Photo Credit: Ann Schoenacher

Storm at Sunset, by Jeff Ripple

Miccosukee Elder Buffalo Tiger speaks about his life in the Everglades.

Betty Jean Steinshouer portrays the Everglades most famous advocate, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas.

The cruise presents a great opportunity for one-of-a-kind photos.

Everglades City

March 16-18, 2007

Schedule of Events

Pre-Gathering
The Pre-Gathering begins mid-morning, Friday, March 16. An additional fee is charged for this activity.

Hike through the Fakahatchee Strand
Explore the complex mosaic of the Fakahatchee Strand, which supports plant species not found anywhere else in the United States. Biologist Mike Owen will lead us off-the-trail, deep into this rich ecosystem and introduce us to rarely-seen varieties of orchids and other botanical wonders. Lunch is included.

Space is limited.

The Gathering
The Gathering weekend begins with an evening reception on Friday, March 16. During our weekend together we will:

• An Evening with Michael Grunwald.
  Michael Grunwald, award-winning Washington Post reporter and author of the recently published book, The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise will lead us on a riveting journey from the Ice Ages to the present, illuminating the natural, social and political history of one of America's most beguiling but least understood patches of land. "Today, everyone agrees that the Everglades is a national treasure," Grunwald writes. "It's a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, the most famous wetland on earth. But there was once just as broad a national consensus that the Everglades was a worthless morass, an enemy of civilization, an obstacle to progress." We'll contemplate the area's rich history with Grunwald as he tracks the political forces and evolving attitudes that have had major impacts on the Everglades over the years.
• Photographic Presentation by Jeff Ripple.
  Enjoy a presentation by Jeff Ripple, a fine art landscape photographer and natural history author. Jeff's photographic images reflect his devotion to protecting the natural environment, his fascination with the ephemeral play of light on textures and forms in the landscape, and a reverence for wild places. His engaging presentation will weave together his stunning photographs and beautiful essays.
• Visit a Miccosukee village with Tribal Elder Buffalo Tiger and Anthropologist Patsy West.
  Ms. West will introduce us to the rich heritage of the Indians who made their home in the untamed environment of the Everglades. Then Miccosukee Elder Buffalo Tiger will guide us by airboat to his ancestral village and speak about how his people once lived deep in the Everglades.
• Meet "The Voice of the Everglades", Marjory Stoneman Douglas, portrayed by Betty Jean Steinshouer, independent scholar and Chautauqua performer.
  We will follow the matriarch of Miami as she begins her crusade to restore the Everglades. Since the 1947 publication of her book, Everglades: River of Grass, Ms. Douglas has realized that her focus must be on restoration, not conservation—"Conservation is now a dead word. You can't conserve what you haven't got."
• Cruise through the exotic Ten Thousand Islands of the Everglades National Park, contemplating the area’s natural beauty and unique history.
• Absorb the atmosphere of the Everglades during "A Night of Stories" with long-time residents.
  We’ll enjoy stories, recollections, and oral histories about life in the Everglades from some of the area’s most knowledgeable and colorful characters.
• A Night of Stories with long-time Everglades residents.
  We'll enjoy stories, recollections, and oral histories about life in the Everglades from some of the area's most knowledgeable and colorful characters.