The Everglades River of Grass

Summary

The Everglades, often seen as a stagnant swamp, is actually a vast, slow-moving river known as the River of Grass, essential for Florida’s ecosystem. Covering 1.5 million acres, it supports diverse wildlife and replenishes freshwater supplies. However, human interference, like the construction of dams and the diversion of water for agriculture, has disrupted its natural flow. This has led to ecological disasters such as algae blooms, fish kills, and the decline of seagrass. Everglades restoration efforts aim to restore water flow, protect wildlife, and support local economies.

Takeaways

• 🌿 The Everglades is often seen as a vast wilderness with swamps, reptiles, and insects, but it's actually a slow-moving river system.
• 📖 In 1947, Marjory Stoneman Douglas' book 'The Everglades: River of Grass' redefined how people view this unique ecosystem.
• 🌧️ The Everglades relies on water from central Florida, particularly from rainfall in lakes south of Orlando, which feeds into the Kissimmee River and then Lake Okeechobee.
• 🏞️ The Everglades' river flows slowly, about half a mile per day, through a wide, flat limestone bed, forming a process called 'sheet-flow'.
• 🌳 The region is dominated by sawgrass marshes, tree islands, cypress domes, and mangrove estuaries as it moves toward Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
• 🌊 Water management has disrupted the Everglades, leading to severe consequences like extreme salinity in Florida Bay and the destruction of 50,000 acres of seagrass in 2015.
• 🐟 Poor water flow and pollution have caused algae blooms, dead fish, and a crisis in the fishing industry due to mismanagement of Lake Okeechobee's water release.
• 🚜 Over a century ago, large-scale draining efforts led to the creation of the Everglades Agricultural Area, halting the natural flow of water to the Everglades.
• 🛑 The construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee is essential for flood control but cuts off the natural water supply to the Everglades.
• 💧 Everglades restoration aims to restore fresh water flow, helping to preserve the ecosystem, protect the aquifer that supplies millions, and support local economies reliant on tourism and fishing.

Q & A

What is the Everglades known for?

The Everglades is known for being a vast, untamed wilderness full of stagnant swamps, slithering reptiles, and stinging insects.

How large is the Everglades?

The Everglades covers about 1.5 million acres.

What does the Everglades ecosystem consist of?

The Everglades ecosystem consists of watery landscapes teeming with critters, reptiles, insects, fish, birds, and other wildlife.

What is unique about the Everglades' water system?

The Everglades is considered to be an enormous, slow-moving river, with a wide, relatively flat bed of limestone rock covered with a layer of peat or organic soil.

How does the water flow in the Everglades?

The water in the Everglades flows slowly, at a rate of about half a mile per day, in a process called 'sheet-flow'.

What is the significance of the book 'The Everglades: River of Grass' by Marjory Stoneman Douglas?

The book changed the perception of the Everglades, describing it as an incredibly unique ecosystem full of toothy sawgrass and nurtured by a slow-moving river.

How does the natural water flow in Florida begin?

During the rainy season, rainfall in the higher central part of Florida fills a chain of lakes just south of Orlando, which feed into the Kissimmee River.

What is the role of Lake Okeechobee in the Everglades' water system?

In its natural state, Lake Okeechobee would brim over during the rainy season, spilling excess water over its southern rim and giving birth to the River of Grass.

What is the Herbert Hoover dike and why was it built?

The Herbert Hoover dike is a massive wall that almost completely surrounds Lake Okeechobee, built for flood control to protect residents from deadly storm surges.

What are the consequences of altering the Everglades' natural water flow?

Altering the water flow has led to Florida Bay becoming saltier than the sea, causing seagrass die-offs, algae blooms, dead fish, and a crisis in the fishing industry.

What is the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and how did it affect the Everglades?

The EAA is a large area of dry fertile ground created by draining water from the Everglades, which is now used for growing crops like sugarcane. This has disrupted the natural flow of water to the River of Grass.

