“I’ve had the watery eyes, I’ve had the headaches at night … all the common symptoms,” she said. Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and is an introduced contaminant from manmade pollution sources such as coal-burning power plants and municipal and medical waste incinerators. Separate “red tide” algal outbreaks in the ocean ravaged Florida last year, leading to beaches being closed, horrified dog owners who saw their pets poisoned, and hundreds of tons of dead fish and manatees piling up along the Gulf coast. Decades of often poisonous politics have pushed the Everglades, one of the largest and perhaps best-known wetlands in the world, down the path of entropy and potential collapse. Now less than half of its original size, the Everglades is beset by encroaching development and nutrient pollution and riddled with invasive species, such … Temperatures during this time of year can exceed 90°F. DeSantis has outlined a major plan to rescue the Everglades. The problems faced by the Everglades aren’t new or unexplored. A sweeping plan to restore the Everglades was passed by Congress in 2000 and promptly stalled. A century’s worth of dewatering, as well as pollution, dam and canal building, corporate welfare, and indifferent (at best) or bought-and-paid-for (at worst) politicians, has led to one of the greatest ecological tragedies in the country’s history, a fall from Eden that has serious ramifications for human and economic health. The 1,500 acres (6.1 square km) of land protected by the dike is known as the Everglades Agricultural Ar… By the 1960s, scientists had calculated that while around 2m acre feet (2.5bn cubic metres) of water once flowed in a shallow river of grass from central Florida to the state’s southern tip, the volume of this conveyor belt had been cut in half. One solution, Davis and other advocates believe, is to create a vast reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee that would store water intended for the Everglades. The Everglades is America's third largest national park -- behind Death Valley and Yellowstone -- and covers over 1.5 million acres. “This area, just last year smelled like death. “But we shouldn’t be sitting on our hands,” Price said. Ever-increasing population growth along with industry in south Florida has resulted in large metropolitan areas and rising pressures on the surrounding natural environments. The Army Corps of Engineers confined the Kissimmee River to a 53 mile (85.3 km) long canal system, destroying thousands of acres of wetlands. Human alteration of the areas hydrology adversely affected the timing, quality, and quantity of surface flows from the Everglades through ENP and on to Florida Bay (Abrams et al. Introduced species pose a serious threat to the ecosystems of south Florida including the Everglades. In an interview with Yale Environment 360 web editor Kevin Dennehy, Dorcas said it remains unclear just how big a geographic range these snakes might eventually occupy or how much ecological damage they could ultimately cause. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supports the employment of over 23 million Americans. Sulfate contamination, for example, may be improved if officials redesign the Stormwater Treatment Areas, which remove phosphorus from canal water before it enters the Everglad… Florida has even thrown itself into a legal battle to halt a controversial oil drilling project in the north-eastern reaches of the Everglades. But most experts believe the pythons established a reproducing population in the Everglades sometime af… Michael Dorcas, a herpetologist at Davidson College, says that the Everglades were uniquely suited for an explosion in the python population. The Everglades Protection Area was identified as a priority for preservation and improvement planning. The Burmese Python has slowly been taking over the Florida Everglades eating small animals and causing massive destruction. MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A fire broke out in the Florida Everglades Monday. | Jonn Elledge, Florida’s Everglades: ‘The patient is on life support at the moment.’, t first pass, there seems little amiss in the idyll of. The region is again in mild drought, meaning that rainwater isn’t currently coming to the Everglades’ salvation. The breakdown of the natural chain of life was so starkly apparent to Floridians that it became a battleground in the midterm elections. The Everglades Forever Act was passed in 1994 to continue efforts to address environmental concerns related to quality, quantity and timing of water entering the Everglades. A restoration plan to divert water back to the Everglades has been backed by Congress but the area now faces the existential problem of sea level rise, which is connected to climate change. The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells review – our terrifying future, Am I the only one who’s terrified about the warm weather? The Everglades Agricultural Area includes 700,000 acres of … Lake Okeechobee is shaped like a very large shallow bowl and when it collects too much water from rain, other lakes, and streams, it overflows its southern edge and water flows out creating the Everglades. The reason for this problem is the growth rate of the species occurring all over the Everglades. Introduced after being removed from aquariums in the 1950s, these fish have been known to strangle birds that have tried to swallow them whole. “There was a large outcry and it seems like we have got some momentum now.”