The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District and partners at the South Florida Water Management District and the National Park Service hosted a tour of America's Everglades for a delegation of senior water management officials from the People’s Republic of China, including the Minister of Water Resources.
The delegation had already visited Superstorm Sandy recovery projects in New York and Hurricane Katrina recovery projects in New Orleans. The professional dialogue continued during a visit to America’s Everglades, as leadership and staff of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Chinese Water Ministry discussed processes and progress in the United States' largest ecosystem restoration program.
The trip included the bridged section of Tamiami Trail, the S-356 and S-333 pump stations, and a tour of the Shark Valley region of Everglades National Park.
Jacksonville District Commander Col. Jason Kirk presents Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources for the People’s Republic of China, with “River of Interests,” which discusses water management in south Florida and the Everglades between 1948 and 2010.
Col. Jason Kirk, Jacksonville District Commander and Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources for the People’s Republic of China, discussed water resource challenges in China and the United States.
Thomas Teets, Director of the Office of Everglades Policy and Coordination of the South Florida Water Management District, Jacksonville District Commander Col. Jason Kirk, Water Resources Minister Chen Lei (front, right to left) and members of the Chinese delegation head to the observation tower during a tour of Shark Valley in Everglades National Park.
Robert Johnson, Director of the South Florida Natural Resources Center, National Park Service, shows periphyton, the base of the food chain in the Everglades, to Minister Chen Lei, Jacksonville District Commander Col. Jason Kirk, Gao Bo (with camera) and other members of the Chinese delegation during a tour of Shark Valley in Everglades National Park.
Minister Chen Lei and the Chinese delegation got a bird’s eye view of Everglades National Park from the observation tower at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park.
The group observes the classic ridge and slough landscape of the Everglades, with sawgrass and tree islands, during their visit to Shark Valley in Everglades National Park.
No visit to the Everglades is ever complete without seeing alligators. The Chinese delegation was lucky to see a rare sight -- several nests of tiny striped baby alligators.