THE EVERGLADES: VANISHING SPLENDOR On view at Central Park's Arsenal Gallery

The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation is pleased to present The Everglades: Vanishing Splendor, a striking collection of photographs from Anthony Almeida's seven-year photo essay on the threatened state of the Florida Everglades. The exhibition will be on view from November 4 through November 30, 2010 at the Arsenal Gallery, located at 5th Avenue and 64th Street in Central Park.

"The Everglades: Vanishing Splendor, by Anthony Almeida, highlights the lush landscapes and diverse species of the Florida Everglades," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "All of us who help to secure and maintain publicly owned wetlands share a common goal, and it is our hope that the Everglades' recent designation in the UNESCO list of endangered sites will inspire new conservation efforts. I applaud Almeida for using his artistry to bring attention to this issue."

Almeida increases our environmental consciousness with images of the watershed's landscapes and species. In over forty black and white and color images, he offers a contemporary view of one of few remaining primordial environments. The photographs are sharp with a keen sense of texture and space. Snowy egrets, spoonbills, and blue herons in mid-flight will enliven the walls of the Arsenal Gallery. Almeida also creates vibrant mosaics of saw grass marshes, mangroves, and crawling currents.

For thousands of years, the Everglades have served as a sanctuary to countless species of plants and animals, many now endangered. As the nation's third largest park, the glades are home to over a thousand species of plants and 350 species of water fowl. Yet only half of the original habitat remains and the avian population has plummeted in recent years. The magnificent creatures recorded by Almeida's lens now succumb to increasing pollution, hyper-salinated coastal areas, and drought from modified waterways.

Almeida's photography has been published in New York Times Magazine, the International Herald Tribune, Black and White Magazine and Focus Fine Art Photography Magazine. He has exhibited at Salmagundi Club, Gallery 364, McKay Imaging, Soho Photo, and Henry Gregg Gallery and is in the Brooklyn Museum's Permanent Collection. He has taught English, photography, and media studies at Prospect Heights High School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Almeida holds a M.S. in Education from Richmond College and a B.A. in English from Pace College and continued his education with Austrian-American photographer Lisette Modell.

The Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks, and park history. It is located on the third floor of the Arsenal, the Parks Department's headquarters, in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for holidays. Admission is free.