Everglades

"There are no other Everglades in the world." (Douglas 104)

The Everglades is a very unique region that we have in this world and many do not appreciate nor understand it. It is a whole ecosystem that supports many of Florida's endangered animals like: alligators, panthers, birds, etc. The Everglades also serves as a big filter with Mangroves and River grass acting as a filtration system; which gets rid of all the harmful stuff in the water and leaves it clean. Even though the Everglades does so many things for the environment, people take it for granted and have destroyed so much of it by building on it or just not giving it the proper care and attention it needs or deserves. If we do not change and realize that the Everglades is an essential part of our ecosystem we could lose a very unique region in our world.

 Photo by: Andy Reid

"To understand the Everglades one must first understand the rock." (Douglas 122)

The rock holds the surrounding sea water of the Everglades and their borders together. This rock holds the fresh water, grass, etc. a little bit away from the salt water. The rock is made out of limestone and is grayish white and not formed; in the sun it hardens and forms clumps that is sometimes filled with sand, shells, or humus. The outline of Florida, within the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream, looks like a long pointed spoon which is the visible shape of the rock. This was something new that I learned and I think a lot of people do not really know about the rock; which is such a huge factor related to the Everglades - it basically holds the Everglades all together. 

Photo Concept by: Jesse Allen

"Here in the cypress pools - but for that matter, everywhere in the watery Glades, from lake to sea - lives the Glades' first citizen, the otter." (Douglas 144)

The otter because of his oily fur is ready for the heat and cold as long as it keeps its fur wet. The otter also has the quickness that enables them to out swim a crowd of alligators or other predators out to kill them. This statement actually surprised me because at of all the animals I never would have guessed that an otter  was one of the first citizen to inhabit the Everglades. It was interesting to see how the otter made sure they protected themselves and their family whether it was from predators or simply making sure their family had a home to live in. It was nice to see that they were a happy animal who really enjoyed all the enmities that the Everglades had to offer. 

Photos by: Wayne Willison