Fate of the Flamingo Lodge

[annd]

I drove out to Flamingo yesterday, to the "ranger station" -- which is, temporarily, three rangers, a card table, and a photo display (and a set of binoculars trained on the five crocs across the canal). The Miami Herald article posted by BobA under "Flamingo News" had me worried about the future of the Lodge, so I asked the rangers. They said that the original decision was to raze the Lodge and not rebuild. Now the possibility of rebuilding is back on the table, but as of a meeting 2 days ago, no decision had been made. They were not optimistic.

It would sure be a shame if the Lodge were not rebuilt. One of the things that makes Flamingo such a great gathering spot is the existence of housing for tenters, RVers, and lodgers within a mile of each other.

While the authorities are still debating the issue, this might be a good time to bombard them with pro-lodge votes. If you're of a mind to do so, you can contact Everglades National Park thusly:

via e-mail:
by hitting the "contact us" tab at www.nps.gov/ever

or by mail:
40001 State Road 9336
Homestead, FL 33034-6733

or by phone:
305-242-7700

or by fax:
305-242-7711


from Key Largo.....