January 26, 2005 — By Coralie Carlson, Associated Press
MIAMI — The state and federal governments should buy more land,
and do so quickly, in order to restore the Everglades before the
property becomes developed or too expensive in coming years, according
to a new report.
The report released Monday is the seventh and final in a series
by the National Academy of Sciences to advise federal and state
agencies and others engaged in restoring the greater Everglades.
The government is already spending $100 million to $200 million
each year to buy land for the restoration, according to the report.
But "it seems certain that some land not soon acquired will
be developed or become significantly more expensive before the two-decade-long
acquisition program can be completed," the report said. "Protecting
the potential for restoration, i.e. protecting the land, is essential
for successful restoration."
The 30-year, $8.4 billion federal-state program is intended to
restore some of the natural water flow through the sensitive Everglades
ecosystem, which once stretched uninterrupted from a chain of lakes
near Orlando to Florida Bay.
The report said many parts of the restoration project would involve
a lot of engineering and maintenance -- such as one plan to pump
water underground for storage. Water would be stored in rainy years
and released during dry seasons.
It suggests considering the use of Lake Okeechobee for additional
water storage.
The report is saying "exactly what the environmental community
has been saying for years," said John Adornato, Everglades
restoration program manager for the National Parks Conservation
Association. "The bottom line is, we need more surface water
storage."
But some oppose storing large amounts of water at the lake because
raising water levels there would flood out the lake's marshy wetlands.
David Bogardus, a field officer for the World Wildlife Fund, said
he interpreted the suggestion to raise levels at the lake as a last
resort. Otherwise, he said, the report's findings were positive.
"It's really groundbreaking for us because it really validates
a lot of issues that we've been talking about for a long time,"
Bogardus said.
Officials at the South Florida Water Management District said they
were still reviewing the 140-page report, but pointed out the state
has already accelerated several projects.
"We're kind of leading with our hearts and our checkbooks,"
said Chip Merriam, deputy executive director of the water management
district.
Source: Associated Press
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