Hit the road and explore the Everglades in a brand-new episode of Florida Road Trip. WUCF’s Emmy Award winning program returns with all new episodes exploring the history and stories that make up Florida.
On Thursday, October 6, travel to the Everglades and explore the many stories that make up this largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Veteran television journalist and host Buddy Pittman will explore this vast property home to over two-thousand species of plants and animals. Hear why Lake Okeechobee played a key role in the deadly 1928 hurricane season, and how it led to the construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike, a 143-mile damn that surrounds the lake.
“In November of 1916, members of the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs dedicated Royal Palm State Park, which was the first state park in the state of Florida,” said Bonnie Grysko Ciolino, archivist for the South Florida National Parks. “Those lands would eventually become the core property of Everglades National Park and the idea of Everglades National Park stemmed from the work these women were doing long before they even had the right to vote.”
Learn why the U.S. Army once built a missile defense base in the area and see what remains in the area today. Viewers will see how the Everglades were almost home to the airport of the future, but instead launched an environmental campaign to preserve the area.
Florida Road Trip: The Everglades, airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on WUCF TV, on wucf.org and on the PBS Video app. WUCF Passport members will also get early access, starting Thursday at 8 p.m. to next week’s episode, Florida Road Trip: St. Pete.
Learn more about the show at floridaroadtrip.org.