Iconic airboats being phased out in the Everglades

Florida airboaters are on the losing end of a fight with the National Park Service to continue enjoying their hobby in the Everglades. David Begnaud has more on why the airboaters want to stay and why conservationists want them gone.

[jackland]

Spending time on an airboat in the glades is part of being a south Floridian. These people care more about the park than any government agency ever will..so sad.

[glennoropeza]

I'm a born and raised South Floridian and love showing friends from other states and other countries our Swampland and Gator refuge and no better way than by airboats! Let's not forget airboats were the only way to get to the Value jet plane crash! Airboats themselves have quieter slower turning higher efficiency props and mufflered motors! liquid cooled engines have self contained radiators so they don't pollute! Airboats are manatee and gator friendly!

[sheaoakley]

It it weren't for one air-boater, Bob Marquis, being in the 'Glades on the night of December 29th, 1972, a lot more people would have died in the crash of Eastern flight 401, the worlds first involving a jumbo jet. Marquis, frogging nearby, was first on the scene and saved multiple survivors by pulling them out of the shallow water in which many were drowning, or in danger of drowning, because of their injuries. Marquis also played a key role in enabling rescue helicopters to find the crash site in the darkness.

[Mike-]

Problem is as more people show up get more boats more damage. It's just like the deserts where I live 20 years ago it was a few dirt bikes, and jeeps now it's full of UTV's racing around tearing everything up. Mostly they tear up the land, and the worst of them actually vandalize our historic ghost towns with spray paint, and shooting them up. I think the National Park Service could come up with a way to limit the boats, and have a permitting system.

[wayneyd]

Yep! Big brother from the government is here to help.

[craigherbert]

I do a lot of boating and kayaking all over Florida personally I think airboats are obnoxiously loud other than that I don't see what harm they're doing I believe the air boaters have as much of a right to enjoy the rivers lakes salt marshes and Everglades of Florida as anyone else

[jeremymayer]

Government just looks for things people love and stops them.

[austinhowze]

I just want to say mud boats cut trails not air boats grass don't stop water but a mud boat will dig and push a trail creating a ditch that drains the water

[saltyjo]

I don’t live in the United States. Never been to the everglades. Airboats are cool as f***.
Please keep them. They float on the surface, hardly causing any damage.

[travisjones]

The Army Corps of Engineers is your enemy, not airboats. More government agencies failing to put the blame where it belongs.

[mikewalrus]

They can't ban airboats - they are an international type of boat known throughout the world as an unique boat used in the Florida Everglades - and I'm not even America, but I think banning these boats is another nail in the coffin of individuality and what makes different countries unique in what and who they are!

[dirtbikerydaa]

It's insane that they're only keeping airboats there too because they bring the national park money more than a hundred thousand people go there each year. People spend thousands of dollars on camps out there and I can't just take it away from them people love airboating it's a way of life I can't believe they taken away from us when I grow up I'm only 10 years old and I want to be riding airboats just like everybody else in my family.

[leosypher]

More restrictions is the last thing we need, this is a free nation and we should stride to keep that our goal, but im sure theres a good compromise (that is, something that does truly make everyone happy, rather than one side or no one) couldnt designated trails be formed? and perhaps make one main trail lead to open water where the airboats can roam free?

[lovetofly]

So what did they end up doing?! This was five years ago. Anyone know?

[AcreWoodss]

Rather extreme solution to tell these families that they have to stop all together.

The problem is not the air boats, but rather the few operators who don't understand and respect the ecosystem. It's more exciting to glide over patches of vegetation than it is to stay in the open water. Each pass over the plants causes a bit of damage to the leaves, enough and they die back leaving more open water.

What the NPS needs to do is to force modernization of the industry. Get hands on with the younger generations and teach them how valuable the predefined waterways and bird nesting areas are. Designate where the boats can and cannot operate. Put up 'traffic cams' if need be. Put some noise pollution restrictions out there too.

[jclar]

Because of where I live on Atlantic I have to navigate dangerous water on the open ocean and I'm wondering why shut down this place that has very safe navigable Waters?

[karinabalman]

It's not right to take airboats away from a way of life

[johngustafson]

"Real men use their poles" -Osceola

[SoshoallyUnfit]

Sure. It isn't the rampant development that is hurting the Everglades and the way water flows in the state, it is the airboats.

[TSemasFl]

The NPS can't just keep accumulating land and kicking people out. They need to create a preserve or a cooperative use area so they can still use the area for recreation. Besides, the US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ( US Government) has done far more damage to the Everglades and The Everglades National Park, than any airboater ever has. I'm a South Floridian, so i know the extent of the government damage. But it's ok for them to destroy Florida.