Douglas

When I moved to Florida from Minnesota one of the things that I really wanted to experience was the Everglades. They are an ecological wonder. When I imagined them I thought of it as a dense jungle, what a surprise I had when I was confronted with what looked like a field of grass similar to those in my home state. However closer examination revealed an ecological utopia unlike anything I had every seen before. Marjorie Douglas is correct when she saws that "There is no other Everglades in the world" It is a unique ecosystem that is unlike anywhere else in the world. Its muddy water, cypress tress and special wildlife make the everglades something that everyone should see at least one time in their life. It is one of the great ecological wonders of North America. 

Picture I took of a Florida Alligator that I saw in the
 Everglades on an Airboat Ride Last Spring

John Anderson wrote and performed a song entitle "Seminole Wind" in the song he address the ecological devastation that the glades have faced in mans attempt to control the annual flooding in southern Florida. Growing up I never realized that the places and problems that John Anderson sang about were real. If you have never heard his song, follow this link to YouTube and view the music video: http://youtu.be/KGoBQIhyFFM. The song really highlights how mans search for wealth and power is destroying the very environment that provides life to us. It also has a lot of great video taken of the Everglades to highlight their beauty and mystery.

According to Douglas the first Spanish that came to America called the Everglades "El Laguno del Espitu Santo" which translated means the Lagoon of the Holy Spirit (pg. 104). The Spaniards, like most men, saw the glades as a source of wealth they could extrapolate rather than appreciate them for the ecological wonder that they were. This has become the curse of the glades. Men have sought to control the power of the everglades through dames and draining projects by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Everglades began to drain. Man is short-sighted in his views of the environment and will cause tremendous devastation to save him a short term inconvenience. Homes flooding is an inconvenience, so how does man respond? He drains one of the most comprehensive ecological biomes on the planet not even taking a second to consider the ecological ramifications of their actions.

"So it is with the Everglades, which have that quality of long existence in their own nature. They were changeless. They are changed." (pg. 107). This quote by Douglas struck me because it is both constant and flux. To the animals that call the Everglades home the place is everlasting, never changing. The seasons come and go but the Everglades remain a striking reminder of the perseverance and strength of mother nature. Despite mans worst intentions the Everglades exist and thrive today, however not without its scars. There are some things that man does that we will never be able to rectify. However we are beginning to understand the importance of ecological conservation and protection so the future of the Everglades seems bright.