INTRODUCTION
There was a time when the world was almost entirely covered by forests, marshes, mountains and rainforests however, as human societies became more and more industrialized and the population continued to grow more and more natural environments were cleared to accommodate housing needs of people, the grazing lands for animals, room for human industries, and the obtaining of natural energy resources, like coal and oil. This is a reality for many states in the United States. That being said there are many people who have never spent a single day surrounded by authentic nature. It was in the 1860s that the government, lead by President Abraham Lincoln, saw the need to prevent the complete and total loss of wilderness and the life that calls those environments home, before it was all being claimed by private land owners (Constitutional Rights Organization 1-2). The National Park Service was established in 1915 as an official entity; having been a major endeavor of previous President Theodore Roosevelt. Throughout the years many preservation and conservation organizations have been established with the goal of maintaining the lands, plants and wildlife of such ecosystems all across the United States (National Park Service 1). The establishing of the national parks helped make these areas a sanctuary; one that people could visit and experience. Everglades National Park is one such park. After reviewing the relevant information it becomes clear that the Everglades National Park is essential in protecting a unique ecosystem and educating the public about the importance of the nature, but at the same time it is an ecosystem currently being threatened by climate change, invasive species, problems with water flow quality and some issues that result as the consequences of tourism.
BACKGROUND
The National Park Service again is the agency of the United States federal government tasked with managing all of the national parks in the country and as well as national monuments, historical sites and other properties deemed of national of concern. It is responsible for the familiar locations, like Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone national parks. While the government was taking preservation and conservation more seriously since the late 19th century, there are two individual that was integral to the established of the Everglades as a national park. Ernest F. Coe, a landscape architect, had fallen in love with the different environments of the Everglades and in the late 1920s he established a number of clubs and service groups dedicated to raise awareness of the ecosystem, but also “got the ball rolling” in seeing the Everglades become a national park. Everglades National Park was established as a national park, unofficially in 1934 when Congress accepted its application as a national park, but officially named such in 1947, after the 13 years it took to raise the funds needed. This may have had much to do with another influential person in the story of the Everglades. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a journalist for the Miami Herald and a novelist wrote a book, which was published in 1947, titled “Everglades: River of Grass,” which coincided with the year that the park was finally officially accepted as a national park (National Park Service 1). The Everglades National Park has diverse ecosystems that total 1.5 million acres of protected land, mostly at the Southern tip of Florida. It makes up most of the southeastern border of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as, the edge the Florida Bay (Ward 1). Today, the Everglades Park remains a locale with invested conservation, preservation and restoration goals for the park, as well as, many other parks around the United States.
DISCUSSION
The bulk of the Everglades National Park is made up of, what some call primeval, subtropical wilderness, the largest of its kind in the United States. This ecosystem has been functioning for, at least, 5,000 years (National Park Service 1). It is made up mostly of a mixture of coastal and freshwater prairie. The diversity of the environment and the uniqueness of species that grow and reside there are equally as unique. Many of these life forms are not found anywhere else on the planet (Ward 1). In order to understand all the life in the Everglades National Park it is best to discuss them individually.
Plant life: There are a number of species of trees that call the Everglades National Park their home. Some of the notable species include cypress woods, pine forests, mangroves and royal palms. The marshland of the park is essential to life living there, so much so it is often referred to as the “river of grass.” The park is, also, home to a large of number of wildflower species spread throughout. Some of the other more notable plants of the Everglades National Park include mahogany, Resurrection Fern, Butterfly orchid and Spanish moss (National Park Service 1).
Insect Life: In fairness, most people do not care that much as to what insects are living or not living in the Everglades, but insects are incredibly important, essential really, in the success of any ecosystem. No one really knows for sure, despite efforts to document the information, how many insect species actually live in the Everglades National Park. Most recently they are confident in saying that there are at least 5,000 different species that have been recorded. Some of them most notable insects unique to the park include a number of beetle species including, the Eyed Click Beetle and a spider, the Golden Silk Orb Weaver. There are also many more insects including dragonflies, ants, centipedes, millipedes and scorpions. (National Park Service 1).
Wildlife: One of the greatest incentives of the need for protecting the Everglades National Park is the many the wildlife that relies on the environment. Many of these animals are included on the endangered species list, in fact they are some of the most endangered species on the whole planet (Lemaire & Sisto 4). The West Indian Manatee, often called sea cows, can grow to be as long as 13 feet and weigh as much as a thousand pounds. They spend the bulk of their time grazing on grasses and aquatic plant in the waters. They animals are regularly endangered by boat propellers. Both, the American Alligator and the American Crocodile call the Everglades home, they can each reach more than 10 feet in length. Turtles and tortoises call the Everglades their home, as well. White-Tailed deer and Black Bear are present and rather elusive. The Florida Panther, which is a subspecies of the Mountain Lion, is a large predatory cat. They are one of the truly endangered species in the park, as of 1990, there were thought to be only 50 or so panthers left in the wild. Finally, and probably one of the most surprising, of animals in Everglades National Park, is the Bottlenosed Dolphin. More specifically the Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphin, which can be found in the marine environments and estuaries off the coast (Thomas 1).
Given the unique and diverse environment of Everglades National Park it can be a lure to many environmentalists, research scientists, naturalists, photographers and the general public and tourism. After reviewing some of the many different experiences that there are to offer at the Park there are a lot of different activities. Some of these options include, trail hiking on Anhinga Trail, climbs to the 65-foot tall observation tower where one can see wider view of the park. Tour boats, kayak runs, biking in the pinelands, tram tours, week-long canoe trips and camping alternative along the 99-mile “Wilderness Waterway.” All of these options are used as a means to teach people about the ecosystem, the animals, the plants and the need to maintain such environments (National Park Service 1).
