Everglades National Park [1 ed.] 9781680799866, 9781680784718

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NATIONAL PARKS •••

S E D A L G R E EV K

Core Library

Core Library is the must-have line of nonfiction books for supporting the Common Core State Standards for grades 3–6. Core Library features:

• Well-researched, clearly written informational text • Primary sources with accompanying questions

• Multiple prompts and activities for writing, reading, and critical thinking • Charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, and maps

Visit mycorelibrary.com for free additional tools for teachers and students.

Books in this set: • Everglades National Park • Glacier National Park • Grand Canyon National Park

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• Great Smoky Mountains National Park • Yellowstone National Park • Yosemite National Park

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• A wide variety of high-interest topics

R A P L A N O NATI

Everglades National Park

There are many beautiful natural landscapes across the United States protected by the National Park Service. But how did these national parks come about? This series delves into the geological, biological, and political history of each park. Learn more about what each park is like today, what its most acclaimed landmarks are, and the activities available to visitors. Which national park will you visit first?

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S E D A L G R E V E N AT I O N A L

PA R K S

K R A P L A NATION

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S p a ld in g b y Ma d d ie

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Content Consultant Harold R. Wanless, PhD Department of Geological Sciences University of Miami

Core Library An Imprint of Abdo Publishing

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abdopublishing.com Published by Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2017 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Core Library™ is a trademark and logo of Abdo Publishing. Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota 072016 012017

Cover Photo: Yin Yang/iStockphoto Interior Photos: Yin Yang/iStockphoto, 1; Don Fink/Shutterstock Images, 4; Library of Congress, 7; Rudy Umans/Shutterstock Images, 10; Everglades National Park Service, 12, 39, 45; William Silver/Shutterstock Images, 15; Jo Crebbin/Shutterstock Images, 18; Shutterstock Images, 22 (deer); Eric Isselee/Shutterstock Images, 22 (raccoon), 22 (fox); iStockphoto, 22 (opossum), 23; CLS Design/Shutterstock Images, 22 (rabbit); Bob Eastman/iStockphoto, 22 (bobcat); North Wind Picture Archives, 26, 29, 32; View Apart/Shutterstock Images, 34; Kevin Derrick/ iStockphoto, 38; EvergladesRestoration.gov, 41; National Park Service, 42–43 Editor: Mirella Miller Series Designer: Ryan Gale

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Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Spalding, Maddie, author. Title: Everglades National Park / by Maddie Spalding. Description: Minneapolis, MN : Abdo Publishing, 2017. | Series: National parks | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016945458 | ISBN 9781680784718 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 9781680798562 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Everglades National Park (Fla.)--Juvenile literature. Classification: DDC 975.9/39--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016945458

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C O N T E N TS CHAPTER ONE

A River of Grass . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CHAPTER TWO

Geological History . . . . . . . . . . 10 CHAPTER THREE

Biological History . . . . . . . . . . .18 CHAPTER FOUR

Early Settlement in the Everglades . . . . . . . . . . 26

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CHAPTER FIVE

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Everglades National Park Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Park Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Stop and Think . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Learn More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

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E CHAPTER ON

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A RIVER OF GRASS

T

he midmorning sun glints on the water. The park ranger lifts one booted foot and steps into the swampy Shark River Slough. Her tour group

follows. Small fish dart through the water. Tall cypress trees rise from the marsh. A white heron watches the group. Tall sawgrass hugs the trees. The group follows their guide farther into the waist-deep swamps of Everglades National Park.

rg la d e u n d in E v e fo re a ts a f h a b it A v a ri e ty o

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P a rk . s N a ti o n a l

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Everglades National Park stretches across 1.5 million acres (607,000 ha). It is located at the southernmost tip of the Florida peninsula. The park’s environment is unlike any other national park. This is because it is close to the equator. Much of the park is made up of everglades,

A World Heritage Site

or swampy grasslands. Prairies, woodlands, and

Everglades National Park

islands can also be found

became a World Heritage Site

here. Many animals and

on October 26, 1979. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

plants thrive in this warm and wet climate.

