The National Park Service (NPS), in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, plans to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate options and potential impacts for acquiring lands owned by the Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) within the East Everglades Addition of Everglades National Park (the park). This will include the potential exchange of lands authorized in the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009 and other reasonable alternatives. 

The Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 expanded the boundaries of the park to include approximately 107,600 acres, and through that act and additional legislation authorized the NPS and Army Corps of Engineers to acquire lands within the East Everglades Addition. FPL has owned approximately 320 acres of undeveloped land within the East Everglades Addition. Because the FPL property is currently undeveloped and is needed for the restoration and enhancement of the ecosystem (through improvement of natural hydrologic conditions) the NPS is seeking to acquire the FPL property, manage it as part of the park, and maintain it in its undeveloped condition. 

This project is important to restoring natural hydrologic conditions and ensuring that fundamental resource conditions in the park remain. The project is important to the future of Everglades national Park, and that is why the park is initiating this environmental assessment that allows for public input on the proposed project and alternatives. 

There are a number of opportunities to learn more about this project and provide comments to the park as the project develops.

There is a public scoping meeting on July 9, 2009 and proposed alternatives can be viewed and commented on at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website or my sending mail to the NPS Denver Service Center Planning Division FPL Planning Team, PO Box 25287, 12795 Alameda parkway, Denver, CO 80225-0287.