Heaven and hell in the Everglades

Clunk. That was the sound last week when a report on the Everglades by the National Research Council (NRC) hit the desk of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.Of course, I’ve never seen the governor’s desk. I write from the other side of the castle keep and pole axes, outside the moat.

Eyes wide open on Florida

Many people who care about restoring the Everglades will be in Naples this weekend at the annual meeting of the Everglades Coalition, representatives of 45 conservation-minded groups from the local, state and national level, and fishermen, hunters and Native Americans.

More met in Orlando last November at the annual conference of the American Water Resources Association, eager for opportunities in water management, pipes and infrastructure imbedded in the latest iteration of hope for the Everglades: some $13 billion and counting.

Plan to fix Everglades: Bicycle with cardboard wheels

Water moves to money the way hips sway to salsa. But taxpayers had something more serious in mind when they agreed to invest more than $10 billion to restore America’s Everglades. The likelihood is—absent immediate action by elected officials—that pile of money will wash away like storm water down a drain.

Here is a brief explanation why.

Time runs out for Everglades

This has been a terrible year for the environment. In Florida, the fundamental balance has vanished that we hoped would protect the Everglades from the water demands of agriculture and Florida’s exploding population.
A 2003 review shows why those who care about the environment must direct new energy and leadership to Florida and to the nation. In Washington, key environmental laws are buckling under pressure from special interests. We conclude the fall 2004 elections are more important than any we have experienced in our lifetimes.