill. DOGE ain't gonna fix this. We are. Sign now! www.everglades.org/rescue/

Red tide is fed by Lake Okeechobee discharges. Lake O discharges are caused by Big Sugar's rigged water-management system. Sign to be part of the solution: www.everglades.org/rescue/