Wetlands In Florida

What if all of the water in Florida was poisonous and polluted? There are nearly 7 million people that live in Florida and many that rely on the Everglades for drinking and bathing water. The Everglades’ water supply is affecting wildlife and people but we are determined to find a way to fix this issue.

The Everglades is a subtropical wilderness with hardwood hammocks, mangrove forests, along with grass marshes. The Florida Everglades used to be a home for many endangered species, that was until the sudden changes in the environment. The Everglades are facing water-related issues, such as its problems with the water supply. There are issues facing recent attempts to improve the water supply, and some history on the Everglades.

To begin, because of the change in water supply the wildlife is losing resources, causing them to die. Without the proper water and land mass wildlife needs, most won’t survive. According to, “The Florida Everglades” it states, “As a result, the quantity and diversity of the wetlands’ wildlife decreased and 50% of the original wetlands on South Florida

The location of the first national park known for its impressive landscape,native animals, plants, and environment is located in the southern tip of Florida. The Florida Everglades is known for the animals and how they preserve the Everglades. The Florida everglades is the, “largest subtropical wetlands ecosystems” in North America ( Here are 20 Facts About Florida’s Everglades).

First and foremost, a main reason why the water supply to the everglades is having a bad effect, is because of all of the past draining. As stated in source 1 (The Florida Everglades) it says “From 1905-1910 , the settlers coverted the land… the Everglades were nearly drained entirely.” This shows that these new settlers wanted to get rid of the Everglades completely. As a result to their actions the Florida lost 50% of the wildlife’s population and diversity. This also included the subtropical wilderness of the Everglades. Which contained grassy marshes, hardwood hammocks, and mangrove forests. The draining of the Everglades was only one of the reasons why that the water supply on the park is bad.

Look around, what is seen wasn’t always there but it did just come out of nowhere. In Florida when driving at some point wild life and what's left of the Everglade that has not been changed or destroyed. There is a reason for the everglades being protected now after almost being completely ruined compared now to what it used to be. In the world there is only one of every ecosystem which makes each and every special in there own way and if one is no longer there is it a problem if fact it is; anything that depend on have internal systems working together to result in a balance need all of is parts. It is a fact that the Florida Everglades is a essential to the to wild life and many system on Earth as a whole.

The Everglades, a vast wetlands ecosystem made up of marshes and swamps, begins at Lake Okeechobee, a large lake in the center of Florida, and ends in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay. It is nearly 50 miles across and 110 miles long (Hinrichsen), and when viewed from the air, appears to be miles and miles of shallow water flowing through thick mats of grass. This perception has earned it the name “River of Grass”. Although it does flow like a river, the flow is so incredibly slow that, from a distance, it doesn’t seem to move at all.

These wetlands can be protected if humans reduce pollution amounts. Many wetlands are affected by pesticides and fertilizers, among other pollutants, clogging up the waters. Another thing which is harming wetlands is when people drain them or get rid of them to make way for open land. People can help by either joining a cause which preserves wetlands or by making sure rivers and streams become pollution-free zones so that the organisms living there can continue to survive.

Nearly as large as the state of New Jersey, the Everglades used to measure about 6,000 square miles (Bucks, 1998). The Everglades was a complex wetland consisting of a mosaic of ecosystems. The heart of the Everglades was a slow moving body of water with a span of one hundred twenty miles long and forty miles wide with an average depth of six inches to two feet of water (Lauber,1973). This broad shallow, often called the "river of grass," was covered in a blanket of saw grass (not actually a grass but a sedge) that slowly drained the water from its main source, Lake Okeechobee, all the way to the southernmost tip of the state and into the Florida Bay. Shaped much like a saucer, when full Lake Okeechobee would send its overflow spilling into the shallows of the Everglades river. This natural filling process, along with the wet season's rains, is what fed the flow of the Everglades and the underlying aquifers for centuries.

The fence must be at least 6 inches off the ground to allow natural drainage flow, prevent the blocking or damming of surface water and to allow the passage of small animals.

There are many invasive species that populate Florida. An invasive species is defined as a plant, animal, or fungus that has come to occupy a location aside from its native grounds. Often times, because Florida is not their homeland, these animals play a negative part in the ecosystem. Because of this, the citizens affected are often forced to seek means of removing these animals to eliminate their negative effects. The Burmese Python, the Green Iguana, and the Wild Boar are just a few examples of some of the invasive species that can be found in Florida.

In fact there are an estimated 7,800 lakes in Florida that are at least an acre in size, according to Bridget Cohen of the Orlando Parks Examiner. Two-thirds of those lakes are located within the four counties that surround Orlando. With so many lakes, whether man-made or natural, there are abundant species of wildlife that count on these lakes in and around Orlando. Writing in the United States Geological Survey publication, "Hydrology of Central Florida Lakes," Donna M. Schiffer

Protecting Florida’s coastal birds nesting sites is extremely important in the protection of the species. A multitude of birds call Florida’s many beaches home. We must make an effort to protect our beaches and these birds.

There are many invasive species in Florida, which affect the environment in many ways. First, one way is that the animal cannot thrive in its new environment, the reasons being; not enough food or the wrong climate. Another example would be, that the animal might thrive successfully and reproduce. This is detrimental to the environment because the animal or plant can wreak havoc and become an invasive species. Species can become invasive due to the lack of predators in its environment.

In Louisiana there is also a wetland, many wetlands in fact. According to the article "Wetlands and Habitat Loss" written by Elaine Mao in paragraph eight it says, " The wetlands are also essential to the state’s fishing industry, providing a habitat for fish, shrimp, oysters and crabs. As of 2013, Louisiana’s commercial fishing industry is responsible for 25 percent of all seafood produced in the United States, with the highest production of shrimp, oysters and freshwater fish in the nation. Approximately one in every 70 jobs in the state is related to the fishing industry. The destruction of the wetlands would have disastrous consequences for the economy of the area and the livelihoods of many of Louisiana’s resident." The Florida Everglades is not the only swamp that people depend on.