. Native to Africa, Australia, and southeast Asia, Old World climbing fern (OWCF) was introduced to Florida as an ornamental garden plant and was first found in the wild in the 1960s.This situation is Within the state's protection plan, excess nutrients, in large part from agriculture, have been targeted as a major problem that causes natural periphyton to be replaced by species more tolerant of pollution. Water control has been achieved through the use of drainage canals and pumping stations throughout the Everglades region. “We only get about a third of the water in the eastern Florida Bay that we received historically. The Everglades faces the threat of salty inundation on all sides, with the sea level at its edge rising by about 5in since 2001. Radabaugh, like so many others in Stuart, used to spend all her time either in or surrounded by the water, which is usually a brilliant turquoise blue. The most famous reptile of the Everglades animals is the American alligator. Agriculture, such as sugar cane, rice, and dairy farms, exists on drained land within the Everglades. Relatives of the alligator, American crocodiles, live in the Everglades, too. “The problem is we’re just not getting enough water,” Davis said. These species were originally introduced to Florida as pets, food sources, ornamentals, or as biological controls. When the temperatu… Dead fish in Florida following the 2018 toxic ‘red tide’. Chopper4 was over the fire, which is located about five miles west of US-27 … Marjory was well into her 70s, but she knew she had to fight to save the Everglades, not just because it was a unique ecosystem, but because it also was the main source … “We have the capability to stem the tide by increasing the flow of fresh water. Ron DeSantis with his wife Casey. The Everglades is a slow-moving river. At first pass, there seems little amiss in the idyll of Florida Bay. Its wetlands and wildlife draw large numbers of birders, anglers, boaters, and other outdoor enthusiasts. The state just has to find those sources and help the polluters cap the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen entering the various waterways. “The protection of water resources is one of the most pressing issues facing our state.” Environmentalists have been cheered by the contrast from the previous governor, Rick Scott, who cut funding for environmental programs. The main sources of food include algae and weeds, which it competes for with birds and other smaller fish. The water here is shallow but still impenetrably murky, with the odd strand of seagrass floating by. Climate change and human development have pushed Florida to the brink. Possibly the most symbolic of the environmental threats stalking the Everglades is the decline of the wood stork. From December to April, the dry season brings low humidity and mild temperatures from 53°F to 77°F. The Everglades is surrounded by human development, including the cities of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The tourism industry, worth about $67bn annually to Florida, trembled. Water control has been achieved through the use of drainage canals and pumping stations throughout the Everglades region. Rehydrating the Florida Everglades is the largest ecological restoration project in the world. This isn’t the time to give up.”. Humidity levels are … For example, the Everglades ecosystem provides drinking water for one-third of Floridians and irrigation for much of t… These infestations of non-native species have adverse effects to native ecosystems. Its waters cannot feed the Everglades and are diverted into St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers - affecting the estuaries. A common misconception about the Everglades is that this body of water is just a swamp or a marsh. This led to the die-off of seagrass, crucial for local marine life, leaving the water matted with deceased vegetation. A wedge-shaped expanse of water between the Everglades and the Florida Keys, it is a clean, sun-dappled 1,000 sq mile playground for reddening tourists, grizzled fishermen and loud-shirted locals. Executive Summary - EPA and Port Everglades Partnership (PDF) (10 pp, 1,2 MB, June 2018, EPA-420-S-18-002) Ports are key to the United States economy and serve as gateways to transport cargo, fuel, and passengers around the globe. DeSantis backed the plan and recently penned a letter to Trump, alongside Florida senators Scott and Marco Rubio, to ask for funding. Ecologist Peter Frederick explains why this massive effort is worth its multi-billion-dollar cost. There will be miles and miles of new Florida Bay. Native to Southeast Asia, pythons were first brought to the United States as exotic pets. DeSantis has called for the resignations of the entire South Florida Water Management District board, which controls water policy for the region, and has appointed two members – Ron “Alligator Ron” Bergeron and Chauncey Goss – who both have strong green credentials. The Lake is heavily polluted including its muds. This resulted in the building of a dike at Lake Okeechobee, interrupting the sheet flow of water across the Everglades. Efforts to combat this spread of introduced species are continuing, although they are extremely difficult to eradicate. Laden with chemicals from nearby agriculture and warmed in temperatures that are climbing as the climate heats up, the water is the perfect spawning ground for toxic blue-green algal blooms. This is peak tourist season because the water levels are lower and the animals