Description

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Exploring and chronicling a restored river in the heart of Florida

The
Kissimmee Valley, which includes the Kissimmee chain of lakes and
Kissimmee River, covers an area from Orlando to Lake Okeechobee. The
headwaters and grand gateway to the Everglades, the area is the domain
of the alligator and bald eagle, snail kite and spoonbill, stretching
more than 100 miles through central Florida.



Between 1960
and 1971, the Army Corps of Engineers straightened and diverted the
river's flow to control persistent flooding. These alterations shortened
the length of the Kissimmee, significantly reduced wildlife
populations, and created a lucrative real estate market that further
threatened native species. In 1992, Congress acted to restore the river
to its original flow.



In the spring of 2007, Doug
Alderson joined an expedition down the Kissimmee chain of lakes and the
newly restored river. Chronicled nightly on local television, the group
witnessed firsthand the recovering bird populations, spotted otters,
turtles, alligators, and other wildlife, and revealed to thousands of
viewers the hidden beauty of this part of Florida.



In New Dawn for the Kissimmee River,
Alderson uses this twelve-day paddling excursion as a thread to explore
the history and ecology of the region, while highlighting the most
successful restoration project of its kind in the world, the model for
the overall Everglades restoration plan.