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Organization (UNESCO) chooses World Heritage Sites. The site must benefit the community and the world as a whole. Everglades National Park was nominated and chosen because of its diverse

Preserving Florida’s Wetlands Everglades settlers in the

habitats and wildlife. UNESCO

late 1800s and early 1900s

also recognized it as a park

saw the wetlands as an

that protects many threatened animal species.

inconvenience. They could not farm land that was

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Workers dug the Miami Canal in the 1920s.

underwater. They also could not build houses or roads on this landscape. So they began digging canals. A Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

canal is a long and narrow passageway. Water from the marshes flowed into these canals. It drained south into the Atlantic Ocean. Settlers turned the northern Everglades into sugarcane plantations, cattle ranches, and vegetable fields. Ernest Coe was one of the first to speak up against land development in the Everglades. Coe was a landscape architect. He was shocked to learn about

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habitat loss in the Everglades. He formed the Tropical Everglades National Park Association in 1928. This organization fought for

PERSPECTIVES Truman’s Speech President Harry S. Truman gave a speech during the opening of Everglades

park in south Florida. Coe enlisted the help of writer Marjory

National Park. He described

Stoneman Douglas.

why the area needed to be

Douglas visited the

preserved: This Everglades area has

area in the 1920s. Her

more than its share of

observations later led her

features unique to these

to write a book called

United States. . . . Here is Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the creation of a national

land, tranquil in its quiet

The Everglades: River of

beauty, serving not as

Grass. It was published

the source of water but as the last receiver of it.

in November 1947.

To its natural abundance

Readers were excited by

we owe the spectacular plant and animal life

Douglas’s descriptions of

that distinguishes this

the Everglades’ scenery

place from all others in the country.

and landscapes.

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The Park’s Beginnings Everglades National Park opened on December 6, 1947. Coe and Douglas’s efforts had helped convince the public that the Everglades were worth saving. But the fight for the park’s creation had been a long battle. Activists helped the public discover the Everglades’ natural beauty. They helped protect a land that might have been ignored or destroyed. Now many people travel to the Everglades. This “river of grass” contains many plants and wildlife that cannot

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be found anywhere else in the world.

EXPLORE ONLINE Chapter One talks about key features of Everglades National Park. The website below goes into more depth about this topic. How is the information from the website the same as the information in Chapter One? What new information did you learn from the website?

Everglades National Park mycorelibrary.com/everglades

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O CHAPTER TW

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GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

T

he Everglades National Park landscape that visitors see now was very different approximately 200 million years ago. Earth’s

continents were then joined together as one. Scientists call this continent Pangaea. When Pangaea shifted and broke apart, part of the African plate remained attached to North America. This landmass

la tf o rm . e F lo ri d a P th f o n o ti e fo u n d a e fo rm s th n to s e m li A la y e r o f

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in th e li m e s to n e d n a il o s th e w. s o a k s in to la n ts to g ro p d n Wa te r th a t a tl e s a ll o w s w E v e rg la d e

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was the Florida Platform. The Florida Platform became the foundation of present-day Florida. Then the climate warmed approximately 65 million years ago. Glaciers in the northern parts of North America began to melt. This caused the sea levels to rise. The Florida Platform was sunken in a shallow sea. Sea creatures such as shellfish sank to the ocean floor after they died. Their shells began forming a layer of limestone on top of the Florida

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Platform. Limestone is a hard white rock. The Florida peninsula

Lightning occurs more often in Florida than in any other

emerged from the water

US state. Lightning can strike

approximately 23 million

dry grass and start a wildfire.

years ago as sea levels fell. Sand and clay deposits covered the limestone. Acidic rainwater dissolved some of the limestone, creating small cracks in the rock. Pits also Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Prescribed Fires

Wildfires help maintain the marshland and other habitats in the Everglades. But wildfires can spread quickly and become out of control. Everglades National Park workers use prescribed fires to keep flames within the park boundaries. Prescribed fires are planned and controlled carefully. Workers make

formed in the rock. Water

sure the fires burn slowly so

seeped into these open

animals have enough time to

spaces. This process

move to a safe place.

formed the Biscayne Aquifer approximately 110,000 years ago. The Biscayne Aquifer lies underneath the soil in southeast Florida. It allows the Everglades to store freshwater.