congregate in central water locations. However, these problems do not necessarily doom the Everglades, provided that we institute the right restoration efforts. Alone on a spoil island deep in the Florida Everglades Kimmel had come looking for the invasive python. Price said this accelerating climate trend, driven by the melting of glaciers and expanding sea water, will see the Everglades retreat further north. The story of the Everglades epitomizes government programs gone awry. “The patient is on life support at the moment,” said Steve Davis, senior ecologist at conservation not-for-profit Everglades Foundation, describing what was once a prime fishing area in the western portion of the bay. As part of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Port… This process may result in oxygen depletion of the water body after the bacterial degradation of the algae. Hurricane Irma tore up much of what remained last year, uprooting mangroves that had managed to survive the surging salt. Now conservationists are finding fresh hope in an unlikely form, Last modified on Thu 28 Feb 2019 18.25 GMT. Oliver Milman traveled to the Everglades as a guest of the Everglades Foundation. … A severe slump in rainfall in 2015 meant salinity levels rocketed in the bay, with the water becoming twice as salty in the ocean. Eutrophication (from Greek eutrophos, "well-nourished"), dystrophication or hypertrophication, is when a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induce excessive growth of algae. However, the Everglades is actually a slow-moving river that is constantly flowing. Studies show that they are not disruptive of local fish populations in the Everglades. “It feels like more has happened in the past few months than in the past 25 years,” said Eric Eikenberg, the chief executive of the Everglades Foundation. A national park, a world heritage site, an international biosphere reserve, and we’re starving it of fresh water.”. But conservationists have fresh hope in the unlikely corporeal form of Ron DeSantis, the new Republican governor of Florida who roused national attention with a campaign video that vowed his children’s fealty to Donald Trump and a televised debate where his opponent, Democrat Andrew Gillum, accused his supporters of racism. The Florida Everglades are critical to the survival of local birds, reptiles and millions of people. In the mid 1800s, the federal Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act gave the Everglades to the state of Florida with the provision that it would be drained. It smelled like rotten eggs for almost three months.” Shark Bight, a cove found further north off the Everglades, is a prime birdwatching and fishing paradise turned “mud pit”, Davis said. But now she can’t go near it — if it’s not because of the nauseating smell of the rotting algae and dead animals, it’s the unknown effects of the toxic chemicals in the water. The resulting permeable limestone formations that developed between 25 million and 70 million years ago created the Floridan Aquifer, which serves as the main source of … The Everglades also provides critical, and often undervalued, benefits to people, called ecosystem services. On this matter, there is no debate. Everglades National Park is an American national park that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida.The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States, and the largest wilderness of any kind east of the Mississippi River.An average of one million people visit the park each year. Everglades NP reports some of the highest mercury levels in the United States. Introduced species pose a serious threat to the native habitats and communities of the Everglades. Without the nourishing freshwater, the ecosystem further south has become saltier and prone to disastrous events, such as happened in 2015, when pristine water turns into a muddy slush, causing fish to flee or die. The Everglades today receives less than one-third of its historic water flow, the water is contaminated by fertilizer and other runoff, and the wildlife-rich wetlands are half the size they were when the federal government started its draining projects in the 1920s. The Everglades’ link to its headwater in Lake Okeechobee has been severed, with water diverted via canals for agriculture, particularly sugar. Drainage canals effectively succeeded in draining the Everglades by the 1930’s, effectively halting the sheet flow of water across the eastern portion of south Florida. There is political expediency in altering the current scenario where the water in Lake Okeechobee is discharged to the west and east, via the Caloosahatchee and the St Lucie rivers respectively, when it fills up and threatens to overflow. The 1,500 acres (6.1 square km) of land protected by the dike is known as the Everglades Agricultural Area. Now less than half of its original size, the Everglades is beset by encroaching development and nutrient pollution and riddled with invasive species, such as the Burmese python, and exotic plants, such as Brazilian pepper and Australian pine. The Kissimmee River supplies about one-third of the water entering Lake Okeechobee which in turn is the major source of water for the rest of the Everglades system. During the rainy season, water must be pumped out to avoid flooding of agricultural lands, with the land requiring irrigation during the dry season with water from nearby Lake Okeechobee. Crocodiles live in the Everglades. 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