Should We Drain the Everglades?
3 hours ago
- #Wetlands
- #Florida
- #Environmental History
- Lake Okeechobee is Florida's largest lake with an average depth of only nine feet, which the author finds unsettling.
- The lake has a history of flooding, leading to catastrophic loss of life before flood control measures were implemented.
- Historical attempts to drain the Everglades were driven by the belief that wetlands were 'valueless' and could be converted into farmland.
- Early drainage efforts by figures like Hamilton Disston and Napoleon Bonaparte Broward failed but spurred Florida's land boom.
- Poorly constructed levees around Lake Okeechobee failed repeatedly, causing deadly floods until federal intervention led to the Herbert Hoover Dike.
- A proposed massive airport near the Everglades in 1969 was halted due to environmental concerns, marking a rare conservation victory.
- The post reflects on the repeated human attempts to alter natural landscapes, often with disastrous or unintended consequences.