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A Varied Landscape The Great Ice Age that began approximately 2.6 million years ago formed much of Everglades National Park’s landscape. The Great Ice Age consisted of many shorter ice ages. Glacial freshwater fed into seas and made sea levels rise during warming periods. Sea levels fell during cold periods when polar ice sheets grew in size. The sea around south Florida deposited sediments. The constant movement of the sea shaped these sediments into landforms. The Atlantic Coastal Ridge forms a rim along the park’s southeast edge. It ranges in elevation from Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

5 to 20 feet (2 to 6 m) above sea level. This ridge keeps water in the Everglades from flowing east into the Atlantic Ocean. Water flows southwest instead. Sediment deposits also formed islands along the west coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. These islands make up the Ten Thousand Islands area. Mangrove trees grow in the shallow waters off the coast. Over time the sea deposited sand and silt in

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a n g ro v e to m a n y m e m o h is t a coas T h e F lo ri d

tr e e s .

the roots of these trees. These deposits gradually built up into islands.

Wetland Formation South Florida has a subtropical climate. The area is dry in the winter but humid in the summer. Rainstorms are common in the summer. As much as 24 inches (61 cm) of rain can fall on the area in one day.

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Lake Okeechobee formed

PERSPECTIVES

along the northern edge

Wetland Restoration

of the Everglades after

Water flow into the Everglades has been reduced

lake overflows in the

since the 1880s, when settlers

summer. The freshwater

began building canals in the wetlands. Workers also built

flows 100 miles (161 km)

a highway called the Tamiami

through the Everglades

Trail through the Everglades in 1915. This road blocked water flow south from Lake Okeechobee. Hydrologist Bob Johnson remains hopeful

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a warming period. This

until it reaches Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. This water flow and the

that much of this water flow

heavy summer rainstorms

can be restored. He measures

helped create the wetland

water levels in the Everglades, which have risen since parts

landscape that Everglades

of the road were removed. He

National Park visitors

predicts: “You’ll see very slow flow through the marsh back

see now.

the way it’s supposed to be: the river of grass.”

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OURCE S E H T O T ST RA I G H T

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Writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas admired the Everglades landscape in her book The Everglades: River of Grass. She wrote: There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them: their vast glittering openness, wider than the enormous visible round of the horizon, the racing free saltness and sweetness of their massive winds, under the dazzling blue heights of space. They are unique also in the simplicity, the diversity, the related harmony of the forms of life they enclose. The miracle of the light pours over the green and brown expanse of saw grass and of water, shining and slow-moving below, the grass and water that is the meaning and the central fact of the Everglades of Florida. It is a river of grass. Source: Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The Everglades: River of Grass. Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press, 2007. Print. 5–6.

Consider Your Audience Adapt this passage for a different audience, such as a teacher or a friend. Write a blog post conveying this same information to the new audience. How does your post differ from the original text, and why?

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REE CHAPTER TH

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BIOLOGICAL HISTORY

A

ll wilderness areas have a biological history. This is the history of all the plant and animal life that has existed in the area. Everglades

National Park has a rich biological history. The subtropical climate of South America and the temperate North American climate merge in the park. These two climates support different kinds of plants and animals. Freshwater and saltwater habitats also

can be a n im a l a n d te ta s l ia ic ri d a ’s o ff n th e r is F lo a p a d ri lo The F s. E v e rg la d e s e e n in th e

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support a variety of plants

Endangered Plants and Animals The Everglades is home to 20 species of endangered

Prehistoric Animals

animals and 59 species of

Many prehistoric animals

endangered plants. Some

once lived in Florida.

orchid species became endangered when poachers

Archaeologists have

took them from their habitats.

found the bones of extinct

Poaching also endangered some animals. The Florida

animals. Some of the

panther is the park’s most

fish and bird fossils they

endangered animal. Poachers hunted these panthers in the Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

and animals.

found are approximately

mid-1800s. Invasive species

50 million years old.

are another threat. These are

Megalodon teeth have

species that are not native to the park. They invade habitats

been found throughout

and harm native species. This

Florida. These were giant

can disrupt the balance of the ecosystem. One common

sharks that are estimated

invasive animal is the Burmese

to have been up to

python. These snakes can kill animals as big as alligators.

