Everglades National Park

10/23/2026

Volunteer opportunity! 📣

Everglades National Park is recruiting volunteers from the greater Miami area who are interested in volunteering for the Nike Missile Site within the park.

Volunteers will be providing front-line interpretive services for the visiting public, including giving orientation and information services at the Nike Missile Site. If you enjoy U.S. military history, are comfortable communicating with a wide range of individuals, and are excited to work with the public, this may be a volunteer opportunity for you!

Commitment would be one or two days a week. The site will be open 10AM to 2PM through the end of March.

Duties include:
• Opening and closing the Nike Missile Site.
• Researching and presenting orientation and informal interpretive services to the visiting public.
• Cooperating with others and working as a part of a team to contribute to the overall success of Everglades National Park.
• Recording daily statistics and reporting any problems or notable events.

Please reach out to [email protected] by email for more information on this volunteer opportunity.

If you'd like to get to know the Nike Missile Site better, visit https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/historyculture/hm69.htm.

10/22/2026

A Rainy Day in the Ten Thousand Islands 🌈☔

Rain can transform the Everglades in an instant. An essential part of the ecosystem, rainfall helps move fresh water across the landscape, supporting the wetlands and animals that depend on it. In the Ten Thousand Islands, this freshwater mixes with saltwater to create a productive brackish habitat, highlighting the connection between freshwater, wetlands, and the sea.

When the rain comes in, wildlife may become more active. Keep an eye out for birds moving through the mangroves and fish moving in the shallows. You never know what you might spot when the skies open up!

Sometimes, a rainy day is the perfect day for wildlife watching. Just remember: if thunder roars, go indoors!

What's your favorite thing about an Everglades rainy day?

NPS Photos / G. Koulas

10/13/2026

See the world through their eyes.

Each Everglades animal provides a new perspective. Think about how life is different for each of them. How do their features or habitats change the way they live?

Visit your park to watch wildlife or stop by the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center to see the "Everglades Perspectives" art exhibit to find out.

Wildlife information is available at https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/wildlife.htm.

Image 1: NPS photo of an Anhinga by Dylann Turffs
Image 2: NPS photo of an American Alligator by Lori Oberhofner
Image 3: NPS photo of a West Indian Manatee by Finnigan Bellefire
Image 4: Charley Harper's "Looking Straight Up Along Gumbo Limbo Trail"

10/08/2026

Look closely!

You just might spot a spoonful of the Ten Thousand Islands!

Roseate spoonbills are a familiar sight in the coastal wetlands of Everglades National Park, where they use their uniquely shaped bills to sweep through shallow water in search of food. In the Ten Thousand Islands region of the park, mangrove shorelines and shallow bays provide important habitat for spoonbills and many other species of wading birds.

If you could step into this photo, what would you look for? More spoonbills? Or something else?

NPS photo / R. Cammauf

10/06/2026

Bio Blitz pics!

Guided by park intern, Zito Rojas, volunteers spent National Public Lands Day at a Bio Blitz event in Everglades National Park.

A Bio Blitz encourages identification and documentation of all the species that can be found within an area. Volunteers waded through cypress dome waters, collecting data about the dome's current plants and animals.

Volunteers kept an eye out for both native and invasive species. They contributed to Everglades' research by providing information that can be used as a reference point for years to come.

Thank you, volunteers, for watching over the Everglades biodiversity! If you're interested in volunteering in your park, continue to follow along here on Facebook for future event announcements.

NPS photos / Brandon Cintron Gerena

10/05/2026

Today’s homework: thank a teacher.

National parks are places where students can learn about history by standing where it happened, explore science by observing nature, and discover stories that help us better understand the people and places that shaped our world.

Behind those experiences are teachers helping students ask questions, make connections, and learn about the world around them.

On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the educators who inspire curiosity, encourage exploration and remind us that learning can happen just about anywhere. (Including places with a really good view.)

Learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/teachers/index.htm

NPS Image

10/05/2026

Every day from October 12 to November 5, 2026, visit Mission San José's granary during park hours (9am-5pm) to view the mission descendant community's family ofrendas.

