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 FAQ's
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 1.
Why is Everglades Restoration important?
2. What species have been affected
prior to the Restoration Project?
3. What kind of change
will be expected to happen from the project?
4. How long
will it take to obtain a balanced ecology after the restoration?
5. Is the estimated $8-10 billion
cost enough or too much money for the project?
6. Who will be paying for this
estimated amount of money?
7. How do taxpayers feel about
paying for this project?
8. What kinds of technologies are going
to be used in this restoring process?
9. Are there any bad effects for this
project? If so, what are they?
10. How will the animals and plants
be affected when the project is done?
11. Do you think this project goes
far enough;
what else needs to be done for this project to be a success?
1.
Why is Everglades Restoration important?
The Everglades is an ecosystem in peril. Once it was a vast, free-flowing
river of grass extending from the Kissimmee chain of lakes to Florida
Bay. Wading and migratory birds were so prolific they darkened the skies.
Panthers, manatees and deer were abundant. These sub-tropical wetlands
supported a rich diversity of plants, fish and other animals. However,
people started to affect the Everglades as early as the late 1800s, when
primitive canals were dug to begin draining south Florida. These changes
continued throughout the 20th century, as more than 1,700 miles of canals
and levees vastly changed the landscape, interrupting the Everglades'
natural sheet flow and sending valuable freshwater to sea. More than half
the Everglades wetlands were lost to development.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote
about the problems of the Everglades in 1947, describing a ecosystem that
was beautiful yet already clearly suffering. Just one year later, in 1948,
a massive project to provide essential flood protection and water management
to south Florida was approved. While the Central and Southern Florida
Project allowed the region's rapid growth, it worsened the Everglades'
problems. Today, a plan has been approved to restore the magnificent River
of Grass. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will capture freshwater
destined for sea - the Everglades' lifeblood – and direct it back to the
ecosystem to revitalize it. It will improve water supplies for people
and farms, too. The nation's largest such project, it will cost $7.8 billion
and take more than 20 years to develop.
2. What species have been affected prior to the Restoration
Project?
The Everglades is home to a vast array of plants and animals that have
adapted to a wet, subtropical environment. Some creatures such as the
Florida panther, wood stork and West Indian manatee have become symbols
of a struggling ecosystem. Other parts of this vast mosaic – most notably
the sawgrass marshes, and cypress and mangrove forests – are recognized
around the world as images of the region. While some of its flora and
fauna are widely recognized, the Everglades also is comprised of many
hundreds, if not thousands, of lesser-known plants, animals and fish that
are part of a living, dynamic ecosystem. The River of Grass includes wetlands
plants, trees and marsh vegetation; invertebrates, fresh and saltwater
fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Some 68 species are on
the federal threatened or endangered lists. Many more are rare, species
of special concern, or included on state lists. A brief overview of selected
Everglades' plant and animal species follows:
Plants Marsh Species:
The Everglades is comprised of more than 100 marsh species that
live in water all or much of the year. Its most well-known wetland plant
is sawgrass, a normally hearty grass-like species that has formed thousands
of acres of marshes. Floating aquatic plants that dominate the waterscape
include bladderwort, white water lily, spatterdock and maidencane. Living
among these is one of the tiniest members of the Everglades plant community,
periphyton algae. The base of food webs, algae floats in mats on or just
below the water's surface, and is found throughout the Everglades.
Tree Island and Hammock Species
: In addition to aquatic ones, other plants in the Everglades
live in wetland tree islands and upland hardwood hammocks that dot the
landscape. Tree islands are small forests of trees and shrubs that have
adapted to a wet environment. They provide an important home to the many
mammals that live in the Everglades and are a site for wading and migratory
bird rookeries. Tree islands generally are named after the trees that
dominate them, with the most common the bay, willow and cypressCypress
is probably the most recognized tree in the Everglades, and includes the
dwarf and bald species. Cypresses require water to develop, and then can
live on either dry land or in water as mature trees. They have unusual
root systems producing "knees" that grow out of the earth which scientists
think are used for breathing. Cypress trees shed their leaves in the fall
- somewhat unusual in a subtropical environment. Another interesting tree
found in the islands is the pond apple, which produces large, bitter,
yellow-green fruit. Pond apples are a food source for some animals. Trees
also exist in the Everglades in hammocks, which are localized, mature
hardwood forests. Unlike the tree islands that are dominated by wetland
species, hammocks can have trees that traditionally live in drier conditions
such as oak and pine. Royal palm, cabbage palm, live oak, gumbo limbo
and West Indian mahogany are some trees that live in these tropical hardwood
hammocks.
Orchids, Bromelaids and Ferns:
Within the tree islands and hammocks, visitors can find breathtaking
orchids, bromelaids and ferns. The warm, humid environment is ideal for
air plants, with some of the world's most unusual and beautiful orchids
found in the Everglades. Many species of tropical ferns also thrive in
this environment, often found under shade trees and covering the forest
floor. Mangroves A keystone plant community of the Everglades, the mangrove
is a coastal plant that is known for its vast root system. Mangroves provide
an interface between more saline coastal waters and the freshwater marshes;
help reduce soil erosion and buffer the land from wind and waves; and
build the soil through their growth and decomposition. Mangroves do not
tolerate cold weather and are protected by law.
Animals Birds: Birds
are a special symbol of the Everglades, captured beautifully in the paintings
of John James Audubon. It is reported that in the 1800s there were so
many migratory and wading birds that their numbers darkened the skies.
Unfortunately, the wading and migratory bird population has been greatly
reduced, first by hunters and more recently by the loss of habitat. Despite
this, today some 350 bird species have been identified in Everglades National
Park alone. Some are year-round residents; other just visit for the winter;
and still others stop by on their journey to more southern destinations.
