The Everglades
The tip of the Florida peninsula is home to one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth—the Everglades National Park. Mangrove forests, coastal prairies, pinelands, and saw grass marshes all exist
within its borders. All of the Everglades habitats are highly dependent on clean water for survival. Unfortunately, both the flow and the quality of water into the park have been dramatically decreased
by human activities.
The Physical Landscape
The Everglades National Park encompasses more than 1.5 million acres. The water that nourishes this vast interconnected expanse of marshland and forest flows downstream from rain-fed lakes in central
Florida's Kissimmee River basin. During the wet season, which lasts from May through October, the area receives up to 165 cm of rain per year. The water flows from the lakes through a "River of Grass"—a
wide, shallow slough thick with saw grass and only 0.9 m deep in its center. During the dry season, which lasts from December through April, water levels drop and the land is exposed in places. The wide
variety of plants and animals within the park—including alligators and the endangered Florida panther—are uniquely adapted to the alternating wet and dry seasons. Disruptions in the natural cycle can
adversely impact these species. Alligators, for example, build nests above water. If flooding occurs, the eggs are destroyed. Studies indicate, however, that natural events such as flooding pose less
of a threat to the Everglades than do human activities.
The Problem
Recent decades have seen a sharp rise in Florida's human population. An estimated 900 new residents move to the state on a daily basis. Thus, each day, the demand for freshwater in Florida increases
by roughly 200,000 gallons. As a result, many Florida communities have built canals and levees to divert freshwater to their areas. Such water-control measures interfere with the natural flow of water
into the Everglades.
Agriculture also places increased demands on Florida's limited supply of freshwater. In addition, runoff from farms enters the Everglades, causing high levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, and other chemicals
throughout the fragile ecosystem. The disruption of water flow and decline in water quality have greatly impacted Everglades species—the park has experienced a 93 percent decline in the number of wading
bird colonies since the 1930s. The state's profitable shellfish industry is also threatened, and many other species are teetering on the brink of extinction.
LINK UP: Take an interactive tour of the Everglades
National Park.
Proposed Solutions
In response to studies that documented environmental degradation in the Everglades, the governor of Florida created the "Save Our Everglades" project in 1983. Its goal was to restore the Everglades
to a more natural state through environmental monitoring and conservation measures. The program, however, did not move quickly enough for the federal government, and in 1988, the U.S. Attorney's office
filed a suit on behalf of the Everglades National Park against the state of Florida. The lawsuit was aimed at reducing the amount of agricultural runoff that entered the federal park. A settlement was
reached, but powerful agricultural interests fought back, and the state could not implement water-quality control measures for several years.
In 1994, however, the haggling parties reached a compromise, resulting in the passage of the Everglades Forever Act. This law funded a plan to monitor and regulate an Everglades restoration program,
and called for the construction of wetland treatment areas to filter and remove pollutants before they enter the park. It's too early to judge the efficiency of some of the measures included in the legislation.
However, environmentalists are heartened by the fact that the combined resources of local, state, and federal agencies are now working in concert to save the Everglades.
Activity
Conduct further research on the problems that beset the Everglades National Park. Has the state gone far enough in its measures to preserve the park or is more action needed? Write your opinion in
your science journal.
