Everglades Restoration
Photo courtesy of Paul Marcellini
In November 2014, 4.2 million people comprising 75% of Florida voters passed Amendment 1, titled “BUY LAND AND CLEAN UP OUR WATER” into law. It was a milestone victory for the Everglades conservation movement because restoration efforts are now focused on land purchase, a direct link to clean water.
Thanks in part to widespread education efforts by various partner organizations, elected officials and the public at large have a better understanding of what is at stake if water is not added fast enough to the dying Everglades. Our region’s economy, drinking water supply and quality of life as we know it depends on successful implementation of CERP.
The current level of water flowing through the Everglades region is not enough. The Everglades need more water; and as the third-most populous state in the U.S., Florida needs more water. In order to increase the amount of water needed to provide the most/best ecological benefits to the Everglades system, more land must be purchased. Acquiring it will allow managers to store and clean more water before sending it south to Everglades National Park, Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay. Efforts to increase water flow have already begun, through projects authorized by Congress in the 2014 Water Resources and Reform Development Act (WRDA), and the bridging of 2.6 miles of Tamiami Trail. But there is more to do.
More information: Everglades Coalition