White Ibis are among the wealth of birds that have repopulated the river and wetlands along the Kissimmee River, a major provider of water for Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades in Florida.

Nearly 30 years in the making, birders and other citizens, wildlife officials, water managers, and members of the US Army Corps of Engineers recently celebrated the completion of Florida’s Kissimmee River Restoration Project. The monumental effort reclaimed more than 40 miles of river habitat and rehydrated 25,000 acres of wetlands that feed into Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. “It really speaks to the persistence of these dedicated environmental advocates over the past several decades,” said Kelly Cox, Audubon Florida’s Director of Everglades Policy. “The diversity of birds that have come back already has been really, really significant.”

Beginning in the 1960s, the Army Corps straightened the Kissimmee River’s natural meandering bends and drained the surrounding wetlands to control flooding and provide opportunities for a variety of developments. However, ecologists and engineers noticed disastrous environmental impacts almost as soon as they completed construction. Among the once-plentiful birdlife, 70 percent of nesting Bald Eagles vanished from the area, and waterfowl, wading birds, and waterbirds all but disappeared. After years of lobbying from conservation groups including Audubon, Congress greenlighted the massive restoration project in 1992, and the hard work of repairing the Kissimmee River’s course officially began in 1999.

Now eagles, ibises, and a wealth of other birds are returning to the river, Cox explained. More than 150 bird species have been recorded using the newly restored wetlands, and Cox suspects that is just the beginning: “We’re going to continue to see the ecological returns for decades.”

To read more about the impressive Kissimmee River Restoration Project, you can refer to the Florida Audubon article at https://fl.audubon.org/news/kissimmee-river-project-largest-restoration-initiative-its-kind-complete-after-nearly-30-years