Abstract This paper provides a brief insight into the Everglades, a unique ecosystem that enables people to live and do business in South Florida. It is the source of drinking water for the area's five million people and sustains a productive agricultural industry. It describes how water management is one of the most severe environmental issues facing the Everglades today due to population growth in the area and how drainage projects and development have negatively influenced the systems water quality and biodiversity. It discusses the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan that has been created as a solution to the problem of water with a complex network of reservoirs, treatment areas and recovery wells.
From the Paper "The first water management activities of humans were designed to drain the Everglades and exploit the natural resources of rich soils and tropical climate for agricultural development. Years later, the canal system was improved for navigational use to move products to coastal markets. Humans created canals, pump stations, and structures to provide water supply to coastal areas, and flood protection for agricultural development. Over the years, management priorities of this system have evolved, with an emphasis on flood control during hurricane years, water supply during droughts and, more recently, environmental protection of Everglades' natural resources."
Abstract This paper discusses the geology of the Everglades and the development of the topography of the area. It describes how the Everglades in Florida is a major ecosystem and discusses the ways in which it provides benefits to all of the Southeast United States. It also discusses the geographic stability of the area, as well as the influences on the geology of the Everglades.
From the Paper "During this process, sediments from the Appalachian and other inland highlands came east and southward in streams to be deposited on the faulted continental margin, a process that buried the margin under a wedge thousands of feet thick made up of layered sedimentary and volcanic debris. Most Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rock layers are today found beneath much of the coastal plain, and the fringing continental shelf is nearly horizontal or tilts gently toward the sea ("Atlantic Plain Province" paras. 7-8)."
Abstract This paper examines the impact of development on the Florida Everglades. Both agricultural development--sugar cane production--and residential and recreational development are both having profoundly negative effects on the Everglades. The sources of this development pressure and ways to address it are considered.
Abstract The paper explains the Everglades' environmental challenges of a decreasing size and a reduced animal, bird and plant population. The paper maintains that special interests, such as the sugar industry, need to look toward the future and not merely at today's profits. The paper further asserts that people have to stand up and fight to restore the Everglades to their former glory.
From the Paper "The Everglades, or the "River of Grass," as it is known, has a long history in southern Florida. Scientists believe it was formed at least 6,000 years ago, when the Atlantic Ocean's elevation changed and flooded some low-lying territory in what is now Florida. The fresh and saltwater marshes and swamps that resulted are fed both by rainwater and by streams and rivers in the entire area. Sub-tropical plants began to populate the area, such as mangroves, willows, bald cypress, and many others. Eventually, a huge area of sawgrass formed, creating the "river of grass" as the Everglades have come to be called. Today, that river is 60 miles wide and 300 miles long, creating a habitat for hundreds of unique wildlife, from birds to crustaceans and even coral reefs (Editors, 2002). Unfortunately, the immense area of the Everglades has shrunk by millions of acres due to "reclamation" efforts in the nineteenth century that led to draining large areas to reclaim them for farmland and building development."
Abstract The paper briefly examines government initiation of the project, then reviews the causes of change in the Everglades National Park since its creation in 1947. The paper lists numerous examples of environmental damage done before returning to an examination of the political and economic forces arrayed both before and against the project. The paper itemizes six individual work projects incorporated into the overall restoration project, including their estimated costs. In conclusion, the paper argues that there is no justification to opposing the project because it merely reverses damage clearly done by man over the last half century.
From the Paper "There is no doubt that a good deal of the decline and worse are man's fault. A water control systems of canal and levees and even locks prevent water from flowing, as nature had intended, sometimes shutting off a water supply ample enough for a population like the wood stork. Even the rainfall is now sometimes shunted away from the Everglades. And, one must remember that the Everglades national park comprises only about one-fifth of the total Everglades area. Man is also responsible for pollutants, as a result of agricultural chemicals and other chemicals as the result of human expansion into the once-pristine area. High levels of mercury, for example, are now found up and down the so-called food chain, from fish in the marsh through raccoons and alligators. Among the disappearing species, wildlife conservationists point to the Florida panther, a species now so endangered that there may be less than 30 left in the entire state of Florida."
Abstract The author of this paper reviews environmental themes from the following five books: "Dust Bowl" by Donald Worster, "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, "Everglades: River of Grass" by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, "Killing Mr. Watson" by Peter Matthiessen, and "River of Lakes" by Bill Belleville. This paper discusses the role that culture has played in environmental issues during the past century.
From the Paper "Douglas begins her book by describing poetically the area she was so devoted to for over fifty years. "There are no other Everglades in the world, they are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known" (Douglas, 5). She speaks of the enormous horizon, the sweetness of the winds, and the miracle of the light as it pours over the green and brown expanse of saw grass and water. She also details the origin of its name, pointing to the oldest English origin of the word "glade" which comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "glaed" meaning "shining" or "bright" (Douglas, 1997)."
Abstract "The Florida Everglades National Park is the second largest national park in the lower 48 states, and the largest freshwater marshland in the world (10). It is home to more than 600 kinds of animals, and 900 plant species that dwell in a variety of habitats, including mangrove forests, a dry pineland ridge, shallow sloughs that carry fresh water through the park, and several types of tree islands (13:12).
From the Paper "The Florida Everglades National Park is the second largest national park in the lower 48 states, and the largest freshwater marshland in the world (10). It is home to more than 600 kinds of animals, and 900 plant species that dwell in a variety of habitats, including mangrove forests, a dry pineland ridge, shallow sloughs that carry fresh water through the park, and several types of tree islands (13:12). While hunting in the park has all but ceased because of the efforts of the park rangers, the park and its residents are now in danger from the effects of pollution from nearby vegetable farms, sugarcane plantations and real estate development. This paper will look at factors contributing to the pollution of the everglades and what is being done to combat the problem and restore the park to its original state."
Abstract The paper describes the Florida panther and the dangers threatening its survival. The paper discusses the measures taken to combat its extinction such as the Clean Water Act and breeding in captivity. The paper describes what other measures are needed to ensure the panthers survival.
From the Paper "The Florida panther, a subspecies of mountain lion and resident of wetlands such as the Florida Everglades, is one of the most endangered species on Earth today. Two federal laws, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, have worked together to save the habitat of this animal. The Clean Water Act is particularly important in the preservation of the Florida panther, because the Everglades is its primary remaining habitat."
Abstract The first fifteen chapters of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" follow Janie's life from childhood, through her marriage to Tea Cake and their subsequent emigration to the Everglades. This paper examines how, during these years, Janie undergoes a number of changes and how the evolution of her character parallels and depends on the external occurrences of her life.
From the Paper "Life with Joe is not what Janie expected. Although he is more successful than she had ever expected, she chafes at his restrictions. Joe's controlling nature toward Janie is revealed when she is asked to speak at his inauguration. Joe prevents this by "taking the floor himself," stating, "mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'. ... She's uh woman and her place is in de home" (p. 51). Just as Joe Starks "cows the town" (p. 55), forcing them to "bow down to him" (p. 59), he dominates his wife. Joe will not allow her to wear her hair long, instead making "her keep her head tied up lak some ole 'oman" so that none of the other men "might touch it round dat store" (p. 59). He keeps her out of the lively conversations and checkers matches held on their store's front porch (p. 82)."
