The Conservancy was pleased to sponsor and participate in the 40th annual Everglades Coalition Conference, “Reflections on Progress and Opportunities,” which was held from January 30 to February 1, 2025, at the Miccosukee Casino and Resort in Miami.
The Everglades Coalition comprises almost 60 local, state, and national conservation organizations that come together to speak with one voice in support of Everglades restoration. The conference is an opportunity for our coalition members, elected officials, agency leadership, and engaged stakeholders to come together and strategize on how best to maintain restoration momentum.
The conference theme of reflection was extremely appropriate, as the coalition celebrated four decades of progress toward restoring America’s Everglades. It was the perfect opportunity to reflect on previous conferences and some of those pivotal moments in the history of Everglades restoration.
For Nicole Johnson, the Conservancy’s Director of Environmental Policy, one of those decisive moments happened at the 15th annual Everglades Coalition Conference, which was held at the Naples Beach Club in January 2000. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, known as CERP, was authorized in late 2000 and was hailed as the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world. It set the gold standard for how a federal-state partnership should work for restoration projects, and it challenged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be the federal lead on a process that would undo the decades of engineering that had drained the River of Grass.
The effort required to achieve CERP was monumental, and the fact that the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works conducted a hearing at the Naples Beach Club as part of the 2000 Everglades Coalition Conference to discuss restoration demonstrated the Everglades was truly an ecosystem of national significance.
“The energy in the room was palpable,” reflects Johnson, “we knew we were witnessing history, and for me, it really clicked. Everglades restoration was going to happen in my lifetime, and I would be able to witness the results of our collective effort. I was so proud to be part of the Conservancy and the coalition.”
Fast forward 25 years, and CERP continues. It has not always been smooth sailing – there have been setbacks and surprises. But meaningful progress continues, and the essential federal-state partnership remains strong and unwavering. At the 2025 conference, the Conservancy hosted the Saturday lunch, where Jennifer Marshall, Director of the Office of Environmental Management for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), was the keynote speaker. Jennifer’s remarks highlighted the exciting work that FDOT is doing to ensure habitat and corridor connectivity amidst Florida’s growing network of roads and highways.
In addition, the Policy Team celebrated our partners at Earthjustice, Tania Galloni, Bonnie Malloy, and Christina Reichert, who received the coalition’s Conservationist Award. This was a much-deserved recognition for all of their work through the years and, most recently, their efforts to legally challenge EPA’s delegation of 404 Clean Water Act permitting to the state of Florida. In this ongoing case, EarthJustice has done an amazing job representing their clients, including the Conservancy.