camouflaged in the brush. These apex predators, likely released as pets, have decimated local populations of marsh rabbits, opossums, and even deer. Tessa documented how conservationists are working to remove these snakes to restore the natural balance of the food web. 4. Restoration and the Future At the end of her journey, Tessa visited the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)

Tessa learned quickly that the Everglades isn't a stagnant swamp; it is a massive, shallow river, 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long, flowing south from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay. The water moves so slowly—only a few feet per day—that it allows vast prairies of

headquarters. She learned that humans had spent decades draining the wetlands for agriculture and housing, nearly destroying the ecosystem. Today, billions of dollars are being spent to "get the water right"—restoring the natural flow to ensure that Florida has clean drinking water and that the unique biodiversity of the Everglades survives for the next generation.

Below is an informative story inspired by that premise, focusing on the ecology and preservation of the Florida Everglades. Tessa Taylor’s Everglades Adventure

Deep in a "cypress dome"—a cluster of trees that grow in a depression in the limestone bedrock—Tessa spotted an American Alligator . This is a keystone species