What is the goal of Everglades restoration?

Everglades restoration aims to restore fresh water flow to the River of Grass, relieving pressure from Lake Okeechobee and reducing the need to pump nutrient-rich water out to sea.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 The Everglades: A Slow-Moving River of Grass

The Everglades is a vast wetland ecosystem covering 1.5 million acres, teeming with wildlife. Despite common perceptions of it being stagnant, it is actually a slow-moving river. The ecosystem was brought to light by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in her book 'The Everglades: River of Grass'. The water flow begins in the central part of Florida, where rain fills lakes that feed into the Kissimmee River, leading to Lake Okeechobee. In its natural state, the lake would overflow, creating the Everglades' flow. The Everglades' limestone bed, covered with a peat layer, slopes gently southward, creating a 'sheet-flow' that's imperceptibly slow. This flow shapes the Everglades' landscape, including watery prairies, sawgrass marshes, tree islands, and mangrove estuaries. The system ends at Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. However, human intervention has disrupted this natural flow, leading to ecological crises such as seagrass die-offs and algal blooms.

05:04

🌱 The Everglades Agricultural Area and Restoration Efforts

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) was created by diverting water away from the Everglades, leaving behind fertile land for crops like sugarcane. This area was once the beginning of the River of Grass. The construction of the Herbert Hoover dike around Lake Okeechobee provides flood control but also disrupts the Everglades' water supply. Restoration efforts aim to restore the natural water flow to the Everglades, which would alleviate pressure on the dammed lake and reduce the need for water discharges that harm coastal estuaries. This could be achieved by repurposing parts of the EAA for water storage and filtration. The Everglades is crucial for replenishing the aquifer for over four million people and supports a significant recreational fishing industry, attracting over a million visitors annually. These factors underscore the necessity of Everglades restoration.

Keywords

💡Everglades

The Everglades is a vast subtropical wetland ecosystem in Florida, covering about 1.5 million acres. It is characterized by its unique slow-moving 'river of grass' and is home to a diverse range of wildlife. In the video, the Everglades is described as a place that has been altered from its natural state, facing environmental challenges due to human intervention.

💡River of Grass

The term 'River of Grass' refers to the slow-moving water system that characterizes the Everglades. It is not a traditional river but a wide, shallow flow of water over limestone bed covered with peat soil. The concept is central to understanding the natural flow and ecological balance of the Everglades, as explained in Marjory Stoneman Douglas's book.

💡Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a writer whose 1947 book 'The Everglades: River of Grass' changed public perception of the Everglades. She depicted it as a unique ecosystem, not just a swamp, and her work is referenced in the video as a turning point in the conservation efforts for the area.

💡Sheet-flow

Sheet-flow is the term used to describe the slow, wide spread movement of water across the Everglades' limestone bed. It is so slow that it's almost imperceptible to the naked eye, moving about half a mile per day. This concept is crucial for understanding how water naturally disperses throughout the Everglades.

💡Limestone

Limestone is the type of rock that forms the floor of the Everglades. It is covered with a layer of peat, creating a flat, gradual slope that allows for the sheet-flow. The limestone bed is integral to the unique hydrology of the Everglades, as explained in the script.

💡Peat

Peat is an accumulation of decayed plant material or organic soil that covers the limestone bed of the Everglades. It varies in thickness, thickest near Lake Okeechobee and thinning as it moves south, contributing to the gradient that facilitates sheet-flow.

💡Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee is a large lake in South Florida that plays a critical role in the Everglades' water system. In its natural state, it would overflow during the rainy season, initiating the flow of water into the Everglades. The video discusses how human-made structures have altered this natural overflow.

💡Herbert Hoover Dike

The Herbert Hoover Dike is a massive wall that surrounds Lake Okeechobee, replacing an earlier earthen dam. It serves as a flood control measure but also切断了湖水流向Everglades的主要水源, contributing to the environmental issues discussed in the video.