The most notable of the wading birds includes the wood stork; white and
glossy ibises; roseate spoonbill; great blue, great white and tricolored
herons; and snowy and great egrets. The endangered snail kite is an unusual
bird in that it survives exclusively on the apple snail. The Cape Sable
Seaside Sparrow also is in the news today, as scientists and government
regulators strive to preserve its quickly dwindling habitat.
Land Mammals: Many
animals live in the Everglades including the raccoon, skunk, opossum,
bobcat, and white-tail deer. But the poster-child of the Everglades and
the symbol of this wild, vast ecosystem is the Florida panther. It is
the most endangered species in the Everglades, with only 30 to 50 remaining
in the wild. Panthers feed on deer and other mammals, live in uplands
Everglades areas, and require large ranges. Great lengths are under way
to save the panther including radio-tracking collared individuals and
introducing other panther strains to increase the gene pool. Other Animals
Another keystone species of the ecosystem and an indicator of its health
is the American alligator. This ancient reptile builds "alligator holes"
that provide an important food and water source for many other animals
in times of drought. Two other well-known animals in the ecosystem include
the friendly West Indian manatee and bottlenose dolphin, both of which
live in saltwater bays and coastal areas. In 1999, the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service approved a Multi-Species Recovery Plan for the Threatened
and Endangered Species of South Florida. This plan outlines a detailed
program to protect the endangered and threatened plants and animals of
the South Florida ecosystem that includes the Everglades. It provides
a detailed list of rare, threatened, endangered and special concern species.
To learn more, log on to: http://verobeach.fws.gov/Programs/Recovery/vbms5.html
More information on the wildlife
of the Everglades can be found in The Everglades Handbook: Understanding
the Ecosystem by Thomas E. Lodge, published by the St. Lucie Press in
1998.
3. What kind of change will be expected to happen from
the project?
The ecosystems that make up the Everglades will be restored, thereby preserving
habitat and the species dependent upon that habitat. The restoration will
also help insure water supplies for future as well as current residents
of the region, continue to support industries like commercial and recreational
fishing, farming, tourism and all the other businesses which make up our
economy -- because we all depend on water to survive and thrive.
4. How long will it take to obtain a balanced ecology
after the restoration?
The plan is estimated to take from 20-30 years to complete, but there
will not be a specific point in time where "balance" is reached -- balance
will need to be a continual goal we pursue during the project, and once
the project is complete. However, we do expect to see varying degrees
of improvement in various parts of the ecosystem throughout the project's
life. We are already seeing improvements in areas like the Kissimmee River
and Lake Okeechobee (the lake benefited greatly from the drought of 2001,
for example), as well as in some coastal areas. We also expect that new
threats may emerge, and that we will need to continuously adapt to those
changing threats, and the changing needs of human as well as native populations.
This process which assumes a need for flexibility is called adaptive management.
5. Is the estimated $8-10 billion cost enough or too
much money for the project?
The 7.8 billion figure is a best guess estimate which was made at the
time the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was formulated.
At the same time, as land becomes more valuable, and more lucrative for
owners to develop, we also know that we may need to pay more to acquire
needed lands. At the same time, we are also exploring new technologies
that may allow us to save money in other areas. Part of the beauty of
the national Water Resources Development Act, as well as our adaptive
management approach is that both allow us to re-examine the plan and its
budget.
6. Who will be paying for this estimated amount of
money?
The costs are being shared by the residents of the watershed, who pay
approximately $10 per $1,000 of their property's value to a special Everglades
tax, by farmers, who also are assessed in a slightly different way in
taxes based on requirements to store water on their land/ treat water
running off their land to specified levels of cleanliness. In addition,
the state is sharing a portion of the cost, as is the federal government,
and federal taxpayers. The cost split is approximately 50-50 between state
and federal entities.
7. How do taxpayers feel about paying for this project?
Thus far, most taxpayers seem to be very supportive of the project. There
are those who believe the costs should be shared somewhat differently,
for example with agricultural interests paying a greater share, and there
are a smaller number who are completely against the project.
8. What kinds of technologies are going to be used
in this restoring process?
The leading technology involves the use of Stormwater Treatment Areas,
or STAs -- man-made wetlands stocked with plants which capture nutrients
and pollutants. Some newer technologies for removing nutrients and pollutants
are also being explored. We are also exploring a widespread use of Aquifer
Storage and recovery, or ASR, which would allow us to take water from
heavy rains in the rainy season and store it underground for later use.
9. Are there any bad effects for this project? If so,
what are they?
I don't know of any bad effects -- although some very pro growth advocates
might question the large scale land acquisition which will be needed to
make the project work. there are others who might like to see less engineering,
and even more land set aside for natural areas -- and taken out of agricultural
production, or eliminated as possible sources for urban or residential
development. the down-side of lots of land being owned by the state and
the public is that then no one is paying taxes on that land -- but then
there are those who say that more is lost as far as economic benefit than
is gained by unbridled development.
10. How will the animals and plants be affected when
the project is done?
The expectation is that the project will restore or protect existing
habitat, thus benefitting both native plants and animals.
11. Do you think this project goes far enough; what
else needs to be done for this project to be a success?
At this time, the CERP is not the only restoration project in the works,
so that other projects and programs should be able to compensate for any
deficiencies. In addition, because the process has been designed to be
iterative, meaning that it assumes that adjustments will probably need
to be made through the life of the project, we also believe that we can
compensate for any deficiencies within the life of the project.
MORE QUESTIONS?-
Everglades/Florida
Bay FAQs page:
http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/wrp/wrp_evg/2_wrp_evg_info/2_wrp_evg_faqs.html
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