EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. (AP) - The country's new secretary of the interior is touring Florida's Everglades.
Secretary Sally Jewell was scheduled to take airboat tours Wednesday in Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and Everglades National Park.
Jewell is the former CEO of outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. She was sworn in earlier this month, replacing Ken Salazar. He had led the Department of the Interior for four years.
The agency is responsible for more than 500 million acres of national parks and other public lands, plus more than a billion acres offshore. It oversees energy development, mining, recreation and other purposes. It also provides services to 566 federally recognized Indian tribes
Congress approved a multibillion-dollar Everglades restoration plan in 2000, but progress has been slow amid various planning and legal challenges.