50 feet (15 m) long. Most of Florida’s large prehistoric animals

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roamed the area between 10,000 and 25,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found bones from giant sloths that stood up to 18 feet (5 m) tall. Wooly mammoths lived in the area until they became extinct approximately 13,000 years ago. Other ancient animals in south Florida included camels with long necks resembling giraffes.

Today’s Animals Everglades National Park visitors will not encounter mammoths or giant sloths. But a wide variety of animals can still be found. Many people come to see Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

crocodiles and alligators. South Florida is the only place in the world where American crocodiles and American alligators coexist. The American alligator lives throughout the southeastern United States. The American crocodile lives mostly in South America but also inhabits parts of south Florida. Crocodiles can live in saltwater and freshwater habitats. Alligators live mainly in freshwater. Florida Bay, located at the southernmost part of the park, is an ideal habitat

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White-tailed deer 64

1993–1999 2003–2011

24 Raccoon

266 9 Virginia opossum 103 5 Marsh rabbit & Eastern cottontail 38 0 Bobcat 9 4 Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Gray fox & red fox 5 0

Mammal Decline Invasive animal species such as the Burmese python have shrunk some of the mammal populations in Everglades National Park. The diagram above shows mammal populations in the park recorded between 1993 and 1999. It also shows mammal populations recorded between 2003 and 2011. What differences do you notice between these populations?

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American alligators bask in the sun in Everglades National Park.

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for both alligators and crocodiles. Here, freshwater from swamps combines with saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. The warm and shallow wetland environment attracts many birds. More than 360 species of birds live in the park. Wading birds such as herons have long legs that are suited to watery habitats. They stand in the marshes and dip their bills in the water to catch fish.

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PERSPECTIVES “Croc Doc” Frank Mazzotti Frank Mazzotti is a professor

Each of Everglades National Park’s habitats has its own unique plant

at the University of Florida.

life. One common habitat

He is part of a team of

is a hardwood hammock.

biologists who call themselves the “Croc Docs.” The Croc

A hardwood hammock

Docs study Everglades

is a cluster of trees that

reptiles. Mazzotti has been studying alligators for more

grows in areas of raised

than 15 years. He and other

elevation. Tropical plants

Croc Docs have noticed the alligators’ health has declined. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

A Variety of Vegetation

They now weigh 80 percent of what they should. Mazzotti believes humans are to blame.

such as cocoplum trees grow in these hammocks. They have small white fruit

Early drainage systems built

that wildlife often eats.

in the Everglades shrunk

Temperate plants such as

the alligators’ habitat. But Mazzotti remains hopeful that

oak and maple trees also

environmental efforts can

grow in these hammocks.

restore some of this habitat.

Mangrove forests grow near the coast of

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Florida Bay. Mangrove trees thrive in both freshwater and saltwater environments. These trees protect the mainland from hurricanes. Their tangled roots grow deep into the soil. These roots anchor the trees to the ground during storms. This wall of trees keeps the worst of the storms from moving inland. The Everglades also has more species of orchids than any other US national park. Orchids are plants that produce colorful flowers. Orchids flourish in the

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wetlands and hardwood hammocks.

FURTHER EVIDENCE Chapter Three introduced you to some plant and animal species that live in Everglades National Park. What was one of the main points of this chapter? What evidence is included to support this point? Read the article at the website below. Find a quote from the website that supports the chapter’s main point.

Everglades Wildlife mycorelibrary.com/everglades

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UR C H A P T E R FO

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EARLY SETTLEMENT IN THE EVERGLADES

T

he Everglades’ wetland environment may not seem like a place that could support much human life. But 12,000 years ago, south Florida

was much cooler and drier than it is today. The area’s first inhabitants likely lived in the area around this time. These were the Paleo-Indian people. Historians believed the Paleo-Indian people shared the land with animals such as mammoths and bison. They hunted

n P a le o -I n d ia

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th e s li v in g in

ir fo o d . te d fo r th e n u h a re a s E v e rg la d e

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these animals for food.

