OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2000

Stephanie Hanna (O) 202/501-4633

VICE PRESIDENT, INTERIOR SECRETARY COMMEND BERRY GROVE
PURCHASE FOR EVERGLADES RESTORATION

Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today praised the agreement in principle reached by the South Florida Water Management District to acquire 9,000 acres in the Caloosahatchee River basin, lands known as the Berry Grove. The purchase price is $63 million, and the State of Florida is requesting that the Department of the Interior provide half the cost. The Berry Grove land is considered critical to the restoration of the Everglades ecosystem.

"This is another major step in our long-term effort to restore the Florida Everglades. I am pleased that this vital acquisition is back on track, and I look forward to continuing our partnership with the state of Florida as we move forward this year with the most ambitious ecosystem restoration ever undertaken," said Vice President Al Gore.

"The restoration of the Everglades fundamentally relies upon the quality of water, flow of water and availability of water," Secretary Babbitt said. "The Berry Grove acquisition offers an important opportunity to capture water in the western basin, an opportunity that will benefit every other part of the Everglades."

The land acquisition will provide half of the long-term reservoir storage capacity need in the Caloosahatchee River basin. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the Army Corps of Engineers will propose the use of the Berry Grove lands as part of a 20,000 acre-reservoir that would capture excess water from the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee.

The land acquisition will ensure that the SFWMD can permanently protect lands critical to the environment and South Florida's water supply, promoting fishing and recreation industries, preserving open space and maintaining wildlife habitat.

To date, the Department has assisted the State of Florida in acquiring nearly 100,000 acres in the Florida Everglades using $200 million in 1996 Farm Bill funds and Land and Water Conservation Fund monies.

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