A Little Blue Heron searches for food on a branch at the Shark Valley Visitors Center in the Everglades.
Florida's Everglades do not make a dazzling first impression. Many early settlers took one look at this wetland and declared it a worthless swamp. All they saw was a flat stretch of razor-sharp saw grass, scrubby trees and shallow water.
| A Little Blue Heron searches for food on a branch at the Shark Valley Visitors Center in the Everglades. |
But humans have slowly learned what Florida's wild creatures knew all along: The humble Everglades is a unique paradise. Nature's original plan for these wetlands provided a lush home for thousands of species—plants, frogs, birds, insects, panthers, bobcats, snakes, fish, alligators, crocodiles and more. The species form a delicate food chain. All they need to survive is each other—and a steady supply of precious water.
That's where humans really messed things up! They drained away much of the Everglades' water because they wanted dry land on which to build homes and plant crops. Cutting this watery lifeline started a chain reaction that upset the balance of the ecosystem for decades.
The Everglades wetlands are now only half their former size. The population of regal wading birds, including herons, egrets and white ibis, declined by 90% from 1900 to 2000. At least 68 Everglades species are endangered or threatened. Last week, the National Parks Conservation Association included Everglades National Park among its list of the top 10 most endangered parks.
But Floridians are set to save their paradise. This year, after long political battles, President George W. Bush signed a law approving an $8 billion plan to restore the Everglades. It is the biggest environmental rescue plan ever. The work to reconnect South Florida to its freshwater lifeline is beginning.
|  A baby alligator suns in the mud in the Everglades. If dry conditions continue, baby alligators will not be able to compete with adult alligators for food. |
Where Did the Water Go?
Before European settlers arrived in Florida, freshwater from giant Lake Okeechobee flowed slowly south. It followed a soggy path 50 to 60 miles wide in some spots. During the winter dry season, the water level was lower, but the ground remained wet. The Everglades was really a wide, shallow river flowing through a saw-grass field. Environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas called it the River of Grass.
People began draining water from the Everglades back in the late 1800s. In 1948, the government began to build canals to carry freshwater east to the Atlantic Ocean, drying up much of the Everglades' land. "Every day, 1.7 billion gallons of Florida water are dumped into the Atlantic by the canals," says Michael Ornella of the Army Corps of Engineers. Under the rescue plan, engineers will build hundreds of wells to capture and store this water. Then 80% of it will be pumped back into the Everglades. The remaining 20% will be used by the 6 million people of South Florida's cities and farms. About 240 miles of canals and other structures will be removed, allowing more of South Florida's water to follow a natural path.
Going with the Flow
The water management area covers 18,000 square miles. At least 52 different projects are planned, and they may take 50 years to complete. "We'll have to learn as we go," Ornella told TFK. "No one has ever attempted a project like this on such a huge scale."
Fifth graders at Embassy Creek Elementary School in Cooper City, Florida, have studied the Everglades up close. Their school sits on dry land that once was part of the Everglades. They're hopeful about the new plan, because their future depends on it. Michael Mitrani, 11, fears that if the Everglades isn't saved, no one will be able to live in South Florida. "The Everglades is that important to our water supply," he says. "It's all we have."