By MARIBEL MONTALVO
School of Communication
University of Miami
Posted April 24, 2006
SHARK VALLEY, Fla.--- I was halfway into my journey to Shark Valley on a hot early Saturday morning, when the fuel alarm in my car went off reminding me that I had forgotten to fill up my tank that morning and that I might just be left stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Being my first trip to the Everglades National Park, visions of alligators creeping up towards me on the side of the road quickly crossed my head, so I decided to take a chance and continue driving towards Shark Valley and let my car die there if it had to, knowing that at least I got what I came for by making it to the scheduled tram tour on time.
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Halfway around the Shark Valley loop, tram riders stop at the Observation Tower for spectacular views of the area (Photo by Maribel Montalvo). |
I have been living in Miami for four years now and have never been to the Everglades, a fact that is always met by incredulous looks. I knew this assignment would be the perfect opportunity to visit the only subtropical preserve in North America, and finally confront my fears of alligators, by facing them face-to-face.
The two-hour tour consisted of myself, nine other park visitors and a quirky tour guide by the name of Lisa that had a tendency to yell out less forgiving words to those bikers that would refuse to stop while passing the bus, which extremely irritated her.
As soon as the first biker whizzed by and Lisa flew into a rage, I knew that this was going to be an interesting ride.
The early morning sun was glaring down on us as the bus rolled forward through the 15-mile loop, and within minutes I caught a glimpse of my first alligator.
As I held my breath and stared at the baby gator, I realized that it didn’t look too menacing and I actually looked forward to seeing more. Lisa also eased my tension by mentioning that alligators, as opposed to crocodiles, prefer freshwater, so they tend to slither away from humans. Since Shark Valley contained freshwater, I felt somewhat safer.
As we drove by the man-made water holes in which birds and mammals feed upon the concentrated life in them and in turn occasionally become food for the alligators that clear out these holes for the animals that take refuge in them, I found myself drawn by everything nature had to offer at Shark Valley.
An important part of the ecology of the park, I was fascinated by all the information being given to us about the alligators which I was not aware of, such as the fact that an alligators’ heart beats every four minutes, and because of their slow metabolism, the alligator needs to eat only once a month and can go as long as six months without eating. However, I was blown away to learn that weather determines the gender of an alligator, with the weather being 86 degrees or less making it most likely that an alligator will be female.
Lisa was extremely enthusiastic talking about the rich bird life found in Shark Valley, such as wood storks, herons, egrets and white ibises, which she quickly pointed out were brought to Florida from Africa by hurricanes.
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Alligators innocently sunning themselves occasionally block the walkway to the Shark Valley Observation Tower (Photo by Maribel Montalvo). |
I was expecting to see sharks, hence the name of the park, but Lisa pointed out that although there are no sharks at Shark Valley, there are sharks at the point that the flowing water, called the Shark River Slough, reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Every April or May, the female sharks from the Gulf of Mexico come to the area to have their babies. And there actually is a valley, about 10 miles east or west, where the land elevation is a foot higher.
Halfway through the tour we got off the entrance of a 65-foot observation tower, only to be met by a pack of alligators enjoying the warmth of the sun.
Our guide, Lisa, sighed heavily as she dragged a medium size pole out of the bus in order to poke the alligators out of the way.
I could tell she was a bit nervous to do so, as these alligators where quite large with strong tails that could knock the wind out of anyone. She assured the group by saying that alligators will mainly attack when they feel their young are in danger and went on to tell us that the only time she could remember an alligator attacking a visitor at Shark Valley was when a small boy got too close to a baby gator and its mother attacked the boy, causing the boy’s own mother to jump on the reptile until it let go of her son.
Not exactly a comforting story.
Once Lisa had the gators on their way, we climbed the observation tower which offered breathtaking views of the fauna and wildlife that make Shark Valley a truly special place. For a moment, I forgot the chaos of Miami and school and really let the peacefulness of nature sink in.
The second half of the tour seemed to go by more quickly, with more alligators lying around and more insults by Lisa hurled towards careless bikers zooming by.
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Tram guide Lisa pauses to watch alligators move out of the way on the walk to the Observation Tower (Photo by Maribel Montalvo). |
When we reached home base, I had almost managed to forget my car fiasco. A young man working at the park mentioned a gas station about a mile from Shark Valley, but then added with a laugh that I would be lucky if they actually had any gas at the station, which they rarely did.
With the A/C off, and my windows rolled all the way down, I barely made it to the station, but to my delight there was gas. I filled up my tank and prepared for the journey back home, feeling a bit more in touch with nature, and satisfied that I would no longer be met with incredulous looks, and that I had conquered my fear of alligators.
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One of the many Shark Valley trams that take visitors around the 15-mile loop (Photo by Maribel Montalvo). |
If You Go:
Shark Valley Tram Tour
Getting there: Take Florida's Turnpike south to U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) and drive west.
The entrance to Shark Valley is on the south side of U.S. 41 about 30 miles west of Miami .
Hours: The parking lot is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The visitor center is open from 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 16-April 15, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 16 to Dec. 15. Visitors can park outside the gate and enter at their own risk at other times. All vehicles must be out of the parking lot by 6 p.m.
Entrance fee: $10 per car (good for seven days at any park entrance). Annual park pass: $25, National Park Service system passes also available.
Full-moon bike tours: Guided, three-hour, full-moon bike tours along the 15-mile loop road at Shark Valley are scheduled for Jan 13-14, and Feb. 11-12 at 5:30 p.m. On March 11-12, and April 14, it is scheduled at 6 p.m. Participants should bring their own bicycles. Helmets required. Fee: $15 for adults, $7 for ages 12 and under. Reservations required. Call the entrance station at 305-225-3004 to make reservations and for more information.
Tram tours: Narrated, two-hour tram tours give visitors a good introduction to Shark Valley. Tours depart on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week from December to April, and at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. from May to November. Tickets: $13.25 for adults, $12.25 for seniors and $8 for youths 3-12.
Bikes: Visitors can ride the 15-mile loop road on their own bicycles or rent bikes for $5.75 per hour. If you do not have your own bicycle, one may be rented at the tram office. Rentals are available from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and must be returned by 4 p.m. For more information, call the Shark Valley Tram Office at 305-221-8455.
Wildlife: Alligators, anhingas and a variety of birds, including white and glossy ibises, wood storks, herons and egrets, are regularly seen at Shark Valley. January and February are peak months for birds. Visitors also can see white-tailed deer, river otters and snakes.
Details: Call the Shark Valley Visitor Center at 305-221-8776. For information on tram tours or bike rentals, call 305-221-8455. For more information about special winter activities in other parts of Everglades National Park, go online to http://www. nps.gov/ever.
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Numerous alligators sunning on the bank of a waterhole at the Observation Tower of Shark Valley (Photo by Maribel Montalvo). |
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