Understanding our continual harming of the Everglades

Even before the statehood of Florida in 1845, there have been efforts to build a future from the Everglades -- including today's efforts to now perform what's being called the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (CERP) -- http://www.evergladesplan.org which, of cours, is being done by the same agency that caused the restoration needs. == I consider this as a classic paradox for the Everglades -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTYDXUNEP-k -- believing what is totally contray to what's known to be true. == A passage from River of Brass (1947 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1895-1998) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKZg3EysVh8 == Florida Everglades Cleanup: A River of Morass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La0xEsbxgl8 == 12/17/2010 - Federal judge Allan Gold supports new $1.5 billion USEPA plan to fix Everglades pollution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t-AcX9m85A Waters of Destiny is an undated film from the 1950s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and what is now the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) -- prior to 1972, it was titled the Central and South Florida Flood Control District in keeping with the 1947 federal authorized project, for which, it was established. Before 1947, there was a state board named the Everglades Drainage chaired by the Florida governor. USACE has been in the Everglades since the 1880s when they followed Hamilton Disston as he channeled from the Caloosahatchee River into Lake Okeechobee then cleared snags and other obstacles to navigate up the Kissimmee in his pioneering efforts to drain the Everglades. The water level of Lake Okeechobee was lowered by about five feet as a result of his feeble several mile long canal into it. --- Note: USACE and SFWMD began fixing Lake Okeechobee in the 1920-1930s -- during which in 1926 and 1928, more than several thousand died because of recklessly engineering -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gVgTozgiuc More on Lake Okeechobee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpkhJgV_mLo --- This is superb:: Everglades History - Man vs Nature (Hootch TV, 24 minutes) Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekwOBo-sI3g (6:33 minutes) Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhCr1hTcfAA Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUOutl8D5Po Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A38wfoVG7q0 --- There are many books on Everglades history and among the best is the most recent one titled The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida and the Politics of Paradise (February 2008) by Michael Grunwald - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743251059 (in which I am among those noted in the acknowledgments). Before reading his book, I strongly recommend the 2002 series of articles (97,000 words) he wrote for The Washington Post that can be found here: http://www.ussugar.com/news/environment/archives_environment/2002/swamp.html -- both U.S. Sugar Corporation and Friends of the Everglades (founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas) put these articles on their websites, a strong endorsement from opposing sides. After having read both those articles and his book, one should read Dr. Dovell's (1911-1986) thesis -- prepared over 12 years and completed in 1947 - on Everglades history as it is a main contribution to the book and mostly unknown - http://sofia.usgs.gov/memorials/dovell/ Author Grunwald refers to USGS hydrologist Gerald G. Parker, Sr. (1905-2000) as being a genius and his work can be seen here: http://sofia.usgs.gov/memorials/Parker --- Last of the Everglades Great Ones -- Johnny Jones (1932-2010) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2OLWSqJgDc --- In 1999, while with the USGS, I developed and coordinated a first and only South Florida Restoration Science Forum that had over 500 attendess including then Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt which was then put online - http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/ My Everglades field investigations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lGaajrfWOw --- Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (GEER) Concerences http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4eAI-SNido === The Actual '73 Giving Tree Movie Spoken By Shel Silverstein http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZCP6OqRlE --- This Waters of Destiny film is referred to as Everglades madness due to being comparable to the 1938 Reefer Madness - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2FZgErvNTE