Unfortunately, the Everglades National Park is facing some very serious issues that threaten the ecosystem and all the animals that call it home. Again there are the dangers associated with animal injuries and encroachments, as well as, the continuing numbers of wildlife being placed on the endangered species list (National Park Service 1). But those are not the only challenges. Some of the most distinct of these issues is worthy of individual discussion
Invasive Species: There are a number species that have entered into the Everglades National Park which are not native and do not belong in these ecosystems. A prime example of this is the Burmese python. Burmese pythons are large, constricting snakes. These snakes are often purchased by people for illegal breeding or to keep as pets. However when the snake gets larger and it needs are more extreme many escape, but a good portion are likely released in to he wild of Florida by people. In the park the snakes are apex predators and are interfering in the normal function of things and eliminating food that “belong” to the natural animals. There have been immense decreases in both the raccoon sightings by more than 90% and the opossums more than 80% (Dorcas, Willson & et. al. 2418).
Water: While the park itself is federally protected in all downstream areas in the southernmost portion, however, upstream there is a great deal of human development and agribusiness which is effecting the abundant wildlife, contributing to the diminishment of water habitat; placing both a number of bird species and, of course, the manatee at risk. Areas, like the eastern grasslands and savanna landscapes have lost the proper flow of the water and this is only making matters worse (Ward 1).
Climate Change: Climate change is currently one of the most debated topics of the last decade, in fact there are some who believe that climate change is a myth. The reality is it is quite real and having a negative impact on the ecosystem and, therefore, the wildlife that reside there. The Everglades are an enormous ecosystem, but also as equally fragile. If one thing begins to fall out of balance it can cause a domino effect of disaster for that environment. Changes to the water, plant life, insect life, in the water and on land, are already contributing to the decline of certain areas and certain species (Piccininni 63-64).
Tourism: Despite the fact that tourism is one of the major industries when it comes to visiting the national parks and that it can be used as a tool of education, conservation and preservation, there is a downside to tourism in these protected and fragile environments. Many people who camp in the Everglades do not always think about the damage they can do by actions and negligent as littering to the more severe trekking and stomping of vegetation. Even the presence of too many human beings can alter the behavior patterns of the wildlife (Finnessey 19). That being said there is a need to improve how and in what numbers of people is safe and not damaging, while at the same time allowing people to experience and witness the beauty of this natural environment.
Fortunately, not all hope is lost, not by a long shot. In fact, efforts are already being made to place greater priority on the needs in all national parks. In 2011 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service enacted the “Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation area, the UNESCO World Heritage, the International Biosphere Reserve, and the Wetland of International Importance all are working for the good of the Everglades (Ward 1). The purpose is to make certain that the protection, conservation and preservation of the Everglades ecosystem is successful. There are a number of efforts being made to begin breeding programs for the animals that are most in danger of extinction, ideally this will allow the animals to be reintroduced into their natural environments (Thomas 1). It is believed that if measures are taken then there is hope of maintaining and restoring these natural environments that are becoming smaller and smaller all around the world. In the mean time, however, these environments are still in danger and there are many organizations continue work to gain support for the welfare of the Everglade lands.
There are some people who never set foot in nature. They do not camp, they do not hike and they do not seek out time spent in the nature. For these people nature is something that is out there, it will always be out there and it will take care of itself. That is simply not true. If the Everglades environment is not protected and maintained it will not be there and it will not simply repair itself. If these ecosystems completely fail it may be a dark end for many plants, insects and animals (Lemaire & Sisto 1-2). One of the greatest threats to conservation is human arrogance and lack of accountability. It is the pollution of people that has led to global warming, which has led to climate change, which will only increase if left unaddressed, therefore, the responsibility of fixing what human society has done is human beings (Piccininni 63). Many people do not understand the impact of human beings and others simply refuse to acknowledge there is a problem. There are the combined elements of invasive species, pollution, water purity and climate change, as well as, the negative impacts of tourism, but a large part of what will make any plan to conserve, preserve, repair, restore the Everglades, along with other ecosystems in other parks all across the United States, is the outlook, effectiveness and attitude of human beings and how they treat the world around them in the future.
The Everglades National Park is, again, an environment that has been teeming with life for the better part of 5 millennia, it contains plants and animals that cannot be simply replaces and can be found nowhere else in the natural world (National Park Service 1). While the establishment of national parks was once the solution to damage of environments, protecting of species and education of the public, that is simply not enough in the modern world. The levels of pollution, degrees of climate change and the overall loss of ecosystem is making it all the harder for such environments to continue to thrive. The National Park Service and other dedicated organizations and legislative bodies must become more proactive and more effective if they hope to continue to protect park lands and sustain the life that belongs there (Finn 1).
CONCLUSION
Imagine vast empty wastelands of dried waterways and collapsing swamps, of scarce animals sick and starving, skeletal trees and rotting vegetation. When children ask about manatee and deer and Floridian panthers, there may only be pictures and videos to rely upon. Is this a future environment that is particularly appealing? Now imagine vast trees, wildflowers, marshes, pools of water where deer feed nearby, dolphins dive among floating grasses and manatee gently swim among the waters. Is that not a place that people want to experience and places that parents would want their children to see? The Everglades National Park is one of these places. But without the efforts being taken and those that will be considered in the future are needed to make certain that such places continue to exist, for many generations into the future.
Works cited
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