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It is the Florida Everglades - home to 68 threatened or endangered species, among them the Florida panther, the American crocodile and the wood stork.

Not so long ago, but for a very long time, the Everglades was a pristine wilderness. Seasons came and went. Summer rains fell and often caused Lake Okeechobee to spill its waters over the natural southern shore and form a river.

The river spread over more than eight million acres, covering miles and miles, with a depth that ranged from a half-foot to two feet. It usually moved down the southern Florida peninsula, through a few outlets east and west, but mostly south to Florida Bay. Historically, it was a very slow river - flowing a quarter mile a day.

Native Americans living in and around the river called it Pahayokee (pah-HIGH-oh-geh), the "grassy waters." Englishmen saw a wide-open, green wet prairie and recalled the glades of their native countryside. They called this river, "Everglades," since it stretched as far as one could see.Humans were there, but the impact of their presence was so minimal it was almost non-existent. Over the last century, many more people came and the vibrant southern Florida ecosystem was altered to accommodate their needs. As the area grew, the Everglades shrank, its water controlled for human uses.

Today, the impacts to the Everglades are all to apparent. The great sheets of water once moving slowly across the expanse of the original Everglades, recharging the water table and providing flow to streams and rivers, are now harnessed in canals. The natural timing of water ebbing and flowing as it crisscrossed the lower peninsula is now manipulated as it rushes through or stands behind manmade structures. Canals quickly drain the land into natural water bodies and are conduits for residential and agricultural runoff that pollute lakes, rivers and estuaries.

Most of the expansive Everglades is divided into "Water Conservation Areas" that supply water to the lower east coast of southern Florida. The natural overland sheet flow so important to the ecosystem is interrupted. As recently as the 1930s, an estimated quarter million wading birds inhabited the Everglades. Today, those numbers have decreased by more than 90 percent.There were 2,500 wood storks breeding in this vast wetland 40 years ago; but by 1990, these birds had dwindled to just 375.

The Everglades is not the only natural system in distress. Lake Okeechobee suffers from water levels that fluctuate drastically. Estuaries suffer from inundations of fresh water during the storm season and very little fresh water in times of drought. In addition to its environmental woes, the whole of southern Florida has outgrown population projections made in the '40s and '50s. Considered very generous at the time, the projection for the new millennium was two million people - today almost six million call southern Florida home. The population is expected to double in the next 50 years; yet, we have a limited supply of fresh water.

Today, we have a plan - the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan or CERP. It is a lifeline for the Everglades and will provide water for a 16-county area. The estimated cost of the more than 30-year project is $7.8 billion to be shared by the federal government and the state.

The CERP will provide the right amount of water and the right flow conditions to the Everglades - while providing water for urban and agricultural needs for the next 50 years. The Plan will return most of pre-drainage flow to the Everglades National Park. Much of the "new" water created by the CERP will be directed to southern Florida's natural ecosystems.

The extreme highs and lows of Lake Okeechobee will be reduced and the lake's ecology will rebound. Damaging freshwater releases to estuaries will be eliminated, alleviating stress to fish, oyster beds and sea grasses. The Everglades will enjoy a more natural timing, flow, and quantity of water resulting in a diverse and natural habitat for plants and animals. Flood protection will be maintained, and, in some cases, improved. Urban and agricultural water users will have enhanced water supplies.

The success of this restoration is up to all of us: citizens across the nation and state, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Interior, the South Florida Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and other agencies. Both input and support will be required over the coming decades, as we pursue the most ambitious ecological restoration effort of its kind in all the world.

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