Dear Florida: You are Renowned

By Luis Garcia Falcon
Miami, FL

Florida is renowned for many things, but none is more important than its natural diversity. With over 2,000 endemic species that call this state home, they live within unique ecosystems that range up and down our large state, encompassing a range of climates that allow for Tropical Hardwood Hammocks filed with evergreen tropical species that are emblematic of the tropics, to the temperate forests that cover the Apalachicola Bluffs filled with endangered Torreya trees and the Florida yew. Our state allows visitors and citizens to experience a range of ecosystems filled with diverse flora and fauna that was once thought to be found only in exotic locations.

Sadly, many of these places have been damaged and changed forever. Yet, that does not mean that their beauty is gone. These natural areas even if they are labeled fragile only require that we leave them alone and use their resources sustainably. If we can continue to push for this reality, we might be able to keep it. So, that we can pass down these natural treasures as love letters to our future generations.