Instead of whizzing through the open marsh of the Everglades like he usually does, Tristan Tigertail steers his airboat alongside the man-made canal along Tamiami Trail.
On one side, cars speed past on the two-lane road that bisects the southern part of the state. A telecommunications tower looms above the landscape. On the other, shrubs, marsh grasses and tree islands stretch out toward the vast field.
Tigertail, 36, who captains airboat tours through the Everglades, is navigating his boat through the only route available given how dry the park has gotten this year. This is the driest he’s seen the Everglades in a decade and the first time since the family business opened about 30 years ago that this canal is the only viable route.
But if he doesn’t take his boat down the canal, Tigertail Airboat Tours would be forced to shut down like some of the other airboat operators that line the road. The Herald spoke with half a dozen operators. Many had to stop tours temporarily because of the drought or reroute their tours to the canal, though a few operators on the southern side of Tamiami Trail said that their area still has enough water to reach the greater Everglades. #everglades #drought #rain #airboat #tour #climatechange #water #management
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✍️: Ashley Miznazi
📹: Ashley Miznazi, @matiasocner
📸: @matiasocner