💡Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA)

The Everglades Agricultural Area, or EAA, is an area that was once part of the Everglades' marshy beginnings. It has been transformed into fertile land for agriculture, particularly for sugarcane production. The video discusses how this area's development has disrupted the natural water flow of the Everglades.

💡Restoration

Restoration, in the context of the video, refers to the efforts to return the Everglades to a more natural state. This includes plans to restore the water flow, which would alleviate pressure on Lake Okeechobee and reduce the need for water to be pumped out to sea, thus addressing some of the ecological imbalances caused by human intervention.

💡Algae Blooms

Algae blooms are a consequence of the altered water flow in the Everglades, as discussed in the video. They occur when excess nutrients from agricultural runoff or other sources cause rapid growth of algae, leading to ecological imbalances, fish kills, and threats to the fishing industry.

Highlights

The Everglades is often thought of as a vast, untamed wilderness full of stagnant swamps and slithering reptiles, but it is actually a dynamic ecosystem.

The Everglades spans about 1.5 million acres and is home to millions of fish, birds, reptiles, and other wildlife.

Contrary to common belief, the Everglades is not stagnant but a slow-moving river about 40 miles wide and over 100 miles long.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ 1947 book, 'The Everglades: River of Grass,' revolutionized the perception of the Everglades by describing it as a slow-moving river ecosystem.

In its natural state, Lake Okeechobee would overflow in the rainy season, creating the River of Grass, a slow-moving river that flows at about half a mile per day.

The Everglades system is built on a limestone foundation with a layer of peat, which creates a gradual slope from north to south.

The River of Grass is a phenomenon called 'sheet-flow,' where water moves so slowly that it is almost unobservable.

The Everglades features diverse landscapes, including sawgrass marshes, tree islands, cypress domes, ponds, and sloughs.

Water flow in the Everglades is now altered, disrupting the ecosystem and causing severe damage such as seagrass die-offs and algae blooms.

Florida Bay, a crucial part of the Everglades, has faced saltwater intrusion due to reduced freshwater flow, affecting its ecosystem.

In 2015, a drought led to extreme salt levels in Florida Bay, killing over 50,000 acres of seagrass and triggering ecosystem collapse.

Efforts to drain the Everglades began over 100 years ago, leading to the creation of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), which diverts water from the ecosystem.

The Herbert Hoover Dike, built for flood control, now prevents Lake Okeechobee from overflowing and feeding the Everglades, further disrupting water flow.

Everglades restoration efforts aim to restore water flow, reduce pressure on Lake Okeechobee, and support the ecosystem and economy.

The Everglades is critical for recharging Florida's aquifer, providing fresh water for over 4 million people, and supporting a billion-dollar recreational fishing industry.

Transcripts

When you think of the Everglades, you probably think of a vast, untamed

wilderness full of stagnant swamps, slithering reptiles, and stinging insects.

For the most part, that's an accurate description. Covering about 1.5 million

acres, the Everglades is enormous. The watery landscapes teem with critters.

Reptiles and insects are plentiful as well as millions of fish, birds, and other

wildlife. But the subtropical wetlands that define the Everglades bio-region

are anything but stagnant. In fact most people would be surprised to learn that

the Everglades is actually considered to be an enormous, slow-moving river. In 1947

writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote a book that forever changed how we look at

the Everglades. "The Everglades: River of Grass" described

an incredibly unique ecosystem full of toothy sawgrass and nurtured by a

slow-moving river 40 miles wide and over 100 miles long. But as Mrs. Douglas was

writing her famous book, the Everglades was changing. Today we are dealing with

the effects of an altered, unnatural system, but more on that in a

minute. To understand how the River of Grass should work we need a head way

north. During the rainy season, rainfall in the higher central part of Florida

fills a chain of lakes just south of Orlando. These lakes feed into the

Kissimmee River which flows south, dumping into the great Lake Okeechobee.

