A famed Florida wilderness photographer is not pleased with his newest neighbor.
Clyde Butcher hasn’t been shy about speaking out against Alligator Alcatraz, the temporary migrant detention center that can hold up to 5,000 people.
President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on July 1 visited the airport turned temporary migrant detention center in Ochopee. They have said the facility is necessary.
Alligator Alcatraz is at the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport, a 39-square-mile airport facility. It’s a onetime airstrip and training base in the Everglades off U.S. 41, or Tamiami Trail, about 60 miles east of Naples as the crow flies.
What Butcher says about Alligator Alcatraz
Butcher, 82, has lived in Big Cypress National Preserve for a few decades. His land also is home to his Big Cypress Gallery, along U.S. 41, where visitors can enjoy his work.
“Listening to today’s speech at Alligator Alcatraz stirred up a wave of emotion,” Butcher wrote July 1 on Instagram. “It took me back to the day I spent in the Everglades with former President Jimmy Carter, a leader who didn’t just visit the land, but connected with it.”
Butcher finished the Instagram post by saying:
“Two presidents. Two visions.One came to understand the Everglades.The other came to exploit it.
“Today was a heavy day for those who love the land, for those who believe that beauty, once lost, doesn’t come back. It was a sad day for the Everglades. And a sobering one for America.”
Who’s Clyde Butcher
Known for his sweeping black-and-white photos of Florida’s wilderness, Butcher was born in Missouri later lived in California. He arrived in Florida some 40 years ago and it’s been home ever since.
In addition to Butcher’s photography, he’s also known for his stance on preserving the environment, using his work to showcase the beauty of nature so people will want to preserve it.
He suffered a stroke in 2018, recovered and continues to work.
‘It really made me mad’
In a recent interview with a CBS News Miami, Butcher said “it really made me mad” when he heard the name Alligator Alcatraz.
“Because the Everglades is probably one of the most natural, organic, beautiful places in the entire world,” he said.
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at dosborn@gannett.com and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: ‘Sobering’ day for America: Photographer Clyde Butcher dreads Alligator Alcatraz
Reporting by Dave Osborn, Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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