PLANET WATER

FOR MICHELLE'S NATURE NOTES and NATURE FOOTSTEPS-WATER  (Thank you!)

Visiting the Everglades during the dry and then the beginning of the wet season provided a quick and obvious lesson on the importance of water to the health of our environment.   On our most recent visit, we noted one sign reminding us that our planet is seventy-five percent water -- it suggested that this third rock from the sun might better be named "Water" instead of "Earth."  

The Everglades is all about water, in seasonal cycles of rain and drought.   

 The above picture  and the next one are from an earlier trip we took by boat.  This one is the edge of Lake Okechobee, the major source of water for the Everglades.  The next picture is a lock on Lake O.

The information in italics under each of our pictures is taken from National Park Service explanatory signs in the Everglades.  

 

Historically Lake Okechobee overflowed with rain each spring.  But today, humans have engineered nature, disrupting the flow that nourishes the Everglades and its wildlife.  

 

The entire Everglades food web has evolved in pure low-nutrient water. Changes in water quality due to nutrient contamination (the introduction of phosphates and nitrates) threaten the natural glades.  (Sawgrass, seen above, is a sedge-like plant  that grows naturally in low-nutrient water.  Stands of cattails seen elsewhere in the park are not natural, they are growing as a result of nutrient contamination.)

 

Increased public awareness and support offer the hope of restoring natural conditions.  Park managers, working with other agencies, are restoring portions of the ecosystem that will help protect this "River of Grass"  -- from its headwaters in Lake Okechobee to its exit into the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay.  

 

"Here is land, quiet in its tranquil beauty, serving not as the source of water, but the last receiver of it.  To its natural abundance, we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes this place from all others in this country." President Harry S Truman, dedicating Everglades National Park, December 6, 1947 .

 

Comments

[soho stitch]

Looks like a fascinating place. Pity it is being treated the way it is. We have several big issues similar to this in australia with several of our arterial water systems. I often wonder what future generations will get to see when i can see such dramatic changes just in my lifetime.

[Rita aka Cashjocky]

Wonder photos. The first one looks like a painting. I so enjoy reading about your adventures. I have to get my fill of travel vicariously and your post always make me feel as if I am there.

[CameraCruise]

Great post, love your photos.
I've never seen a gator in nature and I think I prefer to see them on your photos. They are so scary.
Mette

[Gaelyn]

We don't need to manage nature as it manages quite well on its own. If we'd just stop messing it. Good post and reminder.

[Carver]

Great post for nature notes and I do so love seeing the everglades through your camera.

[eileen]

Sallie, the Everglades should be an eye opener. I have heard about the water problems there, thanks for sharing. Wonderful photos, the gator is cool.

[NatureFootstep]

hm, that river must have been man made. Everglads...the name makes one think of scary stories. :) Yet it seems nice and calm. But I think the place has many faces. :)

[TexWisGirl]

i just love that top shot. and gators are always cool to see (from my laptop screen!) :)

[Rambling Woods]

I had read there is concern about the Everglades from non-native species and how hard is that to address..I like planet water..it does make sense...Michelle

[Penny]

Thank you for sharing this, Sallie. A reminder of how fragile our ecosystems are and an appreciation for our National Park System.