I’m posting this blog a month late because of our new school situation but hopefully blog posts will be back and on time. Last time, I talked about my visit to the Everglades. In this post, I’m talking more about the threats to the Everglades and ways to help. Currently the Everglades are facing two big problems: invasive species and water drainage.
The presence of new species are threatening the safety and lives of animals native to the Everglades. One that is affecting the Everglades is the Burmese python. You might not see Burmese pythons out in the wild, but that doesn’t mean the danger isn’t there. The deaths of many mammals is attributed to them. According to the website, park workers have spent 10 years finding ways to get rid of this elusive creature. The sad part is, humans are the ones that brought them with our obsession for exotic pets. You might know someone that had a pet dog or cat run away from home. This is the same for burmese pythons. Many owners either lose their pets to the wild on accident or sometimes on purpose if they feel they can’t take care of it anymore. Moral of the story: if you want an exotic pet think research the potential harmful effects of having one before you get it especially if you live in Florida.
According to PERC, the Everglades “receives less than one-third of its historic water flow.” This is due to the goals of many corporations to drain the swamp in order to get more farmland. Financial troubles had kept people from draining too much of the Everglades, but after a terrible flood around 1950, projects started back up again and finished in 1979 disrupting the floor of the park’s waters in the process. Now, the park is at the mercy of the system of drainage canals as it is a last resort for the system. If there’s not enough water, the park gets next to nothing. If there’s too much water, excess water disrupts shrimp and fish populations which in turn disrupts an important food source for coastal birds. To try and fix the problem the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was created. Scientists are now monitoring the quality of water to better understand how to accomplish this. So how can we help? Aside from getting only domestic pets, the most we can do is to donate and to try and spread awareness. The more we educate ourselves on the matter, the better ability we have to tell others and take action.