Natural Communities
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Originally, Dinner Island’s dry prairies, cypress domes,
freshwater marshes, pine flatwoods and hammocks were a part of
the Kissimmee/Everglades Watershed. Slow moving water flowed
from Lake Okeechobee’s southern end and continued south and
southwest down the peninsula, through the Big Cypress Swamp and
eventually into Florida Bay. To satisfy the demand for flood
protection and dry ranchlands, water flow across natural
landscapes such as Dinner Island was altered by ditching and
canal construction that began in the mid-19th century. The
disruption of natural fire cycles and planting of cattle forage,
citrus and sugarcane further altered plant communities. Despite
these changes, Dinner Island has continued to attract and
sustain many resident and migratory wildlife species. Planned
restoration will create habitat diversity and link the site to a
growing mosaic of publicly-owned land that provides critical
habitat for the Florida panther, Florida black bear and other
listed species. Hydrological restoration in portions of the
management area are being evaluated.