Ofrendas are an essential part of Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead. The word ofrenda means offering in Spanish. They are also called "altares" or altars, but not for worship. These altars are not only full of family pictures, but of symbols and meaning, honoring the ancestors who have passed, and offering them items of the celebration such a "pan de mu**to" and marigold flowers.

NPS Photo

10/04/2026

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

And we’re rather glad there are national parks to experience them in. Fall is a great time to get outside and enjoy the spectacular spectacle (say that five times fast) of changing leaves. There is plenty of room for imagination when you find yourself surrounded by forests painted in brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold. In our experience, you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will. So consider this your invitation to find a little wonder, a little enchantment, and perhaps a kindred spirit among the trees.

Forests, woods, and shrublands in national parks put on their autumn colors from September through December. There’s a whole world of beauty waiting to be explored!

Image 1: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Image 2: Great Smoky Mountains NP
Image 3: Great Sand Dunes NPP
Image 4: Rocky Mountain National Park
Image 5: TheodoreRooseveltNPS

10/03/2026

“On October 3rd, he asked what day it was.” — Cady Heron

It’s October 3rd.

October is kind of a big deal around here. The autumn months splash many national parks with a rich array of fall colors, while cooler temperatures have wildlife getting ready for winter. Some are migrating. Some are gathering food. Some are putting on extra layers.

Same, honestly.

So whether you’re here for the foliage, the wildlife, or simply to judge the leaves on their color palette, national parks are a pretty fetch place to experience fall. Fetch? We’re making it happen.

And if you want to keep up with what’s happening in parks this season, you can find more ways to connect with your national parks at the link below.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/fall-season.htm

Image: Red Osier Dogwood leaves stand out against aspen trunks at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. NPS/Patrick Myers

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

Wherever military life takes you, there’s likely a park adventure nearby.

Active-duty military members, Veterans, and Gold Star families can get a free America the Beautiful Pass, providing access to national parks and federal recreation sites across the country.

Active-duty military families can also find free events, nearby outdoor opportunities, and resources for exploring national parks, public lands, and waterways through the Military Families Outdoors Program, wherever military life takes them. Visit: go.nps.gov/mfo

Whether you’re PCSing, exploring near your duty station, or looking for a weekend adventure, your next park visit may be closer than you think.

NPS Photo: Rangers at Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park recently teamed up with Blue Star Families and community partners for a day of fishing, outdoor fun, and family time at Fletchers Cove.

Blue Star Families Defense Public Health

10/01/2026

Fat Bear Week has officially lumbered to a close.

What a week. As they say, a journey of roughly 3,000 to 4,500 calories begins with a single salmon. Something like that. There might be some steps involved too.

In the end, 16 bears entered. Bear 89 “Backpack” became champion. Talk about the hunger games. And several ate their way into our hearts. Figuratively. And thousands of us humans spent an unreasonable amount of time judging bears for being excellent at being, well, bears.

It was a week of big bellies, bigger appetites, and absolutely no regrets. We shared some science, learned about the Alaskan ecosystem, stood around for hours watching large mammals eat, and found multiple way to incorporate “chonk” in everyday vocabulary.

Now the bears have more important things to do, such as eating then sleeping, a bit more eating, sleeping, and finally preparing to sleep after eating. As for the rest of us, we all return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Must we?

We must.

We will miss you, Fat Bear Week. Until next year: stay chunky, stay hungry, and remember: there’s always room for one more salmon.

NPS Images

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

Now that Fat Bear Week is over, it's time for Chunky Puppy Day! Tune in to the Puppy Cam tomorrow, Thursday, October 1, at 2pm AK time to find out how big the America's Best Idea litter got this summer.

How much do you think they weigh now? Share your guesses in the comments below.

NPS Photo: Graupel from the Weather litter during a weigh-in last year.

09/30/2026

This is the ideal marmot body. You may not like it. You may not understand it. But this is what peak performance looks like.

Now that Fat Bear Week is over, we’re returning to our regularly scheduled programming: other fat mammals.

