The Nature of the Everglades: One of the World's Sacred Treasures

Source: http://www.nature.org/cs/groups/webcontent/@web/@florida/documents/media/everglades.jpg

The Everglades are considered to be one of Florida's most national treasures, coexisting with people both young and old who treat it as their own sense of place. Ever since it had been discovered, people were marveled by the endless sea of saw grass, the winding paths of rivers and deltas, and its unique environment and ecosystem. An excerpt I read from The Everglades: River of Grass: The Nature of the Everglades by Marjory Stoneman Douglas reiterates these points, as he describes the beauty and history of the Everglades.

"There are no other Everglades in the world" (Douglas 104). Although it is the very first sentence in the excerpt, its impact and tone are felt deeply. The Everglades is rich with history and life, and is considered a strong point of study even to this day. I remember visiting the Everglades on vacation, taking the last airboat ride of the day through the deep mangrove forests and slowly transitioning into the wide open grasslands. It was a fantastic experience, but something other than the transition of biomes really caught me by surprise. During the evening it was somewhat quiet, a few birds singing here and there followed by the humming of cicadas. But when night came around, it was as if the Everglades themselves had a nightlife of its own. Frogs replaced the sound of birds and small growls of alligators could be heard in the distance. Douglas could not have chosen a better way to describe the Everglades, there really is nothing like it in the world.

Source: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/25/us/glades600.jpg

"The first saw grass, exactly as it grows today, sprang up and lived in the sweet water and the pouring sunlight, and died in it, and from its own dried and decaying tissues and tough fibers bright with silica sprang up more fiercely again" (Douglas 109). It's truly amazing at the types of flora and fauna the Everglades brings to Florida. Even more amazing is how saw grass itself is so resilient. The way Douglas describes how saw grass withstood the test of time really makes me wonder about the intense struggle it faced throughout history, but also made me think about how nature can 'rubber band' back from a disaster. Perhaps there is a deep sense of symbolism of how anything can return from a devastating event.

"The hurricanes make up, although no man has yet seen the actual beginning of one, as far east as the Azores, where the hot air rises all along the line of the equator as the Northern Hemisphere cools toward winter" (Douglas 118). Floridians, as well as the Everglades, are very well acquainted with hurricanes, as they mostly bring unnecessary destruction and flash flooding. One of the worst hurricanes I ever experienced was Hurricane Charley back in 2004. It was the first hurricane I had ever witnessed, and the aftermath I saw when I emerged from my house was truly traumatic. Flooding of course is a major concern for any area, but I believe that the Everglades play a key part in protecting its surrounding areas from potentially worse flooding, which is why its so important ecologically that it is preserved.

Source: http://www.backyardnature.net/n/11/110807sg.jpg