Prehistoric Trash Piles Hundreds of tree islands rise up from the wetlands in Everglades National Park. Scientists were curious about how these piles formed. They

rabbits, and fish when the wetlands began to form.

Spanish Explorers Arrive

dug at the base of some

The Paleo-Indian people

of the islands to find out.

were likely the ancestors

They found reddish-grey cemented layers underneath the soil. These layers were up to 30 inches (75 cm) thick. They were made up Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

They later hunted deer,

of some of the tribes that later lived in south Florida. Approximately

of animal bones, seeds,

20,000 people lived in

and other human artifacts.

the area when the first

Scientists estimate these items are approximately

Spanish explorers landed

4,000 years old.

in 1513. The Spanish encountered at least five tribes. The Tequesta

tribe lived south of the Everglades. The Jeaga and Ais tribes lived along the east coast. The Mayaimi tribe lived in central Florida, near Lake Okeechobee.

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ns’ ri c a n In d ia e m A e th rs . d is ru p te d ta rt in g w a e x p lo re rs s h d is n n a a e p s S a The g d is e b y b ri n g in w a y o f li fe

The Calusa tribe was spread out across southwest Florida. They survived in the wetlands by building their houses on stilts. Spanish explorers carried diseases such as smallpox. The native people had never faced these diseases before. Many died. Others were killed in wars with the Spanish. Still others were forced into

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slavery. The English gained control of Florida in 1763. By that time, the native population had declined to several hundred. Some of these people remained in the Everglades. Others migrated south to Cuba.

A Wetland Refuge Europeans continued to settle North America in the early 1800s. Many pushed native people from their homelands. US general Andrew Jackson led a war against the Creek tribe in 1813. The Creek tribe lived in present-day Georgia and Alabama. Jackson’s troops defeated the Creek people, forcing them to Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

give up most of their lands. Some survivors fled south to Florida. The Creek Nation then split into two tribes: the Miccosukees and the Seminoles. In the early 1800s, slavery was legal in the United States. Hundreds of black runaway slaves took refuge in Florida. These slaves lived alongside the Seminoles and Miccosukees. These tribes offered runaway slaves protection. This angered Southern slave owners and government officials.

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The US Army invaded Florida in 1817. It wanted to return slaves to their owners. It also wanted to open up Florida to US settlement. Jackson and his troops burned American Indian towns and recaptured runaway slaves. Jackson became president in 1829. He passed the Indian

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Removal Act one year

PERSPECTIVES Modern Everglades Tribal Life Approximately 4,400 Seminole and Miccosukee people now live in Florida. They live in reservations around Everglades National Park. Some American Indians who

later. This act allowed

live near the Everglades

him to relocate tribes to

continue to hold on to old

reservations west of the

tribal beads. But many have

traditions such as wearing

Mississippi River. But many

adopted a more modern way

American Indians refused

in 1947, when park rules

to leave their lands. They sought refuge in the Everglades. US troops

of living. This transition began outlawed hunting and fishing. The Seminole and Miccosukee people were forced to give up their former way of life.

again invaded the area.

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th e e s a fe ty o f th in s e m o h o le s b u il t T h e S e m in 00s. 8 1 e in th s e d la rg e Ev

They captured a key Seminole leader. Many Seminoles Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

then agreed to relocate. By 1858 only approximately 300 American Indians remained in Florida.

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OURCE S E H T O T ST RA I G H T The Everglades area has important historical significance to Colley Billie, former Chairman of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. He said: .

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During the Indian removal of the early to mid-1800s, when Indian tribes were being forced to move west into present-day Oklahoma and Kansas, our tribal members sought refuge in the remote Florida Everglades. We went from a dry land environment to subtropical wetland—an area that is mostly water. Although this new land was vastly different from any territory our people had ever encountered, we were able not only to adapt, but also eventually to thrive in this novel environment. This is a reflection of the versatility and adaptability of the Miccosukee people to thrive in the face of adversity and turn hardship into opportunity. Source: “Meet Native America: Colley Billie, Chairman of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians in Florida.” National Museum of the American Indian. Smithsonian Institution, February 28, 2014. Web. Accessed April 21, 2016.

