Article by Urban Horticulture Agent Lorna Bravo & Commercial Horticulture Educational Specialist Giuseppe Di Giacinto
The Water Ambassador Program
In 2019, our Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) program collaborated with UF professor Dr. Laura Warner to pilot test the ‘Connected to Water’ scale, assessing individuals’ appreciation for water and conservation efforts. Building on the success of this pilot project, which showed increased water connection among participants, we launched the Broward County Water Ambassadors program.
To make a difference concerning the issues surrounding water quality and quantity in our urban communities, we must understand how we interact and connect with water in urban environments.
Building on the success of this pilot project, we launched the “Water Ambassador” program in 2020. This comprehensive 6-week course takes participants across Broward County, meeting with local water conservation experts, visiting the United States Geological Survey, and exploring Everglades tree islands with the Miccosukee tribe.
Since its inception, the Water Ambassador program has achieved remarkable results:
Through strategic partnerships with 16 local stakeholders and 3 UF faculty, the Water Ambassador program trained 35 Master Gardener Volunteers, conducted 50 landscape inspections across 16 Broward County cities, awarded 33 Florida-Friendly Landscape recognitions, and saved an estimated 7.8 million gallons of water—equivalent to supplying 89 households annually.
Cross-Cultural Understanding and Community Collaboration
The program has fostered cross-cultural understanding and community collaboration. Participants gained insights into indigenous water management practices by learning about Miccosukee tree islands, reinforcing that water connects diverse communities.
Voices of The Everglades
Since I saw Jean, I knew we would have a unique experience. The Water Ambassador’s last pit stop is at the Miccosukee Indian Village. Just the time to park our cars along Tamiami Trail, and Jean approaches to welcome us. The airboat ride to the Tree Islands is an opportunity that not all tourists can experience since the Tree Islands are fragments of land that the different tribe’s families share and use for their cultivation and gatherings.
Jean, who is a community member of the Miccosukee tribe, explains that each tree island is collectively managed and used for hunting, fishing, and gathering resources.
The collective approach echoes their profound bond to the Everglades and their commitment to preserving the ecosystem for future generations. Jean believes that the Everglades have little memory of what they were before. It has significantly been shaped by the impactful alteration of the natural river courses, reducing the amount of water flow and leading to water shortages and an increase in salinity.
This also caused the loss of wetland habitats and reduced the wildlife population, disrupting migration patterns and causing a critical loss of biodiversity. It still looks like a marvelous ecosystem that unfortunately suffers a human impact, as Marjory Stoneman Douglas stated in her book “The Everglades, River of Grass.”
A place of abundant richness. She also mentions in her book the fragility of this ecosystem, particularly focusing on the major concern of water preservation.
It combines nature’s elements in that location: water is the soul, followed by the surrounding fauna and flora. To the eyes of the Miccosukee people, this place is more than wetlands. It’s their essence, as the water is the main element that sustains every nearby creature.
Human activities’ impact has disrupted the Everglades’ natural flow since the 1800s, primarily by creating water control divisions and flood control structures, severely affecting habitat quality. Raising awareness and inviting others to join the cause are important steps in supporting these restoration efforts.
Everglades need to be protected. In a moment of self-reflection, in the vast wetlands, I finally hear the voice of the Everglades. Water is the essence of the biodiversity found in the swamps. Connecting with the Everglades is an innate feeling. You can close your eyes and listen as you pause along the tree islands. One can listen to the sounds of the wildlife.
You can listen to the voices around you. The voice of the wind caressing the wet grass, the voice of the water forcing its path through the marshes, the voices of the creatures that populate the wetlands.
-2024 Water Ambassador Class Participant.
This cultural exchange enriches our approach to sustainable landscaping by embracing diverse perspectives and traditional knowledge. Our Water Ambassador program builds bridges between communities, demonstrating that water is a shared resource transcending cultural boundaries. This holistic approach strengthens our collective commitment to protecting Florida’s water resources for future generations.
Resource:
- Integrating “connectedness to water” into water-related Extension programs. AEC733/WC394: Integrating “Connectedness to Water” into Water-Related Extension Programs
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