WASHINGTON, D.C. – Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett will join park officials, and supporters on Saturday, December 8, to celebrate Everglades National Park's 60th Anniversary.
Deputy Secretary Scarlett will speak of the park’s history and its future during the 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ceremony. The Deputy Secretary’s speech will be followed by the swearing-in of new Junior Park Rangers and special activities, including the presentation of a birthday cake.
On December 6, 1947, President Harry S. Truman traveled to Everglades City, Florida to dedicate Everglades National Park as the first national park set aside for its biologic uniqueness. The event represented the culmination of a more than 20-year effort to create the park and was attended by 4,000 people.
Everglades National Park, the third largest national park in the lower 48 states, is a vast expanse of 1.5 million acres between Miami, Key Largo, and Naples. This unique subtropical wetland is the hydrologic connection between central Florida and the marine systems of Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The park provides the public an opportunity to experience wilderness, an oasis in the middle of a highly urbanized peninsula with nearly 7 million residents.
Additional information may also be found on the park’s website at
http://www.nps.gov/ever/everglades-national-park-60th-anniversary.htm.
| WHO: | Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett |
| WHAT: | Speech at the ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park |
| WHEN: | 1:00 p.m. Saturday, December 8, 2007 |
| WHERE: | Royal Palm Visitor Center 4 miles west of the Everglades National Park main entrance station Homestead, FL |
| MEDIA: | All credentialed media are invited to attend and photograph the event. |