First-PlaceWinner, Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award

Exploring and chronicling a restored river in the heart of Florida

TheKissimmee Valley, which includes the Kissimmee chain of lakes and KissimmeeRiver, covers an area from Orlando to Lake Okeechobee. The headwaters and grandgateway to the Everglades, the area is the domain of the alligator and baldeagle, snail kite and spoonbill, stretching more than 100 miles through centralFlorida.

Between 1960 and 1971, the Army Corps of Engineersstraightened and diverted the river's flow to control persistent flooding.These alterations shortened the length of the Kissimmee, significantly reducedwildlife populations, and created a lucrative real estate market that furtherthreatened native species. In 1992, Congress acted to restore the river to itsoriginal flow.

In the spring of 2007, Doug Alderson joined anexpedition down the Kissimmee chain of lakes and the newly restored river. Thegroup witnessed firsthand the recovering bird populations, spotted otters,turtles, alligators, and other wildlife that make up the hidden beauty of thispart of Florida.

InNew Dawn for the Kissimmee River, Alderson uses this twelve-day paddlingexcursion as a thread to explore the history and ecology of the region, whilehighlighting the most successful restoration project of its kind in the world,the model for the overall Everglades restoration plan.