Back It Up The speaker in this passage is using evidence to support a point. Write a paragraph describing the point the speaker is making. Then write down two or three pieces of evidence he uses to make his point.

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E CHAPTER FIV

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EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK TODAY

M

ore than 1 million people visit Everglades National Park each year. Some come to explore sloughs. Some come to catch a

glimpse of wading birds or wetland reptiles. Many are drawn to Everglades National Park simply because its environment is so different from any other US national park.

p a rk . ro u g h th e th s e d ri t y a ir b o a is it o rs e n jo v f o s p u G ro

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Climate Change President Barack Obama

Park Attractions The park has many

visited the Everglades in April

entrances. Visitors can

2015. He used the Everglades

enter through the Gulf

as an example of why the government needed to take action on climate change. Sea levels around the Everglades have risen as Earth warms.

Coast Visitor Center. Just past this entrance, they can boat through the Ten

Saltwater from the ocean

Thousand Islands. The

flows inland. This can harm

Shark Valley Visitor Center

freshwater wildlife. Obama suggested that reducing

is another entrance. It is

pollution can stop some of

located in the heart of

this damage.

the Everglades. Visitors

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will not find sharks in Shark Valley. But they will probably see alligators sunning themselves along hiking paths. The southernmost visitor entrance is near the Flamingo Visitor Center. Visitors might see flamingos in this area. Visitors who do not mind getting their feet wet can go slough slogging. Everglades National Park has

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two main sloughs. Shark River Slough extends from the northeast corner of the park. Taylor Slough is

Oil Drilling Near the Everglades

located along the park’s

While oil drilling is not

southeast edge. Park

allowed in Everglades National Park, it is allowed

rangers guide groups

in Big Cypress National

through sloughs, where

Preserve. This preserve

they can admire cypress

Everglades. The National

tress and other wetland plants up close. Visitors can also Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

PERSPECTIVES

explore by canoe. Nine Mile Pond is one of the most popular canoe

is located next to the Park Service (NPS) believes oil drilling will have only a small impact on endangered wildlife. However, some environmentalists disagree. Matthew Schwartz is part of the South Florida Wildlands Association. He believes female Florida panthers may

trails. Cocoplum trees

abandon their dens while the

rise up from tree islands

nearby drilling is going on. He

in this pond. Turner

studies in the area before

River in the northwest

has asked the NPS to do more they approve the operations.

corner of the park is

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Manatees are protected by the government.

another popular canoe trail. Canoers here might spot manatees swimming near the shore of the Gulf Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

of Mexico. Experienced canoers can explore the 99-mile (159-km) Wilderness Waterway. This waterway of interconnected bays stretches from Everglades City to the Flamingo Visitor Center.

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan The Everglades once covered more than 4,000 square miles (10,360 sq km). But this region is now less than

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Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rg la d in th e E v e s il a tr d n le v e e s , a te r fl o w. th e d a m s , g n ti a d re a s e d w a p c U in to d a a ll y le w il l e v e n tu

es

half of its original size. Land development and canal construction in the 1800s drained much of these wetlands. The US government also built more canals in 1947 to protect Florida against hurricanes. These canals reduced water flow into the Everglades. The Florida government and the federal government are committed to restoring some of these wetlands. They have partnered to work on the

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largest environmental restoration project in US history. This is the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Congress approved the CERP in 2000. The CERP consists of more than 60 projects. These are all meant to increase the flow of freshwater into the Everglades. They also restore freshwater habitats for animals such as alligators. Workers have removed many canals and dams. They have also removed parts of the Tamiami Trail. They have built bridges to replace these sections of the trail. Freshwater can flow south underneath these bridges into the Everglades. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

These projects have increased water flow into the Everglades. But there is still a long way to go. The National Park Service (NPS) estimates it will take more than 30 years to complete the CERP. Increasing freshwater flow in the wetlands is a slow process. The water has to be released in the right quantities and areas. Though it will take many years, this project will go a long way toward restoring the river of grass.