In its natural state Lake Okeechobee would brim over during the rainy season

spilling the excess water over its southern rim. Now instead of a deep

narrow channel like most river beds, the floor of the Everglades is a wide

relatively flat bed of limestone rock. We can see this most clearly during the dry

season. This limestone foundation is covered with a layer of

peat, or organic soil. This peat layer is thickest at the southern rim of Lake

Okeechobee and it thins out as it moves south, creating a gentle slope - dropping

in elevation about two inches for every mile. Because of this gradual slope, the

Everglades, the wide, flowing River of Grass, flows too slowly for us to even

observe with our eyes - about half of a mile per day. We call this "sheet-flow."

From an airplane or satellite image, however, we can see how this slow, steady

movement of water has shaped the hammock islands that dot the Everglades into a

flowing pattern of teardrop shapes. The Everglades is dominated by watery

prairies and Sawgrass Marsh about ankle to knee deep during the rainy season.

Here and there we see tree islands on high ground, cypress domes in deeper

areas, and ponds or sloughs where the water is deepest. As it nears its final

destination, the Everglades becomes a maze of mangrove estuaries. The water

here should be brackish, or a mixture of salt water from the sea and fresh water

from the land. At last the Everglades dumps its contents into Florida Bay and

the Gulf of Mexico and this is where the long journey ends

for the Everglades: River of Grass.

At least that's the way it's supposed to work. But as I mentioned

earlier, the Everglades has been tampered with. Water, its lifeblood, no longer flows

the way it should and the Everglades is dying of thirst. This spells catastrophe

for a place like Florida Bay which is naturally a brackish estuary, a nursery

ground for fish, and home to the largest meadows of seagrass in the world.

Today, during periods of drought, Florida Bay can actually become saltier than the sea.

This is exactly what happened in the summer of 2015

sending the system into shock and killing more than 50,000 acres of

seagrass. What's next? Algae blooms. Dead fish. And a fishing industry in crisis.

No more than eight months later, Florida experienced an unusually rainy winter.

Lake Okeechobee filled to dangerously high levels and billions of gallons of

nutrient-rich water were dumped out to sea. This water didn't flow and filter

through the River Grass as it did for eons of time. Instead it was pumped west

through the Caloosahatchee River and east through the St. Lucie River.

Dirty plumes of lake water now polluted the brackish estuaries of the west and east coasts.

The result? Algae blooms, fish kills, and a fishing industry in crisis.

So why is the plumbing all messed up? Well, over a hundred years ago an effort

began to drain the water from the Everglades. Today a vast network of

canals, pumps, and locks are used to divert water away from the Glades,

leaving behind a huge area of dry fertile ground perfect for growing crops

like sugarcane all year round. The Everglades Agricultural Area, or EAA as

it is called, sits on what used to be the marshy beginning of the River of Grass.

You'll remember that historically, Lake Okeechobee would overflow its southern

rim right where the Everglades Agricultural Area is today, giving birth

to the River of Grass. That all stopped in the early 1900's with the

construction of an earthen dam, later replaced by a massive wall that now

almost completely surrounds the lake. The Herbert Hoover dike is important for

flood control. It protects thousands of residents in

surrounding towns from deadly storm surges.

Unfortunately, however, it also cuts off the main water supply to the River of

Grass. Through Everglades restoration, fresh water flow can be restored to the

River of Grass. This would relieve pressure from a dammed and swollen Lake

Okeechobee, removing the need to pump that dark water out to sea. This would be

accomplished in part by buying back portions of the Everglades Agricultural

Area to create water storage and filter marshes south of Lake Okeechobee.

The Everglades is a shadow of what it used to be, but it's incredibly important

to us. The River of Grass recharges our aquifer, providing fresh water for more

than four million people. It's also really important for our economy,

attracting over a million visitors each year and supporting a billion dollar

recreational fishing industry. These are just a few reasons why Everglades

restoration has to happen