The tundra-dwelling yellow-bellied marmots have been preparing for hibernation for the last couple of months. Since marmots spend more than half their lives hibernating, they’ve developed some impressive adaptations for surviving the winter:

✅ First, they’ve been building up healthy fat reserves (sound familiar? Bears. Us too, but that’s another post) to sustain them for up to eight months. Basically, a nice winter savings account.

✅ When they finally enter hibernation, they become true hibernators, slowing their heart rate from around 200 beats per minute to as low as 30. It’s an impressive energy-saving strategy.

✅ Speaking of saving, they also save on utilities by cuddling up with the colony in a communal burrow. Because heating is expensive, and roommates are the answer. Was that on the lease?

NPS Photo: A rotund marmot standing on a rock at Rocky Mountain National Park

09/26/2026

📣Volunteer Opportunity 📣

We are recruiting a volunteer from the greater Maimi area who is interested in assisting the South Florida Collections Management Team based out of Everglades National Park. Volunteer will be assisting in cataloging a natural history collection focusing on lichen collected in Everglades National Park. If you are comfortable with data, enjoy organization and contributing to a great program, this may be a volunteer opportunity for you! Commitment would be once a week.

Duties include:
Read specimen labels
Transcribe information in database
Flag unclear labels
Snapshot photo
Other museum tasks as need!

Please reach out to [email protected] for more information on this volunteer opportunity.

NPS graphic

09/24/2026

Saving the best for last!

As National Wilderness Month comes to a close, the park is pleased to announce the completion of its Wilderness Stewardship Plan!

The plan provides long-term direction for preserving wilderness character, protecting natural and cultural resources, and providing opportunities for public use and enjoyment of wilderness.

A plan is only the beginning. Next comes the work.

As the park begins implementing the plan, visitors can look forward to two new wilderness walk-in campsites in the Pine Island District, 10 new elevated camping platforms across the park, a new and improved Snake Bight Boardwalk, and more!

The completion of this plan marks an important step in the continued stewardship of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness. It helps guide how to care for this remarkable landscape while providing opportunities for people to experience and connect with it.

To read the new Wilderness Stewardship Plan and learn more about wilderness in Everglades: https://www.nps.gov/ever/wilderness.htm

NPS Photo / Paul Gandy

09/17/2026

Not all outdoor spaces are wilderness. So, what makes wilderness wild?

The Wilderness Act established a framework for protecting wilderness, and today the National Park Service considers five qualities when evaluating wilderness character:

• Natural
• Untrammeled
• Undeveloped
• Opportunities for Solitude or Primitive and Unconfined Recreation
• And Other Features of Value.

In the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness, these qualities come together across a vast landscape shaped by water. Alongside its remarkable natural resources, this wilderness holds cultural and historical connections that reflect the enduring relationships Indigenous peoples have had—and continue to have—with the Everglades.

Which quality do you cherish the most?

Learn more about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness characteristics at https://www.nps.gov/ever/wilderness.htm

NPS Photo / Alexander Forjan

National Park

09/16/2026

Update: All spots have been filled. Thank you to everyone who signed up to participate!

Volunteers Wanted!

Register now to sign up for the National Public Lands Day BioBlitz event at Everglades National Park on Saturday, September 26! Space is limited and registration is required.

What's a BioBlitz? An engaging community science project where volunteers will identify and document plants, animals, and other species during a cypress dome wet walk. If you're not afraid of getting your feet wet (literally), consider registering to volunteer.

Please visit the following link for details, program requirements, and registration: https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a09SJ00000RCEyvYAH/national-public-lands-day-bioblitz-in-cypress-dome-at-everglades-national-park

NPS Photo

09/15/2026

Constitution Day, September 17th, will be an entrance fee-free day for U.S. Citizens and residents this year.

Continue to celebrate American history by visiting your local National Park this Thursday. Learn more about Everglades National Park fees at https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

NPS Video / Houston. A ranger leans out of the fee booth to hand a visitor a map. A 'whoosh' sound plays as the words 'fee free day' and '09/17/2026' fly on screen.