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HISTORIC FLOW

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CURRENT FLOW

RESTORED FLOW

Water Flow in the Everglades Compare the above images. How has water flow in the Everglades changed over time? How will the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan redirect water flow?

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PA R K M A P er iv il R ra r T n eo r n T uC a

Ta m i a m

i Tr a i l

e

Gulf Coast Visitor Center

Te n

W

T o

ild

h u

er

sa

ne

n d

ss

Is d

at

n

W

la

erw

s

ay

GULF OF MEXICO

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Nine Mile Pond

Flamingo Visitor Center

North 0 0

42

5

5

10 Kilometers 10 Miles

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Ta yl or Sl ou gh

Sh ar k R iv er Sl o ug h

S h a r k Va l l e y V i s i t o r C e n t e r

Florida Bay

AT L A N T I C OCEAN

43

INK H T D N A P STO

Take a Stand Miccosukee and Seminole ancestors lived off the land for thousands of years. But they are no longer allowed to hunt or fish in the area. Some feel as though they have been cut off from their homeland. Do you think they should be allowed to hunt and fish in the park? Why or why not? What could be done to preserve both the Everglades and native traditions?

Another View Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

This book talks about oil drilling operations near Everglades National Park. As you know, every source is different. Ask a librarian or another adult to help you find another source about this subject. Write a short essay comparing and contrasting the new source’s point of view with that of this book’s author. What is the point of view of each author? How are they similar and why? How are they different and why?

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Why Do I Care? Maybe you do not have a national park near you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t think about how national parks are important. How do national parks affect your life? Do you have friends or family who have worked in a national park? How might life be different if there were no national parks?

You Are There Imagine you are among the first people to settle in the Everglades. Write a letter home. What do you notice about the landscape? What plants and animals Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

can you find? Be sure to add plenty of details.

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GLOSSARY aquifer

reservation

a layer of rock or sand that can hold water

an area of land set aside by the government for a specific purpose

peninsula a piece of land that sticks out from a larger landmass and is almost completely surrounded by water

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plate

sediment rock, sand, or dirt that has been carried to a place by water, wind, or a glacier

silt

one of the sheets of rock that make up Earth’s outer crust

sand, soil, or mud that is carried by flowing water and then sinks

poacher

slough

a person who hunts or fishes illegally on someone else’s land

a low-lying area of land that channels water through wetlands

refuge

temperate

a place that provides protection or shelter

having neither very hot nor very cold temperatures

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LEARN MORE Books Furstinger, Nancy. The Everglades: The Largest Marsh in the United States. New York: AV2, 2014. Marsico, Katie. The Everglades. Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake, 2013. Mattern, Joanne. Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Minneapolis, MN: Abdo, 2014.

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Websites To learn more about National Parks, visit booklinks.abdopublishing.com. These links are routinely monitored and updated to provide the most current information available. Visit mycorelibrary.com for free additional tools for teachers and students.

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INDEX American Indians, 31–32, 33 Atlantic Ocean, 7, 14 Big Cypress National Preserve, 37 Biscayne Aquifer, 13 Coe, Ernest, 7–9 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), 40–41 Douglas, Marjory Stoneman, 8–9, 17

Flamingo Visitor Center, 36, 38 Florida Bay, 16, 21, 25 Florida Platform, 12–13 Gulf Coast Visitor Center, 36 Gulf of Mexico, 14, 16, 23, 38 habitats, 6, 8, 13, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 40 Indian Removal Act, 31, 33 Jackson, Andrew, 30–31

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

endangered plants and animals, 20, 37 Everglades: River of Grass, The, 8, 17

Lake Okeechobee, 16, 28

National Park Service (NPS), 37, 40 Nine Mile Pond, 37 Paleo-Indians, 27–28 plants, 6, 8, 9, 19–20, 24–25, 37 Shark River Slough, 5, 37 Shark Valley Visitor Center, 36 Tamiami Trail, 16, 40 Taylor Slough, 37 Ten Thousand Islands, 14, 36 Wilderness Waterway, 38 wildlife, 6, 9, 20–24, 36, 37

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Maddie Spalding is a writer from Minnesota. She enjoys writing about history and the environment. She has visited a few US national parks and hopes to visit more in the future.

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Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.